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Contact national psychology associations.
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Look in your library. There are a number of recently published handbooks of international psychology that have chapters describing psychology in regions of the world.
While some organizations have only institutional members (for example, the International Union of Psychological Science), there are numerous specialized international psychology organizations with individual memberships. In addition to providing a means to contact colleagues who share your interests, membership benefits often include reduced journal subscriptions and conference fees.
The Office of International Affairs' calendar of international psychology conferences and congresses includes meetings taking place internationally, and it also includes U.S.-based meetings that attract international attendees — including APA’s annual convention.
The question of providing therapy to a client who is outside of one's jurisdiction is a complicated one. The best way to think about the issue is to consider the following:
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Will [state] allow you to see someone from [aforementioned state] in another jurisdiction where you are not licensed to provide that particular service (testing, therapy)? Some states say no, you unequivocally must be licensed in the state/country where the client will be located. Others do not provide guidance on the issue.
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What's going on where the patient is going to be? If, for example, they moved to Norway, Norway would require you to be licensed in the country. France would say that there is no regulation regarding the issue. In the UK, the decision is not made by the British Psychological Society (BPS), but the governmental licensure board. The UK Regulatory Board would say that you can't call yourself a psychologist nor a citizen of the UK, but you may be able to see a client. For countries specific to Europe, see the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations’ websiteopens in new window regarding regulations.
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Will your malpractice insurance cover you in the client's location? If you are providing services you can't legally and ethically provide, your malpractice may not carry you. It is important to be aware of this.
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If you are going to work with someone in Europe, be sure to clarify if the country in which your client is residing is one that follows HIPAA or Europe's general data privacy regulations (GDPR). Note that GDPR privacy regulations are much stricter than HIPAA.
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Be sure you have asked yourself what will happen in the unlikely event that a serious crisis occurs while your patient is in another country. For example, if your client is suicidal, do you know how to get her hospitalized?
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If you client is so mentally fragile that they cannot manage time overseas without therapy, it may be important to ask if they should reconsider their intention to travel.
If additional questions arise, please reach out to Alex Siegel, PhD at the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards for further details.
If you would like to learn more about regulations within a specific country, we recommend contacting the national psychology association of that country. Many national associations are listed on the Global Psychology Alliance webpage.