It has the potential to strengthen public confidence, raise professional standards and improve patient safety across mental health services. Public protection is best served when practitioners, employers, educators and service users understand what is changing and when it will happen. While regulation itself will ultimately strengthen public protection, this lack of certainty risks delaying many of the practical benefits it is designed to deliver. It would reduce uncertainty, support workforce planning and ultimately strengthen public confidence in the regulatory process. Statutory regulation offers an important opportunity to strengthen public confidence in counselling and psychotherapy in Ireland.