Who is a Clinical Psychologist?

A clinical psychologist is a mental health professional with training in the diagnosis and psychological treatment of mental, behavioral and emotional illnesses. However, unlike a Psychiatrist, a Psychologist does not have a medical degree and therefore, cannot prescribe medicines.¹

Further, the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017 defines a clinical psychologist as a person having:

•  A recognized qualification in Clinical Psychology from an institution approved and recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India, or
• A postgraduate degree in Psychology or Clinical Psychology or Applied Psychology and a Master of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology or Medical and Social Psychology after completing a full time course of two years. This should include supervised clinical training from any University recognized by the University Grants Commission and approved and recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India.²

Clinical Psychologists come under the broad category of Rehabilitation Professionals.³ For instance, this includes other professions such as audiologists, speech therapists etc. The Rehabilitation Council of India maintains a register of all the registered rehabilitation professionals in India.⁴ You can search for details of clinical psychologists here.

1. The Role and Training of a Clinical Psychologist, https://www.verywellmind.com/clinical-psychologist-2510503[↩]
2. Section 2(1)(g), Mental Healthcare Act, 2017[↩]
3. Section 2(1)(n), Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992[↩]
4. Section 19, Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992[↩]