THERE is no regulatory or licensing authority for psychologists in Pakistan, and while there are bodies like the Pakistan Psychological Association (PPA), it is not mandatory for someone to become its member to qualify as a practising psychologist.

Also, the PPA takes no responsibility for any unprofessional or unethical practices being carried out by its members. Naturtally, it does not have any regulatory power to do anything meaningful.

This is a serious problem because people with inadequate or insufficient education can simply open their own unsupervised practice, especially in the realm of clinical psychology, and this, as is well known, is exactly what has been happening for years now.

As a result, incompetent people claiming to be ‘therapists’ and ‘psychologists’ find no obstacle in treating their clients who need genuine professional help. Simply having a BS Psychology degree is just not enough to be a therapist.

Therefore, it is necessary that some action is taken against such people and that a proper body is formed for conducting licensure examinations and issuing proper licences after registration of psychologists.

There is a need to move quickly in this direction. Earlier, the better.

Saniya Qureshi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2023