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Andhra Pradesh

ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS

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Services in Clinical Psychology:Their Range and Significance

A wide range of individuals benefit from the services of a clinical psychologist on a daily basis starting from infants to the elderly. Their work encompasses not only the welfare of the individual themselves, but also involves the family members, school authorities, other health care professionals, and the community itself.

A clinical psychologist can be consulted in many different settings, like hospitals, medical universities/schools, private clinics, or other community camps. To ensure proper treatment and solutions for mental health problems, it is essential that you consult a qualified and licensed mental health professional itself.

While consulting a Clinical psychologist ensure that

  • The person you consult has an M.Phil. Degree in Clinical Psychology approved by the Rehabilitation Council of India
  • The person holds a license from the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) to practice as a Clinical Psychologist with a (CRR no.)
  • Since this is also a field that has high risk of quackery where many unauthorised individuals with names followed by degrees sounding magnificent makes fortune out of common people who may be uninformed. Here are a few things to be kept in mind as a caution:
  • A title of "Dr." preceding the person's name need not be enough to ensure that the person is a qualified Clinical Psychologist
  • Any person working under the post of a clinical psychologist, even in a reputed hospital, need not necessarily be a licenced individual.
  • Only the title 'Clinical Psychologist' would be used by qualified individuals. The titles, which may sound impressive, like 'psychrometer', 'psycho counselor', and 'psychotherapist', are not regulated/recognised by the RCI.d).
  • Clinical Psychologist never does a physical examination or prescribe medicine (even analgesics). They always refer to other physician in case a physical examination or medical treatment is required
  • A clinical psychologist never assure complete cure for any problem without seeing the individual. So beware of any individual stipulating the time and amount of treatment in the very first session. A clinical psychologist diagnose and plan management only after a detailed clinical inteterview and collecting sufficient information about the individual.