Mental health is a serious issue in the country with growing incidence and reporting of stress, depression and anxiety. In this scenario, dilution or degradation of the training required for mental health professionals can have serious consequences.
There is a distinction, however, between Psychiatrists and Clinical Psychologists who treat or support the mentally ill. Whereas to be a psychiatrist requires one to be an MBBS doctor besides having an M.D. in Psychiatry, this is not required from a Clinical Psychologist who fulfill the needs of many people having mental issues but do not necessarily require to be seen by a psychiatric doctor.
The M.Phil Clinical Psychology degree, recognized by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), has been a requirement for getting a license to practice clinical psychology. However, the new National Education Policy has sought to discontinue all M. Phil courses after the Master’s degree.
This has put in jeopardy the M. Phil Clinical Psychology, a professional training course for those who want to practice as clinical psychologists. The M. Phil course is a two-year hospital-based training course taken after the three-year undergraduate degree plus the two-year post-graduate psychology course.
How the new course will be named and what its structure — in terms of theory and practicals requirements —will be are not yet known. RCI sources say the University Grants Commission (UGC) has not finalised the new name and the structure and the announcement will be made after the UGC’s decision.
Many clinical psychologists say that the training must not be discontinued or diluted in any fashion. While recognising the need for many more qualified clinical psychologists to serve India’s growing mental health crisis, they assert that any dilution of the training will not serve the purpose but harm the cause of mental health, and instead advocate an increase in the number of seats.
Many students who aspire to be clinical psychologists are uncertain of what course they should do since the future of the M. Phil course is in question. T. B. Singh, retired Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Delhi, says the proposed changes “disrupt” a time-tested, well reciprocated and well-established curriculum-based training of mental health professionals that has been effective in the last seven decades.
Need for recognition
Former general secretary of the Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists and Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, Dr Manoj Bajaj says several representations to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as well as to the Prime Minister on this matter has been of no avail. Disappointed with this attitude of the government now he demands creation of an independent Psychological Council, through an Act of Parliament to regulate, monitor and guide government on policy and issues pertaining exclusively to psychology profession in India.
Dr. Bajaj says he does not want the concerns of psychologists dealing with mental health to be clubbed with those of rehabilitators of other physical disabilities. “Current regulating bodies for the clinical psychology profession in India are not quite interested in the regulation of psychology as a profession and are more interested in disability and special education field.”
Dr. Swati Kedia Gupta, Assistant Professor Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, says that nearly 80% of people with mental health issues don’t receive any treatment in India, according to the National Mental Health Survey conducted in India in 2016. “Where mental health issues are increasing exponentially it is important to create trained manpower to deal with the issues,” she adds.
She says that replacing two years M. Phil in Clinical Psychology, which was adding another two years of study to the existing five years of graduation and post-graduation in Psychology, may be a “welcome step” but its implementation must be done “cautiously.” “M.Phil. Clinical Psychology, unlike its theoretical counterpart, was conceived as a rigorous two-year hospital-based course with training in line with M.D. Psychiatry course”, she added. Therefore, she said the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) should use “utmost discretion” regarding which institutions should be allowed to run the new course.
The nomenclature of the professional course should distinguish it from post-graduate courses not recognized by the RCI. The proposal to name M. Phil Clinical Psychology as M.A. Clinical Psychology will create confusion with M.A. Psychology and M.A. Applied Psychology, she added.
Strongly opposing any dilution of the structure and emphasising the significance of the nomenclature, the president of Clinical Psychology Society of India, Dr. Jamuna Rajeswaran said that M. Phil in Clinical Psychology course had been a “time tested” training program producing well trained mental health professionals to serve the needy community since the last 70 years.
She said the proposed change of nomenclature from M. Phil in Clinical Psychology to M.A. in Clinical Psychology is a “retrograde step and can cause irreparable harm to the profession Clinical Psychology”. She said the change “undermines the profession’s integrity, dilutes the specialized training, and compromises public welfare.”
Former Senior Professor Applied Psychology, University of Delhi, Dr. S. P. K. Jena said if the nomenclature is changed from M.Phil Clinical Psychology to M.A. Clinical Psychology, the RCI-approved professional training course will be confused with the previous non-professional academic programs with the same nomenclature.
“To my knowledge these academic programs have not been stopped by any notification either by the UGC or the RCI. Therefore, ordinary people may get confused,” he says. He said the existing M. Phil Clinical Psychology program is clearly distinguishable.
Opens the doors to non-professionals
Dr Rithvik Kashyap, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Clinical Psychology, JSS Medical College and Hospital, Mysuru, Karnataka, says that India is slowly moving towards experiencing a silent pandemic of mental health issues with growth of internet, technology, gaming addictions. It becomes very hard for a common man to recognize a qualified mental health professional amidst a huge number of individuals with only hours or days of online certification claiming to help the vulnerable who might do more harm then help through unethical practices and exploitations.
He said only those who undergo the rigorous professional training of a two-year M. Phil in Clinical Psychology in a hospital setting with various psychological assessments, diagnosis and structured psychotherapies are “competent” to serve individuals with mental health issues.
A change of nomenclature from M. Phil Clinical Psychology to M.A. Clinical Psychology would be “irrational” and will only create more confusion among public. They will be unable to differentiate an academic degree holder from a professionally trained, qualified registered professional to help them with their psychosocial concerns, he added.
Published – July 23, 2025 07:20 pm IST
