Psychology Council to draft new law to streamline practice
The Ghana Psychology Council is to draft a new Legislative Institution (L.I.) as part of efforts to streamline the practice of psychology.
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The council has also proposed that professional psychologists would only specialise after acquiring a Master’s degree.
In addition, it said professionals would only be allowed to offer consultancy services either after acquiring a PhD or after some years of practice.
However, holders of Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology would be licensed to practise as psychologists.
The council currently operates under Chapter five of the Health Professionals Regulatory Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857).
The Council’s Board Chairperson, Prof. Angela Ofori-Atta, disclosed this to the Daily Graphic on the sidelines of the seventh induction ceremony of licensed psychologists (professionals), paraprofessionals and lay professionals in Accra yesterday.
At the moment, she said the definition of who a psychologist is was not clear, and that discussions were ongoing between the board and management over the enaction of the new L.I.
Event
The event was on the theme: “Ethics, excellence, and leadership in psychology practice in Ghana”.
In all, 460 applied psychology practitioners in different categories were inducted at the ceremony.
They included 22 clinical and health psychologists, four industrial and organisational psychologists, two social work psychologists, an education and special education psychologist, two counselling psychologists, 92 licensed professional counsellors, 14 psychologist assistants and 244 lay counsellors.
Prof. Ofori-Atta told the inductees that “although you are not limited in your practice by traditional boundaries, you should work within your mandate and strive to seek collaboration in all fields of practice.
“Seek evidence-based best practices in industry, health, education and research,” she added.
Innovation
The acting Registrar of the council, Anna Plange, urged the psychologists to commit themselves to continuous improvement and innovations.
She encouraged them to serve with integrity and visionary leadership to make a positive impact on individuals and the society as a whole.
“Whether you are working with families or communities, your work should always be focused on improving the mental health and well-being of those around you,” Ms Plange added.
Commitment
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minster of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, said the ministry had granted amnesty to all unlicensed practitioners to enable them to register and be licensed without payment of penalties.
That, he said, was to ensure that well-trained and duly licensed practitioners in line with the country’s laws attended to the needs of citizens.
“The ministry will, therefore, provide you with the necessary support to ensure that jobs and career paths in the field of applied psychology are well carved out,” he added.