Petition for Counseling Psychologist licensure for M.A. Psychology students.

In India, to become a counselling psychologist, one must have a Master's degree in Psychology, but the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) does not issue such a license. The new guideline by RCI has introduced a new course of B.Sc. in Clinical Psychology of 4 years and grants students a Counselling Psychologist License upon completion. As far as the license is concerned, no such new guidelines exist for the existing counselling psychologists.

We, the undersigned, believe that the new RCI guideline:

• Excludes Humanities Students: The requirement to have a science background to enrol in the B.Sc. in Clinical Psychology unfairly excludes humanities students, even though psychology is traditionally considered a social science.
• Lacks Pathways for Existing Students: There is no clear pathway for current M.A. graduates in Psychology to obtain a counselling psychologist license.
• Creates Inequity: The new course structure creates an inequitable situation where only students from a science background can pursue a career as a licensed counselling psychologist.
• Fails to Recognize Existing Qualifications: The guideline does not recognize the qualifications of existing M.A. graduates, who have already invested significant time and resources in their education.

This new course shortens the dream of humanities students to become counselling psychologists by restricting admission to those with a science background. This is unfair, as psychology is a social science. Therefore, there should also be a pathway for humanities students to become licensed counselling psychologists. We propose the following solutions:

• License for M.A. Graduates: RCI should provide the counselling psychologist license to M.A. graduates after they complete their course.
• Objective Exam for Licensing: Alternatively, RCI could conduct a counselling-based objective exam for the counselling psychologist license, with a minimum passing percentage (e.g., 33%-50%) to obtain the license.

Please sign this petition to show your support and share it with your community. Together, we can make our voices heard and ensure that the guidelines serve the best interests of everyone involved.