Psychology group says bill puts children’s health at risk

CHILDREN’S health could be put at risk when around 1,000 unqualified people can practice psychology under a new bill passed by the Dáil last week, the Psychological Society of Ireland has warned.

The Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004 aims to protect the public from unqualified people, but a section allows those with just a primary degree to register, advertise and practice as psychologists.

The society’s president, Ronan Yore, said children with autism and those suffering from sexual abuse, eating disorders, depression and suicidal tendencies could be particularly vulnerable to unsafe practice.

And, he said, the majority of children with learning difficulties depended on an accurate assessment in order to design effective treatment programmes.

Mr Yore said the society had warned the Department of Health and Children and the Minister for Health that the bill was opening the door to unsafe practice.

He said the society, which has been running their own voluntary register for 14 years, wanted the bill changed so only those with a post-graduate degree in psychology could practice.

“There are a number of our members who only have a primary degree but they would have years of supervised experienced and training. We would have no problems with those people at all,” he said.

He said the society supported having a State register but objected to the section allowing those with a psychology degree who had practiced “at any time” in the past five years to add their names to it.

“We want people to produce evidence that they have been practicing under supervision for a reasonable period of time,” he said.