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Given dearth of clinical psychologists, Gujarat's BM Institute gets nod to start course

Clinical Psychology is a broad branch of psychology that focuses on diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders

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Mental health awareness camp at BM Institute on Wednesday
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To deal with the dearth of clinical psychologists in the state, Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) has approved a course on clinical psychology at BM Institute of Mental Health. The one-year extensive programme, which is being offered this year, is open to those holding a Masters in Psychology.

After a wait of two years, BM Institute, Gujarat's oldest mental health institute, got the nod from RCI as well as the state government. Experts in the area believe that addition of six clinical psychologists will not only help in addressing the crunch in the state, but it will be of great help to address mental health issues across the country in general.

At present, only Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) offers an M Phill in Clinical Psychology and they produce nearly 12 such professionals every year. Since it is an M Phill programme, those who graduate can also practice as well as teach. However, those who will graduate from BM Institute will solely be in clinical field.

Clinical Psychology is a broad branch of psychology that focuses on diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.

Confirming the same, Dr Madhu Singh, Director, BM Institute of Mental Health said, "We had sent a proposal to start this course two years ago but since we did not have enough faculty members, the request was rejected. Last year, after we recruited, we again sought permission to start the course. For 6 seats this year, we got 41 applications. These licensed professionals have a great opportunity to work at health care sector, social sector, schools, community, mental health organizations, etc."

Referring to a report by Bengaluru-based National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) that covered covering 34,802 people across 12 states, Singh said, "The report showed that the lifetime prevalence of mental disorder is 13.7 per cent. Extrapolating the results of the 12 states to entire country would mean at least 150 million Indians are in need of intervention for mental health. The report further stated that about 9.8 million children aged 13-17 are in need of medical intervention with mental disorders prevalent in 7.3 per cent population. If we have more number of licensed professionals, I believe we will be able to intervene cases of mental health disorders at an earlier stage."

As per RCI guidelines, only a person with M Phil in Clinical Psychology can offer consultation and services to patients with mental health issues.

LONE WARRIOR

At present, only Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) offers an M Phill in Clinical Psychology and they produce nearly 12 such professionals every year. 

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