How to become a RCI Registered clinical psychologist – step by step guide

A clinical psychologist is highly trained in the assessment, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disorders. They work on a range of short-term and long-standing issues like relationship problems, work stress, regulating emotions and PTSD, substance dependence, dementia, etc. respectively. 

A clinical psychologist does not give medications, rather they use psychological techniques to bring about a change in their clients. 

They typically work in hospital settings; however this has changed now. Clinical psychologists can also function in schools, colleges and universities, NGOs, and private clinics. 

HOW TO BECOME A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST?

1- BA/BSC IN PSYCHOLOGY

Pursuing graduation in psychology is important because it helps you in clearing the fundamentals of the course so that you can have a strong base. 

There are two kinds of courses offered for bachelor’s;

• BA (Hons) Psychology 
• BA (Hons) Applied psychology

BA(H)-Psychology is the science of behavior and mind, including conscious and unconscious phenomena, as well as feelings. It finds applications across all avenues of life, be it family, work, relationships, corporate spaces, or industries. 

BA(H)-Applied Psychology is the use of psychological principles and theories to overcome problems such as mental health, business management, education, health, product design, and law. The course also enables them to develop a critical, interactive, integrative understanding of the nature of applied psychology rather than just a knowledge base of historical theories and current research perspectives.

Top Colleges/ Universities to pursue your graduation 

• The University of Delhi, New Delhi
• Christ University, Bangalore
• Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 
• Fergusson College, Pune
• Ambedkar University, New Delhi

2- Pursue your post-graduation in clinical psychology 

All colleges conduct entrance tests for you to get admission to the PG program. You can pursue either MA or MSc in clinical psychology While some universities make it mandatory for you to have a bachelor’s in psychology with an aggregate percentage of 55%, other universities do allow you to sit for entrance without having a bachelor’s in the field. In your master’s, you will gain a thorough understanding while gaining exposure through the internships and the practicals that are designed in the course. You will get to visit hospitals and private clinics since clinical psychology focuses mainly on mental disorders. In the final semester, you will be required to write a paper under the guidance of your professor. You can choose to get it published as well.

Colleges for Clinical Psychology in India

• The University of Delhi, New Delhi
• Ambedkar University, New Delhi
• Christ University, Bangalore
• Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi
• Gautam Budh University, Noida
• The University of Pune, Pune
• The University of Mumbai, Mumbai

3- Getting an RCI license

Mphil in the clinical psychology program teaches candidates about how to apply the gained knowledge to the field of clinical psychology.

To get the license, you are required to pursue your M.phil (Clinical Psychology).it is a 2-year course and to apply for this course, it is mandatory to have a master’s in psychology (exception in some colleges).  During the M.Phil, you will work under a senior psychologist and handle patients. The majority of the days are spent in the hospital and the rest in colleges. Hence, you will get hands-on experience in dealing with patients. Also, during the final year, you have to write a detailed paper with the guidance of your professor. 

Some of the colleges to pursue Mphil (approved with RCI) are

• Shri Ram Chandra Institute of higher research and education, Chennai
• Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Noida
• Amity University, Noida & Mumbai
• Chandigarh University, Chandigarh
• Government Medical College, Chandigarh
• Pt Bhagwat Daya Sharma postgraduate institute of medical science, Rohtak
• NIMHANS- national institute of mental health and neurosciences, Karnataka
• Manipal College of health professionals, Karnataka
• Delhi University, Delhi
• Regional Institutes of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Lamphelpat, Manipur
• State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Chaltlang Aizawal Mizoram
• Shishu Sarothi Centre for Rehabilitation and Training for Multiple Disability Off. Ramakrishna Mission Road, Birubai, Guwahati.

It is important to know that while completing the basics is important, you cannot receive all the knowledge from just one source. Therefore, it is important to always gain knowledge from all sources to broaden the horizon. For this, Cognizavest has various programs planned to get you acquainted in the field of clinical psychology while making sure that you are not limited to theoretical knowledge.