Complaining against a Clinical Psychologist

You can complain to multiple forums regarding the misconduct of clinical psychologists. The violation of any of the general duties of a psychologist can be grounds to take action against them.¹ Some of the forums include:

Rehabilitation Council of India

The Rehabilitation Council of India is the forum that oversees the work of a clinical psychologist. You can lodge a complaint against a professional on the ground of ‘Professional Misconduct’. The Council can order the removal of a psychologist’s name from the register of Rehabilitation Professionals (permanently or for a specified period of time), if found guilty. ²

State Commissioner of Disability/ Chief Commissioners of Disabilities

If you are a person with a disability who was treated by a clinical psychologist who violated their duties/ethics, you have the option to complain to the State Commissioner of Disability or Chief Commissioner of Disabilities, Government of India. You can find the list of State Commissioners here.

Mental Health Review Board/State Mental Health Boards

You can approach three main authorities if you have been treated by a clinical psychologist at a mental health establishment for mental health issues:

• Central Mental Health Authority – It is the central authority under the law, which has functions including registering all mental health establishments under the Central Government, maintaining a register of all mental health establishments in the country, developing quality/service norms for mental health establishments under the Central Government, supervising all mental health establishments under the Central Government, receiving complaints about deficiencies in provision of services, etc.
• State Mental Health Authority – It is the authority at the state level which has functions including registration of mental health establishments in the State, developing quality/service norms for mental health establishments in the State, supervising all mental health establishments in the State , receiving complaints about deficiencies in provision of services, etc.
• Mental Health Review Board – It is the authority at the district level under the law, which has functions to register, review, alter, modify or cancel an advance directive, to appoint a nominated representative, to adjudicate complaints regarding deficiencies in care, etc.

As of now, the authorities, particularly the Central Mental Health Authority and the Mental Health Review Boards are functioning. However, some States, such as Delhi, Kerala, etc. have constituted the State Mental Health Authority. You should seek information about the functioning of these authorities from your respective State.

1. Regulation 15, The Rehabilitation Council of India (Standards of Professional Conduct, Etiquette, and Code of Ethics for Rehabilitation Professionals) Regulations, 1998[↩]
2. Section 21, The Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992[↩]