Psychologists' union has no faith in regulatory board

The board regulating the psychology profession was not constituted according to law, a situation that is deeply troubling the Malta Union of Professional Psychologists.

The union has no confidence in the board and, after nearly a year of futile discussions with the Social Solidarity Minister, it feels it now had no option but to write to the European Federation of Psychology Associations to inform it of the local situation.

The main bone of contention is that the chairperson appointed by the minister does not have the necessary qualifications and has never worked as a psychologist.

"This is a serious problem," the union told the media yesterday. "Dissolving the board is the honourable way forward, but the minister is insisting this is not an option.

"The Malta Psychology Profession Board is not constituted according to the law and they should not persist in the light of such serious objections."

Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina yesterday told The Sunday Times she had informed the union she will meet them once the chairperson of the board returned to Malta after a month away.

She confirmed that removing any members from the board was not an option. However, she planned to look into the union's concerns.

This situation has been simmering since the law regulating the profession came into force last February and the board was set up.

According to the law, the board had to be made up of four members - including a lawyer, the chairperson, and two practising psychologists - who would be chosen by the minister, after consultations with every association.

Another two members would be nominated by the associations registered with the board, and a psychologist nominated from among the permanent academic staff responsible for teaching psychology at the University of Malta.

"Unfortunately, the minister did not consult us on her choice," union president Bernard Caruana said. "We objected to the way the board was composed. However, our objections fell on deaf ears and the board remained made up of the same members."

The union continued to study the situation and in May wrote to the minister asking for a meeting. A date was set for September and the union had the chance to explain its objections.

Among its objections is the fact that the chairperson had only qualified through the grandparenting clause, which means that the person does not have the qualifications of a psychologist, but since Malta did not have the necessary law in place and the person had practised for a number of years, a warrant was issued.

The union insisted that the present chairperson had only worked as a counsellor and never as a psychologist, and the law stipulates that this post should be held by a qualified psychologist with at least six years of working experience in the field.

The union also had doubts about the other two members chosen by the minister - one person was not employed as a psychologist, and there were doubts on whether the other qualified for a warrant.

Despite these objections, the board remained made up of the same people, pushing the union to write a strong letter expressing its preoccupation on the way the applications for warrants would be assessed, in the absence of transparent criteria.

After it failed to receive a satisfactory reply, the union registered an industrial dispute in November, but did not inform the media as a sign of good will.

The minister said she would meet the union if they withdrew their actions. The union suspended its actions and, during its meeting last month, proposed a set of solutions, which it felt could lead to a win-win situation.

When pushed to specify what its proposals were, the union yesterday insisted it was not yet the opportune moment.

"The union hopes that common sense and dialogue will prevail," Mr Caruana said.

The union is affiliated with the International Union of Psychological Science and the European Federation of Psychology Associations, which is negotiating with the EU on the qualifications and regulations of psychologists in Europe.