The Case for an Independent Licensing Board for Psychology

Abstract

Medicine and psychology are constrained to collaborate with one another in their common human service enterprise, but are methodologically separated by psychology's loquacity, its dependence on words, and the silence of the medical gaze, its wordlessness. If psychology is co-opted by the politically more powerful medical profession, it cannot attain its full human welfare potential. Its professional development is stunted, it is subordinated to psychiatry in mental health settings, and prevented from communicating effectively with its clients by the imposition of information giving constraints appropriate to medicine but alien to psychology. In this paper the author argues that in South Africa there cannot be a liberatory psychology until there is an autonomous psychology, governed by a statutorily independent licensing board.As gevolg van hul gemeenskaplike mensediensorientasie, is die medisyne en die sielkunde verplig om saam te werk. Hulle is egter metodologies verdeel as gevolg van die sielkunde se spraaksaamheid, sy afhanklikheid van woorde teenoor die stilte van die mediese blik, sy woordloosheid. lndien die sielkunde deur die polities kragtiger medisyne gekoopteer word, kan dit nie sy volle menslike welsynspotensiaal verwesenlik nie. Sy professionele ontwikkeling word gekortwiek, dit word ondergeskik gernaak aan die psigiatrie in geestesgesondheidomgewings en weerhou van doeltreffende komrnunikasie met sy kliente deur die oplegging van inligting wat die medisyne begrens, rnaar wat vreemd is aan die aard van die sielkunde. In hierdie artikel word betoog dat 'n bevrydingsielkunde in Suid-Afrika nie kan ontstaan voordat daar 'n outonome sielkunde is wat deur 'n statutgr onafhanklike lisensieringsraad beheer word nie.

A History of Ethical Codes in South African Psychology: An Insider's View

“…Regulations specific to psychology arising from Act 56 first appeared in 1977 and are amended from time to time (SAMDC, 1977). The statutory link with the controlling South African Medical Dental Council was a cause for some concern at the time and is still viewed as unacceptable to some (Nell, 1992(Nell, , 1993PsySSA, 1997), even though psychologists, since 1992, enjoy considerable autonomy from the Council (SAMDC, 1994). Procedures for the nomination and election of members of the Professional Board by registered psychologists were tabled and the first Board commenced its statutory five-year term of office in 1974.…”

“…Although there has been very little published criticism of Act 56 from the viewpoint of its ethical inadequacies, the professionalisation of South African psychology has been criticised from a variety of other perspectives, (Berger & Lazarus, 1987;Cloete & Pillay, 1988;Kottler, 1988;Louw, 1986Louw, , 1988Nell, 1992;Steere & Dowdall, 1990), full discussion of which is beyond the scope of this article.…”

Objects without Origins: Foucault in South African Socio-Medical Science

“…Manganyi, 1991;Miller & Swartz, 1990;Swartz, 1988;Swartz & Levett, 1989). As Nell (1992) has articulated it from the side of psychology, the willingness of psychologists to subordinate themselves to the profession of medicine perpetuates a situation of medical hegemony that in reducing all human suffering to mute lesions within the body or the mind stifles the psychosocial origins and the subjectivity of illness.…”

Critical psychology and the problem of mental health

“…The loquacious disciplines--psychology, social work, welfare, vocational counselling--do not prosper in clinic settings--though they are irre-sistibly drawn to the klinikos, the bed, where the silent medical gaze is supreme (Nell, 1992). In consequence, in South Africa, as in other developing countries these "little professions" (they are numerically insignificant in comparison with medicine and nursing) suffer under the stifling hand of medical supremacy which compels nonmedical professionals to work under conditions of disempowerment, and blocks opportunities to develop their professional skills in innovative ways that would better serve the health needs of South Africa's population.…”

“…(Nell, 1989). As a result, months or years may go by before vacant posts for psychologists are advertised or filled (see also Mgoduso & Butchart, 1992;Miller & Swartz, 1990;Nell, 1989Nell, , 1990Nell, , 1992Seedat & Nell, 1990Swartz, 1989Swartz, , 1991.…”