We are a group of concerned licensed psychologists and psychometricians who may have to stop performing our duty as mental health professionals due to the enforcement of Professional Board of Psychology (PRB-Psychology) Resolution No. 04, s. 2023.

On 22 June 2023, the PRB-Psychology signed and published Resolution No. 04, s. 2023 – The Rules and Regulations to Implement Section 33(B) of Republic Act (RA) No. 10029 or the Philippine Psychology Act of 2009. This section refers to the Issuance of a Permit to Operate a Psychology or Psychometrics Office, Center, Clinic, or Facility.

The PRB-Psychology is mandated by RA10029 to promulgate rules to implement Section 33 (B). This was the goal of Resolution No. 04, s. 2023.

A public consultation sponsored by the PRB-Psychology was held last 16 September 2022. During that consultation, the PRB-Psychology recognized that much work was to be done with what they presented and promised to continue working with stakeholders such as licensed professionals and clinic managers/owners, to come up with rules that are responsive to the goals and to uphold, promote, and protect the practice of Psychology in the Philippines.

However, since that time, no further public consultations nor meetings with stakeholders were held. On 5 July 2023, the community of psychologists and psychometricians were suddenly greeted by a signed petition posted on the Psychological Association of the Philippines’ (PAP) Facebook page. Since then, different stakeholders have tried to work towards a dialog with PRB-Psychology.

The contentious issues are that each clinic, center, office, or facility in all public and private organizations and institutions, including schools, churches, private corporations, and government agencies where the practice of psychology is done is required to have a Psychological Services Unit (PSU) Head. While this is a positive, the requirements of the PSU Head are very limiting – requiring seven (7) years of experience as a psychologist with at least three (3) years in a supervisory role. A clinic, center, facility cannot operate without a PSU Head.

The problem with this provision is that the first batch of licensed psychologists were licensed in 2014 – merely nine (9) years ago. The number of licensed professionals with the seven year experience is not enough to all of a sudden head all these units nationwide. Moreover, this means that those who have less than this experience requirement BUT have valid professional licenses issued by the same PRB-Psychology are not able to organize into clinics and organizations who would have been able to serve the larger community.

In this time of a mental health crisis, it is in the country’s best interest that more clinics are able to open in more parts of the country. We cannot simply wait until more people become eligible because the crisis is ongoing and the response is not enough.

We call on the PRB-Psychology to a dialog with stakeholders to discuss this and other provisions of Resolution No. 4, s. 2023 and to come up with more practical and supportive guidelines and the adoption of a transition period to comply so that the thousands of people who depend on already existing facilities will not all of a sudden lose their access to mental health services.

Please support our call so that we can continue to work on providing mental health services and continuing to increase access to every Filipino.

Sincerely,

Concerned Psychologists and Psychometricians of the Philippines