We, the people of India — families, students, and ordinary citizens — are deeply worried about the new draft regulations for psychology and behavioural health professionals released on 25th September 2025.

We fully support the government’s effort to make mental health services more regulated and accountable. However, we are concerned that these new rules might make access to mental health care even harder, create confusion, and unfairly exclude many professionalswho are already helping people across the country.

Areas of Concern:

1. It will take away the psychologists we already have.
The new rules say psychologists must have a special 4-year degree and a PhD — qualifications that most universities in India don’t even offer yet.
That means thousands of experienced psychologists and counsellors could lose their eligibility overnight, even though they’ve been helping people ethically and effectively for years.
2. It will make mental health care harder to find.
India already has a huge shortage of mental health professionals — less than one psychologist for every 100,000 people.
These new rules would make that shortage even worse, especially in smaller towns and villages, where people are already struggling to find affordable and trustworthy care.
3. It will confuse students who want to study psychology.
Psychology is a very popular discipline in the humanities. Students who have spent years earning their degrees may suddenly find that their qualifications no longer count.
4. It ignores how our universities actually work.
The new education system under the National Education Policy (NEP) is still being put in place by the UGC. New degree formats will take time to roll out.
The proposed rules seem to expect a system that doesn’t exist yet — creating unnecessary confusion and administrative messfor universities, students, and professionals alike.
5. It adds more red tape to an already overloaded system.
Instead of improving mental health care, these rules could lead to more paperwork, more approvals, and slower processes — while people in distress continue to wait for help that never comes.
6. It excludes psychologists from roles they are already trained for.
The rules say only social workers can work as “Integrated Behavioural Health Counsellors.”
But psychologists are trained specifically to understand and treat mental health issues. Social work and psychology are both important, but they are not the same — and people deserve care from trained mental health professionals.
As a society where the taboo and stigma against mental health already stands as a barrier to care, rules such as those proposed will make it harder for people to access mental health providers. We need policies that simplify and not complicate the system.

Please, don’t let well-intentioned rules become barriers to care.
We urge the Commission to revise the draft, consult practitionersand educators across the country, and create a practical, inclusive framework that builds on what already works.

Let’s make mental health training and care accessible, fair, and sustainable — for everyone, everywhere.