"Clinical Psychologist" is a protected title in India
Most words in mental health are legally unregulated in India: anyone may call themselves a therapist, a psychotherapist or a counsellor. One title is different, and the difference is written into law.
What the law says
Under the Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1986, practising as a Clinical Psychologist requires registration with the RCI on the Central Rehabilitation Register (CRR). Practising as a rehabilitation professional without that registration is a punishable offence under the Act.
The training the title certifies
Behind an RCI registration sits a specific path: a Master's in Psychology followed by an M.Phil in Clinical Psychology or a Psy.D, including supervised clinical training in real settings. The title is protected precisely because that training is hard to earn and easy to claim.
What misuse looks like
It is common to find "clinical psychologist" in social-media bios and website footers of people who hold a Master's degree or a certificate course and no RCI registration. It is often not malice, but it is still a claim the law reserves for a specific qualification.
The check takes two minutes: ask for the CRR number and look it up on the RCI's online register. A real Clinical Psychologist will not be offended; the number is their proof of the hardest years of their training.
Where this directory stands
Our badges use exact legal titles. A profile says "RCI-registered Clinical Psychologist" only when we have verified the CRR registration ourselves, and a counsellor's profile never carries those words, however experienced the counsellor is.
Common questions
Is the word "psychologist" on its own protected?
In practice, the protections under the RCI Act attach to the rehabilitation professional titles on the CRR, such as Clinical Psychologist and Rehabilitation Psychologist. Broader terms like "psychologist" or "counsellor" are not reliably protected, which is why the specific title matters.
Is a counsellor without RCI registration doing something wrong?
Not at all. Counselling itself is not the offence; claiming the protected title is. A counsellor who presents honestly as a counsellor, with a real degree, is practising legitimately.
I saw the title misused. What should I do?
For your own care, just choose someone whose number checks out. If the person is listed on our directory, write to us; profiles here display registration numbers, and a number that fails a check brings the profile down while we investigate.
Ready to look for someone?
Every professional listed on this directory had their credentials verified before going live, and the registration numbers are on the profiles.
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