Clinical psychology provides psychiatric services from people of all ages and all walks of
life. Methods and techniques may vary from practice to practice. However, the focus of
clinical psychology is to assess the client's mental health through psychological
assessments and tests and to provide appropriate intervention. In addition to these core
activities, clinical psychologists sometimes do research and act as consultants.
Mental health concerns are on the rise in developing countries like India. The globalizing
world is witnessing increasing stress levels. The processes of modernization has led to an
increased momentum of change. While the burdens are increasing on a daily basis, the
existing support systems provided surrounding environment seems to be insufficient to deal
with the stress rising day by day affecting the efficiency to lead a normal life or to
maintain a pace with demanding job roles.
The Mental Health Survey (2015-16), showed that the treatment gap for mental disorders ranged
between 70 to 92% for different disorders. Anecdotal reports suggest that the total number
of psychiatrists in India could be between 3,500 and 5,000 which translates to one
psychiatrist to 200,000 to 300,000 people. The existing training infrastructure produces
about 320 psychiatrists, 50 clinical psychologists and 185 mental health nurses per year.
Scarcity of trained and supervised services and professionals is one of the fundamental
barriers to the progress of mental health services in India. This clearly points out to the
need for training mental health professionals who can effectively respond to the mental
health needs of communities.
Adding to the problem there is huge shortage of psychiatrists and psychologist in India as
compared to the number of people suffering from mental health issues. WHO states that in
India per 1lakh population there are 0.07 psychologist while the desired numbers are
anything above at least 3 psychologists per 1lakh population?
This need is realized and there are large number of mental health and wellness startups in
India. It has garnered over US $ 28.24, with the decade highest investment in 2021 and that
is definitely going to increase in near future.
The specific goal of the M.A. Applied Psychology (Clinical and Counselling Practice) will be
to equip learners to practice developmental, mental health and issue-based assessment and
interventions with a focus on primary prevention and therapeutic interventions. The current
M.A. programme aims to develop students’ self-awareness and a sound theoretical base from
which they can build skills necessary for practice in fieldwork and internship settings. The
emphasis is on a seamless blend of theory and practice. The focus is also on developing
research capacities of students. Supervision is inbuilt into the practice component allowing
students to benefit from feedback provided by trained professionals in the field.