Counselling Psychology: The Role Recognition In India

This paper presents a literature review examining the professional status and role recognition of counselling psychology in India. It explores the distinction between counselling psychology and clinical psychology, highlighting how the former remains overshadowed by the latter in the Indian mental health landscape. The study discusses key challenges faced by counselling psychologists in India, including the absence of a governing body, lack of licensure and accreditation frameworks, dominance of western counselling models, and limited public awareness. It further reviews how counselling psychology is positioned in other countries — including the UK, USA, Canada, Greece, Kenya, and Afghanistan — to draw comparative insights for the Indian context. The paper also examines relevant Indian government policy initiatives such as the National Education Policy 2020 and Lok Sabha Bill 301 of 2016, assessing their implications for the recognition of counselling as an independent profession. The authors conclude that counselling psychology in India requires stronger institutional support, independent regulatory bodies, and culturally adapted training frameworks to establish its rightful place in the mental health domain.