Clinical Psychology Forum is a formal Non Profit Company (NPC), with the objective to engage with the healthcare stakeholders, represent the concerns of the profession of clinical psychology with the Professional Board for Psychology as well as the medical schemes and other relevant parties. Clinical psychology historically has concerned itself with the psycho-medical aspect of psychology which distinguishes it from other branches of the profession and training in this branch reflects this.
After careful consideration and investigation, the Clinical Psychology Forum decided to embrace a management approach that incorporates contracting HealthMan (www.healthman.co.za), a healthcare networking and management company dedicated to dealing with the issues and complexities in the healthcare industry in South Africa. HealthMan has a proven track record in this regard and would be of great benefit to assist clinical psychology to strategically manage the threats and opportunities in the healthcare industry. The Clinical Psychology Forum also has a memorandum of understanding with the South African Society for Clinical Psychology.
The Clinical Psychology Forum (CPF) aims to:
- Be a representative body for clinical psychologists in order to represent as a discipline in private practice and in the Public Sector with limited private practice. In this regard the strengthening of the Clinical Psychology Forum, by increasing the membership is very crucial.
- Ensure that the professional services rendered by the Clinical Psychologist are both understood and respected by the healthcare industry and that the health care user is informed in this regard.
- Adhere to the current scope of practice as promulgated on the 2nd of September 2011.
- Be recognized as a representative body of its members by the Professional Board and other stakeholders in the industry.
- Focus on educating health care users, health care providers, health care practitioners and the medical schemes with regards to the scope of practice and the range of services rendered by the Clinical Psychologist.
- Strengthen the organisation in order to guide the profession of clinical psychology through future negotiations with medical schemes, the national health system proposed by the government and other stakeholders for the
- benefit of the profession and the service users.
- Get sufficient membership within the category of clinical psychology to appoint legal counsel to protect the academic standing and professional practice of our discipline, if such action becomes necessary.
To work towards these aims the Clinical Psychology Forum has formally elected an executive committee in Pretoria. A regional meeting has also been held in Cape Town. Further to this and to drive the process a formal organisational structure will be legally registered, and an executive will be elected and appointed as prescribed by the constitution of the Clinical Psychology Forum. Such a constitution will be drafted and circulated to the members of the Clinical Psychology Forum for comment and acceptance.