| AdminHistory | Under the Society's new Articles and By-Laws two separate Divisions one the English Division of Professional Psychologists and the other the Scottish Division replaced the Committee of Professional Psychologists (Mental Health) in 1959. These Divisions have no committee between them and the council but which, like the old committee are "concerned with the standards of professional education and knowledge and professional conduct of members or some of them". These divisions, and the committee out of which they grew, have kept a watchful eye on the conditions under which psychologists are employed and, for example, have sought to preserve the independence of psychology in the medical field, where the clinical psychologist is regarded, not as a mere auxilary, but as providing a service parallel to that provided by hospital departments of physics or biochemistry. They have vigorously promoted better training and standards of practice for educational and clinical psychologists; they have arranged lectures and courses and conferences on various topics. They have set up Working Parties, produced abstracts for their members and provided opportunities. They played a prominent part in the preparation of reports and psychological matters that the Society has submitted to various Government Committees and Royal Commissions.
Today the Division of the British Psychological Society is concerned with educational and child psychology and promoting the application of psychology to the general well-being and development of schools, children and young people. It was felt to be divisive to other Society members and 'Professional' was dropped. The Division's name changed to The Scottish Division of Educational and Child Psychology (DECP) in 1967. |