The Campaign for a Royal College of Psychologists

The Campaign for a Royal College of Psychologists

In the beginning

• The Psychological Society was founded 112 years ago on 24 October 1901 at University College London.

• Its aim was 'to advance scientific psychological research, and to further the co-operation of investigators in the various branches of Psychology.'

• Its 10 founders resolved 'that only those who are recognised teachers in some branch of psychology or who have published work of recognisable value be eligible as members'.

• In 1906, the name was changed to British Psychological Society to prevent others using the title ‘psychologist’...

The Royal Charter

• The BPS was granted its Royal Charter nearly 50 years ago in 1965.

• Over 25 years ago, on 18 December 1987 at

Buckingham Palace, the Queen granted amendments to the Charter allowing the BPS to maintain a Register of Chartered Psychologists.

Membership

• The BPS currently has c. 49,000 members in the following grades:

• Fellow (FBPsS)• Associate Fellow (AFBPsS)• Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol)• Graduate Member (MBPsS)• Student Member• Affiliate

Other Professional Groups

• Psychologists 49,000

• Counsellors 40,000

• Psychiatrists 16,000

• Psychotherapists 7,000

Size of UK Professions

Psychologists Counsellors Psychiatrists Psychotherapists0

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60000

Series1

Result of Google Search


5000000

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Coverage of Professional Body on ITV

Psychologists Counsellors Psychiatrists0

100,000

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400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

Series1

Coverage of profession on BBC


500000

1000000

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3500000

Series1

Mentions in the ‘Sun’


1000000

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Coverage of profession on ITV


2000000

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10000000

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18000000

Series1

Psyche and Cupid

PSYKHE• PSYKHE (or Psyche) was the goddess of the soul, wife of Eros

god of love. She was once a mortal princess whose astounding beauty earned the ire of Aphrodite when men turned their worship from goddess to girl. Aphrodite commanded Eros make Psyche fall in love with the most hideous of men, but the god himself fell in love with her and carried her away to his secret palace. However Eros hid his true identity, and commanded her never to look upon his face. Psyche was eventually tricked by her jealous sisters into gazing upon the face of god, and he abandoned her. In her despair, she searched throughout the world for her lost love, and eventually came into the service of Aphrodite. The goddess commanded her perform a series of difficult labours which culminated in a journey to the Underworld. In the end Psyche was reunited with Eros and the couple wed in a ceremony attended by the gods

It’s high time for another change now


• A campaign for psychologists conceived of and organised by a coalition of psychologists, aimed at uniting and protecting the interests of all psychologists

• We are worried about the future of our profession and its professional body…

Some Royal Colleges & Societies

Royal Aeronautical SocietyRoyal College of AnaesthetistsRoyal College of General PractitionersRoyal College of MidwivesRoyal College of NursingRoyal College of Obstetricians and GynaecologistsRoyal College of OphthalmologistsRoyal College of PathologistsRoyal College of PhysiciansRoyal College of Paediatrics and Child HealthRoyal Society of Arts

Royal College of PsychiatristsRoyal College of RadiologistsRoyal College of Speech and Language TherapistsRoyal College of SurgeonsRoyal College of Veterinary SurgeonsRoyal Geographical SocietyRoyal Institute of British ArchitectsRoyal Institute of Chartered SurveyorsRoyal Institution of Naval ArchitectsRoyal Pharmaceutical SocietyRoyal Society for Public HealthRoyal Society of Medicine

• The aim of our campaign is to petition the BPS to work towards the status of becoming (or creating) a Royal College, such as “The Royal College of Psychologists” or “The Royal College of Chartered Psychologists”.

• The choice of name and associated membership grades, their privileges and responsibilities would ultimately be a matter for Council.

Why a Royal College?• The principal reason for the BPS operating under the name of

a Royal College is to bring us in line with other Royal Colleges in the UK, e.g. Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Royal College of Nursing, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Royal Institute of British Architects, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors etc.

• With a new RCPsychol the professional interests of all psychologists will be seen to be substantively protected by psychologists. The BPS has all the infrastructure in place to do this, but the campaign feels that this has not been given the recognition it deserves by government, business stakeholders, international organisations and authorities, as the BPS is often not perceived to be of the same status as other chartered institutions who have adopted a royal institutional title.

We’re already ‘Royal’• The BPS already has a Royal Charter since 1965, and the Queen

granted amendments to the Charter in 1987, and is already doing what other Royal Colleges do but without the visible authority of a Royal College per se.

• The status of a Royal College of Psychologists will give the present BPS a well-deserved place among sister Royal Colleges, and raise it to the status of a definitive authority in the eyes of the public, both at home and internationally.

• It will also give visible regard to the Royal Charter granted to the Society nearly 50 years ago.

• The Campaign does not see the project as simply a rebranding exercise. It looks in the longer term to the Royal College of Psychologists re-homing the statutory registration of all psychologists, and protecting their respective titles, should this be the wish of the membership at that time.

The Campaign Aims• To act as a unified voice to safeguard the professional integrity of

all psychologists regardless of the nature of their practice, nationally, politically and in the media; promoting and developing psychologists’ work and research, protecting their needs, acting as active advocates for how psychologists and their work are perceived publicly.

• To work towards a statutory protection of the title “Psychologist”; to establish the right of all psychologists to be equitably registered, and to lobby the Government towards those goals, should this be the members’ wish at the appropriate time.

• To act as an equitable trade union that represents psychologists in the model of the Royal College of Nursing and British Medical Association, should this be the members’ wish at the appropriate time.

What’s in it for you, and me?

• Greater representation in the media, politics and society

• Greater visibility and influence on government policy and the other professions

• Protection of the title and recognisable and achievable grades of membership and awards

What psychologists think

• A survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RCPsychologists

• Distributed via:– Professional Groups – LinkedIn and LinkedIn Groups– Twitter– Facebook

150 + responses in first week

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RCPsychologists










• “I used to be a member of the BPS but I just did not feel they had the capability to represent the profession any longer or to make effective change in themselves when required”

• “I do not believe the BPS can represent and meet the professional representation needs of psychologists with its current configuration”

• “My practising licence is issued by the HCPC and I allowed my BPS membership to lapse three years ago”


• “It (the BPS) does not provide value for money and is poor at making a stand, representing the profession and making any sort of decision.”

• “I maintain membership of the BPS because its what I have always done - and I don’t know if I have to - to maintain my HCPC registration. I think that in the last few years the BPS has been positively destructive to the profession of psychology in a range of areas - NHS and independent sectors”

Our Supporters

• Nearly 1000 psychologists

• Every sector of the profession

• Every grade

• Every part of the country & overseas members

Our Patrons• Prof Barbara Wilson OBE, Ph.D., D.Sc., CPsychol,

FBPsS, FMedSc, AcSS (DCP and DON)• Dr Linda Papadopoulos B.A., MSc., Ph.D., CPsychol,

CSci, AFBPsS (DCoP and DHP)• Professor Peter Saville Ph.D., HonFBPsS, CPsychol,

CSci, FIoD, FRSA (DOP)• Professor Tanya Byron BSc., MSc., PsychD., FRSA (DCP)• Professor Adrian Furnham B.A., B.A.(Hons), M.A.,

MSc., DPhil (DART)• Professor Peter Farrell B.A., M.Ed., Ph.D., C.Psychol.,

FBPsS (DECP)

Our Committee

• Is drawn from all Divisions of the Society and includes Students, Assistant Psychologists, Trainees, Chartered Psychologists, Members, Associate Fellows and Fellows

• We meet monthly by Skype and have just introduced quarterly face to face meetings, the first of which was held with representatives of the BPS Council and Divisional Chairs at the Royal Society of Medicine in London in December

How’s the Campaign Going?

• We already have well over the number we need to mandate Council to ballot the membership, if this is necessary

• Addressing meetings of psychologists around the country

• Gaining influential psychologists as patrons• Increasing amount of press coverage and

media attention before calling for ballot

What Next?

• Reaching 1000 supporter target

• Widespread media coverage, starting in January and presence at the BPS Conference

• Submission of the resolution and, if required, a Special General Meeting or ballot of the BPS membership

What can you do to help

• Sign up to the Campaign at www.rcpsychol.com

• Join the Campaign for a Royal College of Psychologists LinkedIn Group Discussion

• Put it on the agenda for a discussion at work and display Campaign posters and flyers

• Write about it, talk about it, post about it and tweet about it and complete our survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RCPsychologists

http://www.rcpsychol.com/



Thank you

Prof Jamie Hacker Hughes CPsychol CSci FBPsS

Chair - Campaign for a Royal College of Psychologists

www.rcpsychol.com





www.rcpsychol.com




Documents

The Campaign for a Royal College of Psychologists