An Applicant with Master’s or Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology awarded by a Hong Kong university as recognized by DCP is eligible for DCP membership. Please refer to “List of recognized Clinical Psychology programmes in Hong Kong” under “For Public” on DCP Website.

An Applicant has to fulfil all the following criteria (A, B & C) in order to be eligible for DCP membership.

• Criterion A: Academic Component

  1. An Applicant has to possess an accredited or approved Master’s or Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology of the standard, length, and mode of teaching and training to the satisfaction of DCP Membership Subcommittee that it is comparable to the standard of Clinical Psychology training in Hong Kong. A Degree in Clinical Psychology has to cover the following 6 core areas:
     1. Psychological assessment such as intelligence, personality and psychopathology, interpretation of findings, formulation of problems and implications for future management;
     2. Theories of psychological problems of the major client groups of children, adolescents, adults and the elderly;
     3. Psychological therapies of more than one orientation and approach: philosophical, theoretical, practical and empirical aspects;
     4. Professional and ethical issues;
     5. Research methodology;
     6. Neuropsychology, or Health Psychology or Community Psychology or Community and Health Psychology
  2. For an Applicant with a Degree in Clinical Psychology awarded by a university in either one of the following countries, namely Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, or the United States, the Degree is accredited or approved by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council, the Canadian Psychological Association, the Health & Care Professions Council of the United Kingdom, or the American Psychological Association respectively;
  3. The coursework of the Degree in Clinical Psychology has to be completed in residency at educational institution in respective country of where the professional body accredited or approved the degree;
  4. An Applicant has to possess an active and valid practicing license or registration in Clinical Psychology, at the time of application for DCP membership, of the level of professional competency generally accepted by the Country where the Applicant’s Degree in Clinical Psychology is awarded;
  5. The totality of full-time undergraduate and postgraduate education for obtaining the Master’s or Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology shall not be less than that of the Clinical Psychology training in Hong Kong.

• Criterion B: Supervised Clinical Practice / Placement / Practicum / Internship

  In order to fulfil Criterion B:

  1. An Applicant shall satisfy DCP that the standards of supervised clinical practice or placement or practicum or internship the Applicant has completed for (2) and (3) below are comparable to those stipulated in “Guidelines for Recognition of Clinical Psychology Training Programme” issued by DCP;
  2. An Applicant has completed no less than 220 days or equivalent of supervised clinical practice or placement or practicum or internship as part of fulfilment of the Degree in Clinical Psychology specified in Criterion A and fulfilment of the requirements for obtaining the practicing license or registration in Clinical Psychology specified in Criterion A(2) under direct supervision by Clinical Psychologist who is employed in such capacity by the same placement or practicum or internship or clinical practice setting to provide clinical psychology service as the Applicant AND is with professional qualification and experience acceptable to DCP;
  3. An Applicant shall satisfy DCP that the Applicant has clinical experience gained from the clinical practice or placement or practicum or internship specified in (2) above of working with the following 3 populations, each for at least 44 days or equivalent, namely (a) adults with psychological problems which should include a substantial component of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnosable mental disorders, (b) children or adolescents with psychological problems, and (c) individuals with medical conditions or physical/ intellectual/learning disabilities.

• Criterion C: Dissertation or Thesis

  An Applicant should complete, as part of fulfilment of degree in Clinical Psychology of the same specified in Criterion A, a dissertation or thesis of empirical orientation comprising either (a) Data collection and manipulation; or (b) Re-analysis of existing data sets.

  A dissertation or thesis in the form of literature review or those without analysis of data is not regarded as fulfilment of Criterion C.