Psychologists urged to take psychological consulting and entrepreneurial approach
The Ghana Psychological Association (GPA) in collaboration with the Department of Psychology, UG and Ghana Telecom University Collage has tasked all psychologist to embrace psychological consulting and entrepreneurial approach in their field of work.
The seminar which was held in Accra on the theme: “Professional Development and Consulting Protocol: Psychologists as Entrepreneurs” brought together many psychologist across Ghana with a common goal.
Speaking at the event, the Head of Psychology Department at the University of Ghana (UG), Professor. Joseph Osafo in his presentation on ‘Choosing Consulting Career Path’ urged psychologist to encircling psychological consulting and entrepreneurial mindsets.
According to him, psychologists need to be well positioned since they are likely to be engaged in crisis management issues in the near future.
“It is prudent to build policies with science, and these are areas psychologists can intervene, particularly in education, healthcare, improved productivity, crime prevention and rehabilitation of criminals, and transport safety” prof. Osafo said.
He stated that after graduate training it was important to acquire consultation skills to help tackle community needs and fostering social betterment, advocate for underserved population, and programming interventions especially primary prevention intervention.
The President of GPA Dr. Erica Dickson stated that there is the need for psychologists to give a professional report because they could do a good job but failing to communicate it appropriately through a report was unacceptable.
According to her, good record keeping is a good skill so practitioners should learn to keep record so as others who may collaborate with the psychologist to work on a client in various aspects would not go through difficulties.
“If you do not write a good patient or client records and there are issues that arise, it is the same documents that would be fallen on, to either settle an ethical case or legal case, therefore, you must show competency and take notes of essential details”, she said.
For his part, Industrial and organisational psychologist, Dr. Inusah Abdul-Nasiru, said the role of psychologists was key in national development.
According to him whenever a psychologist is consulting, they are likely to conducts research and observes issues, at the same time before concluding.
“Psychologists as consultants are really strategic and if we want to make progress in terms of development, they should be engaged," he said.
Dr. Nasiru went on to say that issues concerning employment and unemployment, education and even issues about building human capital were all issues at the doorsteps of psychologists and could be handled easily.
National Vice-President of GPA, Dr. Collins Badu Agyemang, in an interaction with Graphic online said if someone is not competent, well trained, well licensed and with the mandate to practice, the person then begins to adulterate the service they provide.
“The fact that we deal with clients we need not veer off into romantic relationships and that we only have the humble privilege to provide psychological services.
By their seductive behavior in dress, glittery makeup, bodily movement and suggestive remarks, some women at work invite rape, sexual assaults, harassment which otherwise could have been avoided” he said.
He then said practitioners should brand themselves and that the CPD aimed at building the capacity of all professional members as psychology and its practice thrives on competency.