Plea for greater recognition of psychology profession

Press, 18 August 1978, Page 5

Plea for greater recognition of psychology profession

By

TUI THOMAS

It is time that the Government and the public paid greater heed to psychologists as professionals, says Miss Ann Ballin, who will be elected president of the New Zealand Psychological Society at its national conference in Christchurch during the week-end. Miss Ballin, who is the counsellor at the student health and counselling service, University of Canterbury, emphasises that clinical psychologists are no longer “simple accessories to the psychiatrist.” “They now work as diagnostic and treatment resource persons — a fortunate development in the face of dwindling numbers of psychiatrists in New

Zealand at a time when violence, the consumption of alcohol and drug addiction are increasing.” The number of clinical psychologists is, however, growing throughout New Zealand. In 1964 there were four working in the country’s mental hospitals. Today about 125 are on the staff of psychiatric hospitals, general hospitals and in teams beginning to move into the community, she said.

Clinical psychology is also prominent in the education curriculum of medical students. All New Zealand medical schools now have clinical psychologists on their teaching staff. In post-graduate training a psychology student may choose to work in

the fields of anti-social and maladaptive behaviour, in industry, social planning, industrial design or in animal behaviour. “And there is a growing enthusiasm . for work among the mentally re- / tarded,” she said. The body of knowledge psychologists contributed to the understanding of such a wide variety of topics should receive far greater recognition than it did from the community at large and from the Government, she said. ■ “All the submissions and comments we sent to the Government for consideration in regard to the Contraception, Sterilistion and Abortion Act appear to have gone unheeded,” she said.

“The Government seems to have ignored the strong evidence we provided that there are less harmful reactions to abortion than to a completed unwanted pregnancy, not to mention an unwanted child.” The society is now awaiting the outcome of the Parliamentary Committee on Violent Offending. Its submissions recommended ways in which to help people learn less violent responses to stress, to encourage the monitoring of violent television programmes and the development of more constructive material for viewing, Ann Ballin said. In the last 10 years psychologists have gathered from research important data about be-

haviour of New Zealanders.

“We are no longer entirely dependent on the observations of other cultures and have more knowledge with which to plan for making innovative social changes and for solving the many problems that arise in our own community."

Research into alcoholism has trebled throughout the .world during the last seven years and some of New Zealand’s most important psychologists have contributed to it.

“They are concerned about alcohol drinking patterns and the short and long-term effects on the brain,” she said. As a student counsellor at the university, Miss Ballin, who is confined to a wheelchair, helps students sort out their personal difficulties. “I have a unique opportunity to work within a medical practice and I hope there will be an expansion of terms such as ours right into the community,” she said. Ann Ballin will be the first woman to hold office as president of the New Zealand Psychological Society, which was founded about 1968 and has more than 600 members. She will also be the first non-academic president, in that she is a clinical psychologist rather than a teaching psychologist attached to a university department. The society, which was formerly a branch of the British Psychological Society, was established mainly to promote the discipline of psychology as

a science and to promote high professional standards. The society works in upto date fields. Subjects to be discussed at the week-end conference include the effects of living in the Antarctic, and smokers’ behaviour. There will be a paper read on the selection of air hostesses.