Professional psychology associations in the GCC: positive institutions whose time has come
Date
2016
Authors
Schuilenberg, Susannah-Joy
Warren, Meg
Crookes, Annie
Al Serkal, Alia
Donaldson, Scott I.
McBride, Dawn L.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology
Abstract
Professional associations have a mandate to protect and regulate those members deemed qualified to provide mental health services to the public. This is accomplished through supervision and policing of practitioners’ conduct, informed by an understanding of the application of ethics. Yet, in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, many hurdles preclude the development and maintenance of professional organizations, such as a lack of understanding of the range of services available within psychology, little professional oversight and no legal mandate for it, as well as a disinterest in professionalizing the field. Yet, by adopting a positive psychology framework, the current view from a focus on wrongdoing to an approach that encourages psychologists to reach a state of professional excellence can be accomplished via the notion of positive supervision, positive ethics, and organizational virtuousness. We explore how this can be done in the region.
Description
Permission to archive article granted by Dr. Louise Lambert, editor of Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology
Keywords
Professional organizations , Positive ethics , Positive organizations , Positive psychology , Positive supervision
Citation
Schuilenberg, S., Warren, M. A., Crookes, A., Al Serkal, A., Donaldson, S. I., & McBride D. (2016). Professional psychology associations in the GCC: Positive institutions whose time has come. Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology, 2(1), 61-78.