KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 — The Malaysia Psychological Association (Psima) wants the government to introduce a law to regulate the industry.

Its president Prof Dr Hairul Nizam Ismail said the lack of legislation made it tough for action to be taken against those with questionable credentials, The Sunday Star reported today.

"The problem is we cannot take action against them as they are not breaking any law — because there is no law to regulate psychologists in the country,” he was quoted saying.

He added that a Psychology Act would also protect the profession and the public from unqualified practitioners and unethical practices.

"Under such an Act, all psychology practitioners will have to be registered and meet the standards stipulated. This will protect the public from being deceived by organisations or individuals who claim to possess expertise in the field.”

Dr Hairul also said that prior to the 1998 Counsellor’s Act, there were many who claimed to be counsellors and conducted workshops without qualifications to do so.

According to Psima’s National Psychology Act bureau head, Associate Professor Dr Rozmi Ismail, there are 400 psychologists registered with it in the country, though he estimates the number at 700.

"The number of psychologists in the country is rising, but there is no way for us to regulate or monitor them,” Dr Rozmi was quoted saying.

The newspaper also quoted National Sports Institute of Malaysia’s Sports Performance Director Dr P. Vellapandian as saying there is a need for psychologists to specialise in certain areas, such as in sports.

A sports psychologist plays an important role in helping athletes who are under mental stress when competing in the international arena, he said, adding that there was no regulatory or accreditation body in the country to do this.

"We need specialised experts with at least a Masters or doctorate qualification, and having an Act can help set the standards and regulate the practitioners so that we won’t have to worry about bogus sports psychologists,” he was quoted saying.