Can a person who is not qualified as a psychologist call themself a psychologist?
According to Article 39 of the Health and Social Work Professions Order 2001, it is an offence if with intent to deceive (whether expressly or by implication), a person:
(a) falsely represents himself to be registered in the register, or a particular part of it or to be the subject of any entry in the register;
(b) he uses a title referred to in article 6(2) to which he is not entitled;
(c) he falsely represents himself to possess qualifications in a relevant profession.
Article 6.2 states that “There shall be one or more designated titles for each part of the register indicative of different qualifications and different kinds of education or training and a registrant is entitled to use whichever of those titles, corresponding to the part of the register in which he is registered, as is appropriate in his case.”
Protected titles are:
Registered psychologist, practitioner psychologist, clinical psychologist, counselling psychologist, educational psychologist, forensic psychologist, health psychologist, occupational psychologist and sport and exercise psychologist.
According to this the title of solely “psychologist” is not legally protected. However, if a person is using the title in a deceptive way to obtain payment by consumers, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations would apply. The 2008 Regulations make misleading actions unlawful. An action by a trader is misleading if it contains false information or if it is likely to mislead the average consumer in its overall presentation. The only person who could bring an action against the trader would be the person induced to enter into the contract by the lie. It may be possible to report the trader to Trading Standards even if you are not a purchaser of their services. You can find your local trading standard office here – https://www.gov.uk/find-local-trading-standards-office
© Suzanne Dibble 2013-2023
The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. We disclaim all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.
