[The Future of Certified Public Psychologists (tentative name) -The Roles in the Fields of Medical, Healthcare, and Welfare Services-].

Abstract

The certified public psychologist (tentative name) was introduced as a versatile profession, which covers the fields of medical, healthcare, welfare services, industry, and law. In this study, I report the process of how certified public psychologists were introduced, indicate their char- acteristics in the medical field, and make proposals on their expected roles and associated tasks. Since their professional involvement in psychiatric care, healthcare, and welfare settings has shifted from hospital- to community-based care, the care system has also changed from a team-based care approach to a multi-professional collaborative system. Experts involved in the multi-professional collaborative system are required to exert their skills based on professional knowledge and experience, and also to be equipped with human strengths as a generalist based on experience accompanied with wide-ranging education. Responding to such a trend, in addition to the payments made for each of their services, such as psychological assessment, treatment, and education, I would like to request financial reimbursement by the medical fee system for professionals working in team-based medical and multi-professional collaborative settings. I strongly hope that certified public psychologists, who have been involved in the medical field for more than half a century, will become financially secure upon being certified through a national qualification, and play an active and worthwhile role as full-time employees in each setting while responding to the needs and expectation of patients, clients, and other medical workers.