Psychpolitics

Friends must keep reminding one another (and themselves) that they, too, experience the fear of death. -Yalom

After the Allied Health Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe (AHPCZ) elections which finished in January 2025 were Professor Herbert Zirima emerged the winner when he was contesting with Mr Cephas Shanyurai and Dr Julia Mutambara, the direction of the Council of psychology is clear that for the next 4 years he who has won the elections is going to lead Psychology as a national representative. It is a fair expectation among those who are being lead to expect the highest professional standards from the national representative as this person will be leading the national aspirations of psychology during their tenure of office and should be a protagonist of unity among the diverse fields of psychology.

Following the election of the psychology representative, AHPCZ has to convene a meeting in which a chairperson and vice chairperson has to be elected. The elected council members are the only persons who only elect the chairperson and vice chairpersons, and these council members are borne as representatives of the 20 professions which constitute AHPCZ. After these elections the Psychology Council member elects an education committee of three persons and he becomes the fourth person and chairs that committee which will be referred to as the psychology education committee (PEC). the immediate task of PEC is to ensure that psychology has new regulations of 2025 as the regulations the psychology regulations of 2021 as signed by the then chairperson R Hofisi have expired.

It is within our understanding as society as Zambezi Psychology that we managed to raise these seven points on the attached document on how we can improve psychology practice in Zimbabwe and to possibly feed into the regulations of psychology of 2025.

1. Internship hours of training required as per international set standards?
2. Training requirements during student Msc psychology training e.g a minimum number of psychotherapy sessions.
3. Psychotherapy supervision for fully registered psychology practitioners, how many sessions should be minimum?
4. Board Exams: What is the best option for examination objectivity i) written exams ii) written and oral exams iii) oral exams.
5. Public interviews for PEC as chaired by the psychology council member
6. Board exams: to offer gallery observers as done at appointments interviews.
7. Publication of registered and AHPCZ accredited psychology institutions in Zimbabwe.