Who was India's First Clinical Psychologist?

I go through the records to try and find out

Clinical Psychology is not exactly a new profession in India. Since at least 1949, we have had people call themselves clinical psychologists in India.

In 1949, the Central Institute of Psychiatry opened the first laboratory and department dedicated to clinical psychology in India. This was quickly followed by the same happening in the All India Institute of Mental Health in Bengaluru.

In 1992, the profession of Clinical Psychology formally came under the regulation of the Rehabilitation Council of India. Since then, the RCI has registered and regulated the profession. But who was the first clinical psychologist of Independent India?

I went through the RCI records to try and find out. The RCI, for all its flaws, has maintained pretty good records of people registered with them

The Old Clinical Psychology

Clinical Psychology did not always need a two-year MPhil programme. In the past, the tag of a clinical psychologist has also been offered from a Diploma in Medical Psychology, a PhD in Clinical Psychology, a Master’s in Medical Psychology, etc.

So we should expect our first clinical psychologist to have had a Diploma in Medical Psychology or a PhD, as it used to be in the older times.

A00016 - Our Mystery Psychologist

The earliest known records of a clinical psychologist registered in India date back to 1959. The registration number associated with it is A00016. Of course, this also means there were 15 people registered before them, but their records seem to have been lost.

Maybe we will never know who A00001 was, but we do know who A00016 is. In fact, A00016 is still active! This means they are still practicing and renewing their registration with the RCI regularly.

Her name is Dr. Shakuntala Dube - A00016.

Here’s what we know about Dr. Dube so far

• She has been practicing since at least 1959

• She was the president of Indian Association of Clinical Psychologists in 1982

• She is psychoanalytical inclined and has written multiple papers on it too. (This makes sense since psychoanalysis was the dominant force in psychology in 1959)

• She has been associated with AIIMS, Delhi - Department of Psychiatry in the past

Dr. Dube boasts more than 65 years of experience. To put it into context, by the time DSM-III came out in 1980, marking a new phase of psychological care, she had already had 20+ years of experience. Yet, I have been unable to find even a single image of her online.

Who is she? What does she do? What are her opinions on clinical psychology today? I have so many questions. Yet, very few answers. How about crowdsourcing some stuff? If you know anything about Dr. Dube, write back to me! The life story of Dr Shakuntala is a history of clinical psychology in Independent India. It is a story worth being told.

The earliest known registered clinical psychologist of independent India - Dr. Shakuntala Dube.

Bonus: Can the past guide our future?

While researching for this story, I realized that clinical psychology does not always need a two-year degree. Since the future of Clinical Psychology in India post-2025 is up in the future, could the past guide us? Is it possible that the RCI draws from the past and introduces some diploma courses in Clinical/Rehab Psychology?

Only time will tell, I am afraid. Until then, we must treat everything else as pure speculation. What do you think is the future of Clinical Psychology and RCI in India?