Three decades of professional psychology: Reflections and future challenges

This paper addresses observations, from both a public and personal viewpoint, on those factors and events that have affected professional psychology in Canada. The personal viewpoint has been gained from over 30 years of professional practice as a scientist practitioner. During this same time, I was-a psychology department head in an adult general then a pediatric hospital. Concomitant with this experience I held academic and clinical appointments first in a department of Psychiatry at McMaster University then in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa with a cross appointment in the Department of Pediatrics. The public viewpoint has been gained from experience with provincial and federal granting agencies, from governance issues with service on the Board of Directors of CPA and with issues of accreditation, licensure and credentialing. There are lessons to be drawn from the experience. Within the same personal and public perspective, a number of issues as diverse as the unification of psychology as a discipline and a profession, academic entry level requirements, psychology's place in the health care system and mobility are identified and discussed. As we approach the 21(st) century, opportunities for major advancement of the profession and the public interest are explored.