Letter from Dr Brigitte Khoury
Dear colleagues,
In this age of globalization, psychologists are often seeking employment or volunteering positions outside their own country. However, traveling psychologists often find themselves in the difficult situation of being unable to practice or volunteer their services due to specific licensing requirements and practice guidelines in the host country. American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division 52 (Division of International Psychology) receives a significant amount of inquiries around this topic from individuals moving to a different country and planning to work in it. Little information is provided in a comprehensive manner, and there is no international reference individuals can use to prepare for working abroad. Hence, we proposed to map these laws and regulations around the practice of psychology in different countries in the world, which would lead to a comprehensive document for psychologists to use as a reference.
An online survey was created regarding licensure requirements in various countries. Target participants were professional associations, members of international organizations such as International Union of Psychological Science, International Social Science Council, APA Division 52, and members of collaborating divisions.
The results are compiled into this document, which is meant to be as comprehensive as possible. We hope that this project will benefit psychologists, students, clinical trainees, and volunteers who are interested in practicing psychology globally.
This project would have not been completed without the effort, diligence and passion of
Dr. Richa Khanna and Mr. Daniel Balva, whom I thank whole-heartedly. A special mention also goes to Noura El Sahili and Estephania Hanna who helped in the data collection.
Brigitte Khoury, PhD
President Division 52 (International), 2020