Sixty-two psychologists were yesterday given their warrants at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta in a first for these professionals.

During the ceremony, Social Solidarity minister Dolores Cristina congratulated the psychologists, who were given warrants in seven areas of specialisation.

"Today marks another firm step in the government's commitment to the social field, a field which has continued to grow from strength to strength in the past years," she said.

The regulation of the profession, she added, was a means of ensuring that both clients and professionals were protected and their interests safeguarded by the establishment and maintenance of the highest standards.

The Maltese Psychological Association congratulated the Malta Psychology Profession Board on the completion of the warranting process.

It said the public was now assured that practitioners making use of the title of psychologist have fulfilled the professional training requirements specified by the Psychology Profession Act.

The ceremony was, however, boycotted by officials of the Malta Union of Professional Psychologists' board who held a press conference outside the building complaining at the way the board had gone about awarding the warrants.

Among the officials was union vice president Mariella Blackman, a clinical psychologist who has been practising for more than a decade but who complained that she was not awarded a warrant yesterday.

Union president Bernard Caruana said the union had received other complaints but had not yet investigated them.

"We want to see whether the board acted unjustly with other people as well," he said.

In an emotional speech, Ms Blackman explained that when she first applied for the warrant she was asked to present a detailed transcript of her Master's degree, but the City University in London, from where she graduated, informed her that this was no longer available.

Last week Ms Blackman received a letter from the board saying she would not be awarded the warrant because it could not establish the equivalence with a degree issued by the University of Malta.

"Why did they not tell her this before?" Mr Caruana asked while Ms Blackman showed the media a letter by the local university's Malta Equivalent Information Centre, stating her qualification in counselling psychology was "comparable to a Master's degree awarded by this university".

The following day Ms Blackman presented the letter to the board but was told the board would not meet simply to discuss her case.

"Ms Blackman has the right to hold the board responsible for any damages stemming from her not being given the warrant," Mr Caruana said.

This was a case of injustice, Ms Blackman said. "We are not prepared to accept it when our livelihood depends on our job."

A spokesman for the Social Solidarity Ministry said the board followed established criteria when it did not grant a warrant to the union vice-president.

The spokesman said once the vice-president submits the necessary documentation proving eligibility, the board may recommend that she is granted a warrant at a later date.

The union has also complained that the board had started receiving applications before having establishing the criteria on which a warrant should be given.

However, the ministry spokesman said applications for warrants were kept sealed until the eligibility criteria were established and agreed on by all members.

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