Regarding the push for a partial amendment to the enforcement decree of the Mental Health Welfare Act that would expand the scope of psychiatric psychological counseling, students from departments of psychology at universities nationwide are showing unusual movements.

Students from the departments of psychology at Seoul National University, Dankook University, Pusan National University, Pusan National University (Note: listed twice in original or distinct campuses), and Chungbuk National University opposed the move through a joint declaration of a state of affairs on the 9th, stating that the partial amendment to the enforcement decree of the Mental Health Welfare Act being pursued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare is an administrative action that fails to fully consider the professionalism of psychological counseling and the safety of public mental health services.

The departments of psychology at Pusan National University and Chungbuk National University held declarations of a state of affairs on October 7, the day of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s parliamentary audit, followed by Seoul National University, Dankook University, and Pusan National University (Note: Kyungseong University in original text) on October 8.

As five university departments of psychology across the country voiced their concerns in succession, the possibility of public discussion regarding the Ministry of Health and Welfare's push to make "psychological counseling a common duty" has grown. Each university's stance is that expanding the scope of duties without sufficiently reviewing the differences in education and training systems and the professionalism of each occupational group is an issue that could affect the quality and safety of public mental health services, and therefore, sufficient review and social discussion must precede it. This controversy flared up as the Ministry of Health and Welfare pursued an amendment to the enforcement decree that includes psychological counseling and disaster psychological support programs implemented by national and local governments within the common duties of mental health professionals.

Currently, mental health professionals consist of four occupational groups: mental health clinical psychologists, mental health nurses, mental health social workers, and mental health occupational therapists.

The core issue raised by students is that despite differences in the education and training processes of each occupational group, the amendment stipulates that the duty of "psychological counseling" can be commonly performed by all.

Looking at the current training processes, mental health clinical psychologists receive education and training including individual and group psychotherapy and psychological evaluation, whereas mental health nurses focus on psychiatric nursing intervention and treatment, mental health social workers on social work treatment, and mental health occupational therapists on psychiatric occupational therapy evaluation, intervention, and treatment. Accordingly, students from the departments of psychology at the five universities maintain that the differences in professional education and training required to provide psychological counseling must be fully reflected in the system. 

They emphasized that since psychological counseling is a professional domain that can directly impact an individual's mental health and life, public trust must be guaranteed so that citizens can receive services from experts who have undergone sufficient education and training when it comes to mental health services provided by the state.

This declaration of a state of affairs was carried out as a continuation of the response by the psychological community and psychology counseling majors that has continued since September. Following a statement opposing the enforcement decree amendment issued by 33 graduate students in the department of psychology at Seoul National University on September 11, about 1,000 related academic societies—including the Korean Clinical Psychology Association, the Korean Psychological Association, the Korean Counseling Psychology Association, and the Korean Counseling Association—along with psychology counseling majors and trainees gathered near the Blue House on September 19 for a "General Mobilization Rally to Defend Professionalism and Public Safety."

Following this, the Department of Psychology at the Catholic University of Korea held a declaration of a state of affairs on September 29, and on September 30, a total of 155 undergraduate and graduate students from the Department of Psychology at Chungbuk National University released a joint statement.

Subsequently, the departments of psychology at Pusan National University and Chungbuk National University held declarations of a state of affairs on October 7, and those at Seoul National University, Dankook University, and Kyungseong University joined on October 8, bringing objections from the university field nationwide.

The students stated, "This declaration of a state of affairs is not a mere one-time voice," adding, "We will stand in solidarity with the nationwide psychology community and related majors to respond until the government listens to the voices of the psychological community and field experts and establishes a system centered on public mental health and safety."

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