How to Verify a Clinical Psychologist on the RCI Central Rehabilitation Register

In India, the title “psychologist” is used much more loosely than the title “doctor”. There is no consumer-facing reason this should be the case, but historically it has been. The credential that signals real professional standing for clinical psychology is registration on the Rehabilitation Council of India’s Central Rehabilitation Register. The verification is free and takes a few minutes.

Why this matters for ADHD

ADHD diagnosis is medical and made by a psychiatrist. But the psychological assessment that often accompanies the diagnosis (cognitive testing, neuropsychological measures, learning assessment) is administered by a clinical psychologist. The administration and interpretation of these standardised instruments is professionally regulated work. An untrained person administering a Conners-3 or a Wechsler intelligence scale will get results, but the results will not mean what they should.

The Rehabilitation Council of India is the statutory body under the Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992 that regulates rehabilitation professionals, including clinical psychologists, in India. Registration on the RCI’s Central Rehabilitation Register is the standing legal credential for clinical psychology practice.

What you are checking

A clinical psychologist who can deliver standardised ADHD assessment should hold:

• An MPhil in Clinical Psychology (a two-year postgraduate qualification with supervised clinical training) from an institution recognised by the RCI. Some practitioners hold a PhD in Clinical Psychology, also recognised.
• Registration on the RCI Central Rehabilitation Register.
• A registration number that they can share on request.

Counsellors and psychotherapists who do not hold an MPhil in Clinical Psychology and are not on the RCI register may be perfectly competent therapists for some purposes. They are not the appropriate practitioners for ADHD assessment requiring standardised testing.

Step-by-step verification

1. Ask the psychologist for their registration number, the year of registration, and the institution from which they received their MPhil.
2. Open the Rehabilitation Council of India website at rehabcouncil.nic.in. Look for “Central Rehabilitation Register” or “Registered Professionals”.
3. Use the lookup tool with the registration number or name. The record returns the practitioner’s name, registration number, qualification, and the institution from which they qualified.
4. If the registration cannot be located, ask the practitioner to clarify. Sometimes the lookup is finicky; sometimes the practitioner does not have RCI registration at all.

What RCI registration confirms

• The practitioner has completed an MPhil in Clinical Psychology from an RCI-recognised institution, including the supervised clinical practice component.
• They are legally entitled to use the title “Clinical Psychologist” in India.
• They have completed training in standardised psychological assessment.

What RCI registration does not confirm

• The depth of their experience with ADHD specifically.
• Whether they are a good clinician for your situation.
• The currency of their training in newer instruments.

As with NMC registration, RCI registration is necessary, not sufficient.

What if the person calls themselves a “psychologist” without RCI registration

This is common. In India, the title “psychologist” is not a protected title in the way “Clinical Psychologist” is. Many practitioners with master’s degrees in psychology, MA, MSc, or short certificate courses describe themselves as psychologists. They may be doing useful work, particularly in counselling and psychotherapy roles. They are not, by virtue of those qualifications alone, in the clinical-psychology professional category.

The single most useful test: ask “are you registered on the RCI Central Rehabilitation Register?” If the answer is no, that is not necessarily disqualifying for therapy work, but it is disqualifying for relying on their psychological assessment as part of an ADHD evaluation.

A note on cost

Comprehensive psychological assessment by an RCI-registered clinical psychologist for ADHD generally ranges, indicatively, from ₹5,000 to ₹25,000 depending on the scope of testing. Public-sector access at NIMHANS, AIIMS, and major government psychiatric institutions is free or low-cost, with longer waits.

A practitioner offering full ADHD psychological assessment for substantially less than the lower end of this range is worth examining carefully. Either they are a public-sector clinician offering a private rate, or the assessment is less comprehensive than what the description implies.

Frequently asked questions

My therapist is doing wonderful work with my child. Should I worry that they are not RCI-registered?

Not necessarily. Therapy and assessment are different professional functions. A non-RCI-registered therapist can be effective. For diagnostic-grade psychological assessment, the RCI-registered clinical psychologist is the appropriate professional.

Can a counselling psychologist do an ADHD assessment?

Counselling psychology is a distinct specialty. Whether a particular counselling psychologist has training in standardised ADHD assessment depends on their specific background. The RCI registration is the cleanest indicator.

What about psychometricians?

Psychometricians administer tests under supervision in some research and clinical settings. The interpretation and clinical conclusion is generally a clinical psychologist’s responsibility.

Where I live there are no RCI-registered clinical psychologists. What now?

This is a real constraint in many Indian cities. Options include online assessment with an RCI-registered clinical psychologist who works remotely, public-sector access at the nearest tertiary mental-health institution, and travel for assessment. The treating psychiatrist usually has the most current local information.

Sources

• Rehabilitation Council of India (rehabcouncil.nic.in).
• The Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992.
• RCI norms for clinical psychology training and registration.