Clinical & Rehabilitation Psychology and Research
When it comes to psychodiagnostics and psychotherapy, the Department of Clinical and Rehabilitation Psychology and Research (DCRPR) offers comprehensive and integrative clinical psychology services. During the formative years of the National Centre for the Blind (Now NIEPVD), a committee, comprised of experts from the Government of India, recommended the establishment of a Crisis Intervention Unit at NIEPVD, and from there, the Psychology Department was opened for civilians and military personnel with visual disabilities. Professor of Clinical Psychology Dr.Tej Bahadur Singh was the Department's first head.
Initially, the department's OPD and outreach programmes were tailored to individuals with visual impairments. The unit's focus areas included the emotional crisis management of newly blinded individuals, which aimed to provide adjustment training by initiating psychological counselling, learning daily living skills, orientation and mobility training, and vocational training and placement. The Department's current organisational structure is based on the vision of treating a wide range of psychological disorders in people with disabilities and the general population.
The Department has a fully functional, state-of-the-art psychology laboratory, and extensive, high-quality research is conducted on a regular basis. The Department developed, adapted, and standardised a variety of psychological tests and instruments for adults and children with visual impairment. These tests are widely used for academic, research, and diagnostic purposes across the nation.
At present, the DCRPR is the leading provider of psychological services in Uttarakhand. CBSE, KVS, and other academic boards, Colleges, Universities, Government Doon Medical College and Hospital, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Coronation Hospital, Women and Child Welfare Departments, Police, Courts, and state administration depend on the Department for Clinical Psychological and Rehabilitation Services. In addition, the Department conducts assessment and certification camps for individuals with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Mental Illness, and other Mental Disabilities in nearly every district of the state.
The department is responsible for human resource development and is the first institution in Uttarakhand to offer RCI-approved courses in clinical and rehabilitation psychology. We are pleased to note that this is the only institution in the nation to offer so many courses in rehabilitation and clinical psychology. The department offers an M.Phil. in Clinical Psychology, an M.Phil. in Rehabilitation Psychology, a Post Graduate Diploma in Rehabilitation Psychology (PGDRP), as well as a five-year M.Sc. in Applied Psychology.