Mental Health Licensing & Regulation in India: 2026 Guide

In India, no single licence covers every mental-health professional. Regulation is split by role, across separate laws.

Some roles have a statutory register. Others have none.

This guide maps who is accountable, and how to verify a provider. It is written for care-seekers and families.

By Team TherapyRoute.

The short answer: who is regulated, and who is not

Three clinical roles have a statutory register. Two common labels do not.

The last two rows describe what a person can join today, not what the law provides for. A 2021 statute names these roles. It has been in force since 25 May 2021,⁷ and no register under it has ever opened.⁸

Why there is no single therapist licence

India regulates mental-health work by profession, not by one master register. Each role sits under its own law.

The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 recognises several roles as mental health professionals. These include a psychiatrist, a professional registered with the State Authority under section 55, and a professional holding a postgraduate degree in Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani or Siddha in the mental-health subjects the Act names.¹

Because the roles differ, so do the registers. That is why you must check the right one.

Clinical psychologists and the Central Rehabilitation Register

The Rehabilitation Council of India Act names clinical psychologists as one of its rehabilitation professionals.²

The statutory list of these practitioners is the Central Rehabilitation Register.²

Only qualifications listed in the Act's Schedule count as recognised rehabilitation qualifications.²

Subject to the Act's other provisions, any qualification in that Schedule is enough for enrolment on the Register.³

Only a person enrolled on the Register may practise as a rehabilitation professional in India.

Someone who breaks this rule may face up to one year in prison, or a fine of up to one thousand rupees, or both.³

The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 sets the qualification route for a clinical psychologist. One route is a recognised qualification in Clinical Psychology from an institution approved and recognised by the Rehabilitation Council of India.¹

Another route is a postgraduate psychology degree. It adds an M.Phil in Clinical Psychology or Medical and Social Psychology, obtained after a full-time course of two years that includes supervised clinical training.¹

Psychiatrists and medical registration

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor first.

The Act defines a psychiatrist as a medical practitioner with a postgraduate qualification in psychiatry.¹

A medical practitioner is a person who holds a recognised medical qualification and whose name is entered on a state register. Depending on the qualification, that is the State Medical Register, a State Register of Indian Medicine, or a State Register of Homoeopathy.⁴

A psychiatrist therefore holds medical registration as well as a postgraduate psychiatric qualification.

Psychiatric nurses

The Act also recognises the mental health nurse.

A mental health nurse holds a diploma or degree in general or psychiatric nursing recognised by the Nursing Council of India.⁴

They must also be registered with the relevant state nursing council.⁴

The counsellor gap: membership is not registration

India's statutory register covers a defined list of rehabilitation professionals.²

That list names roles like clinical psychologists and speech therapists. It does not name a general "counsellor".²

The only counsellor entry on that list is limited to what the Act's 1992 wording calls "vocational counsellors, employment officers and placement officers dealing with handicapped".²

So the title "counsellor" gets no protection from the Rehabilitation Council of India Act, which does not list a general counsellor among its rehabilitation professionals.

A second statute also matters here, and it is younger.

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act 2021 provides for a Central Register and State Registers. It bars practice by anyone who is not registered in one of its recognised categories.⁷

Its Schedule names the Psychologist plainly, excepting the Clinical Psychologist the Rehabilitation Council already covers.⁷

It does not name a general counsellor. The counsellor roles it lists are specific ones, among them integrated behaviour health, disease, diabetes, lactation, HIV and family planning.⁷

The whole Act has been in force since 25 May 2021.⁷ No register under it has ever opened, because the regulations that must govern them were never made. The Supreme Court has been hearing that failure since 2024.⁸

So the position is neither regulated nor unregulated. Parliament legislated, the scheme is live, and nobody can register under it yet.

A professional association can set standards for its members. It cannot place them on a government statutory register.

The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 and your rights

The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 replaced the older Mental Health Act 1987.⁵

It strengthened the rights of people living with mental illness. Two rights are worth knowing.

First, an adult may write an advance directive.⁶

It sets out how they wish to be treated for a mental illness, and how they wish not to be.⁶

They can also name a nominated representative to support those decisions.⁶

Second, the Act requires every State Government to set up a State Mental Health Authority.⁵

The Act also changed how the law treats a person in severe distress.

If someone attempts suicide, the law now presumes they were under severe stress.⁶

That person must not be tried or punished for it.⁶

Instead, the government has a duty to provide care, treatment and rehabilitation.⁶

This decriminalisation matters. It means people in distress can seek help without fear of prosecution.

How to check a provider is registered

Three checks are worth making before you book.

For a clinical psychologist, ask for proof of enrolment on the Central Rehabilitation Register, and for the qualification that enrolment rests on.

Our guide to academic credentials for mental health professionals in India sets out the qualifications that sit behind these titles.

For a psychiatrist, check the State Medical Register for their medical registration.⁴

For a mental health (psychiatric) nurse, ask which state nursing council they are registered with. The Act requires registration with the relevant nursing council in the State.

If you cannot confirm a registration, treat that as a reason to pause and ask questions.

Red flags, and which body to approach

Practising as a rehabilitation professional without enrolment is against the Act.³

Watch for these warning signs:

• The title "Clinical Psychologist" is used, but no RCI enrolment can be shown.
• Association membership is offered as proof of statutory registration.
• A registration number is promised but never provided.
• Care is offered well outside the person's stated qualifications.

If something is wrong, you can raise a concern with the right body.

For a clinical psychologist, that is the Rehabilitation Council of India.

For a psychiatrist, that is the State Medical Council that holds the register.

Where to write, and who answers:

• Rehabilitation Council of India, for clinical psychologists and other rehabilitation professionals. Register and concerns: rehabcouncil.nic.in. Email rci@nic.in, phone +91-11-26567851, or write to B-22, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016.
• National Medical Commission, for doctors including psychiatrists. Email info@nmc.org.in or phone +91-11-23239437. A concern about an individual doctor is usually handled by the State Medical Council that holds their registration.
• Your State Mental Health Authority, reached through the state health department, for concerns about a mental health establishment.

Common questions

Is my counsellor regulated in India? No register is open to them today, so there is nothing you can check. A national statute provides for one, in force since 25 May 2021, but no register under it has ever opened.⁸ The title itself is not protected.

Is a Counsellor Council of India member RCI-registered? No. Association membership is not enrolment on the Central Rehabilitation Register.

Is the psychiatrist the only medically trained role? No. The Act's definition of a medical practitioner also covers a name entered on a State Register of Indian Medicine or a State Register of Homoeopathy. The Act recognises as mental health professionals holders of a postgraduate degree in Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani or Siddha in the mental-health subjects it names.¹

How do I confirm a clinical psychologist? Ask for proof of their enrolment on the Central Rehabilitation Register.² The Act requires enrolment before a person may practise as a rehabilitation professional.

Find a registered practitioner

When you are ready to find care, choose a practitioner you can verify. You can browse therapists in India on TherapyRoute and filter by language and fee.

Our guide on how to find the right therapist can help you start.

This guide is general information, not legal or medical advice. For your own situation, please speak to a qualified professional.

References

1. [1] Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 (Act 10 of 2017), s 2(1). Definitions of “clinical psychologist”, “mental health professional” and “psychiatrist”. Government of India. prsindia.org.
2. [2] Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992 (Act 34 of 1992), s 2. Definitions. Government of India. rehabcouncil.nic.in.
3. [3] Rehabilitation Council of India Act, 1992 (Act 34 of 1992), s 13. Rights of persons possessing qualifications included in the Schedule to be enrolled. Government of India. rehabcouncil.nic.in.
4. [4] Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 (Act 10 of 2017), s 2(1). Definitions of “medical practitioner” and “mental health nurse”. Government of India. prsindia.org.
5. [5] Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 (Act 10 of 2017), ss 45 and 126. Establishment of State Authority; repeal of the Mental Health Act 1987. Government of India. prsindia.org.
6. [6] Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 (Act 10 of 2017), ss 5 and 115. Advance directive; presumption of severe stress in case of attempt to commit suicide. Government of India. prsindia.org.
7. [7] National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021 (Act 14 of 2021). s15: "No person, other than a registered allied and healthcare professional, shall ... provide service in any of the recognised categories in any State". s2(q): recognised categories are those specified in the Schedule. Schedule, category 7 "Community Care, Behavioural Health Sciences and other Professionals", Behavioural Health Sciences Professional entries: "(i) Psychologist (Except Clinical Psychologist covered under RCI for PWD); (ii) Behavioural Analyst; (iii) Integrated Behaviour Health Counsellor; (iv) Health Educator and Counsellors including Disease Counsellors, Diabetes Educators, Lactation Consultants; (v) Social workers including Clinical Social Worker, Psychiatric Social Worker, Medical Social Worker; (vi) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Counsellors or Family Planning Counsellors; (vii) Mental Health Support Workers". Commencement: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare notification S.O. 2012(E) of 25 May 2021 (CG-DL-E-25052021-227165) appoints that date for "the provisions of the said Act", naming no excepted provision. thc.nic.in.
8. [8] On the registers never having opened: Joint Forum of Medical Technologists of India v Union of India, W.P.(C) No. 983/2023, in which the Supreme Court directed the Centre and the States to take steps to implement the Act and was told that fourteen of twenty-eight States had constituted a State Council (August 2024); Federation of Self Financing Technical Institutions v Union of India, W.P.(C) No. 972/2026, notice issued on a plea to frame the regulations, with ten States and Union Territories then still without a Council on counsel's submission, six of them named: Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Puducherry, Ladakh and Lakshadweep (August 2026); and contempt notices to the Centre and the States over non-implementation (February 2026). A State Allied and Healthcare Council notice of January 2026 describes registration as due to commence rather than open. livelaw.in (2024); livelaw.in (2026); kashmirreader.com.