What tasks should clinical psychologists perform in psychiatric care? Will they gain new competencies and support psychiatric wards? These questions are to be answered by specialists - members of a new team appointed by the Minister of Health. Among them is dr hab. Małgorzata Lipowska, prof. UG from the Faculty of Social Sciences.

- The task of the Team is to identify new tasks, competencies and roles of clinical psychologists in the system of psychiatric health care, as well as to propose necessary legislative changes in this area and changes in the specialisation programme in clinical psychology, reads the Minister's order of August 22, 2022.

The specialists of the newly established team are to present concrete solutions no later than November 30, 2022.

- 'The functioning of the human psyche can be affected by any illness, not only mental illness, but also by psychosocial factors, such as a family crisis, a pandemic, etc. The question arises as to whether clinical psychologists, as professionals equipped with the relevant competencies and therefore people dealing with the impact of various diseases and other challenges on the psyche, could somehow support patients in psychiatric wards, which, as we know, suffer from a huge shortage of staff,' - says dr hab. Małgorzata Lipowska, prof. UG from the Department of Psychology and Developmental Psychopathology of the Faculty of Social Sciences. - 'I have become a member of a team that will try to work out the best possible solutions to this issue. Let's remember that a mental health crisis can affect anyone, as can an immediate threat to life associated with it. Change is simply necessary.'

Full team composition:

• Chairman - Waldemar Kraska, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Health,
• Deputy Chairman - Dorota Olczyk, Deputy Director of the Department of Public Health at the Ministry of Health,
• prof. dr hab. n. med. Piotr Galecki - Head of the Department of Adult Psychiatry of the Medical University of Łódź, national consultant in psychiatry,
• prof. dr hab. n. med. Małgorzata Janas-Kozik - Plenipotentiary of the Minister of Health for reform in child and adolescent psychiatry,
• dr hab. n. społ. Barbara Bętkowska-Korpała - prof. of the Jagiellonian University, head of the Department of Medical Psychology at the Chair of Psychiatry of the Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum,
• dr hab. n. społ. Bernadetta Izydorczyk - prof. of the Jagiellonian University, Head of the Department of Crisis Intervention and Psychotherapy, national consultant in the field of clinical psychology,
• dr hab. n. społ. Małgorzata Lipowska - prof. at the University of Gdańsk, Department of Psychology and Psychopathology of Development of the Faculty of Social Sciences, regional consultant in the field of clinical psychology for the Pomorskie Voivodeship,
• dr hab. n. med. Anna Mosiołek - Director of Treatment and Head Physician of Ward XI at the Mazovian Specialist Health Centre in Pruszków, scientific and didactic assistant professor at the Psychiatric Clinic of the Medical University of Warsaw,
• dr n. med. Anna Depukat - Head of the Office for the piloting of the National Programme for Mental Health Protection,
• dr n. med.Aleksandra Lewandowska - Head of the 24/7 Psychiatric Ward for Children at the Independent Public Healthcare Centre in Łódź, national consultant in child and adolescent psychiatry,
• dr n. med. Michał Mielimąka - President of the Board of the Cracow Division of the Polish Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychotherapy of the Jagiellonian University,
• Representative of the Medical Staff Development Department at the Ministry of Health,
• Representative of the Treatment Department at the Ministry of Health,
• Secretary - a representative of the Department of Public Health at the Ministry of Health.

The order in question is available in the Official Journal of the Ministry of Health.