Regulation of Psychology Education in India: Conflicting Mandates, Overlapping Curricula and the Need for Cohesion

India faces a profound mental health crisis, marked by the largest population in the world, a high prevalence of disorders and a severe shortage of qualified professionals. Recent policy initiatives, including the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act 2021, aim to reform psychology education to address these challenges. This article critically examines the evolving landscape of psychology higher education in India, focusing on the curricula proposed by the NCAHP and the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI). While the NCAHP’s B. Psy model curriculum represents a commendable step towards competency-based education, it faces implementation hurdles related to restrictive entry requirements, regulatory ambiguities, and infrastructural demands. Concurrently, the RCI’s introduction of a B.Sc. Clinical Psychology (Hons.) program, with its nomenclature and scope of practice, creates further discord and potential jurisdictional overlaps with the NCAHP and the University Grants Commission (UGC). This article analyses these competing frameworks, their alignment with existing legislation and international standards, and their implications for the standardisation and regulation of psychology professionals. It proposes recommendations for fostering synergy among regulatory bodies, clarifying professional roles, and enhancing the accessibility and quality of psychology education to build a robust mental health workforce. Strengthening psychology education and professional regulation is a national imperative and central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 on good health and well-being.