Health Psychology: identity and profession

Using the right of reply, authors Prado Abril, Sanchez Reales, and Aldaz Armendáriz (2014) criticize my previous article (Carrobles, 2013) in which I tried to bring together two existing figures: the Psychologist Specialist of Clinical Psychology (PSCP) and the Sanitary General Psychologist (SGP), attempting to integrate them and justifying the necessity of both within the current Spanish Health System. These authors reject my arguments, rather than refute them, and adopt a defensive and belligerent position against the future professional figure of the SGP. This new figure is attributed all kinds of problems and possible wrongdoings as regards the future of the profession, mainly of the PSCPs represented by the said authors. In the present article center my attention focuses on the dismantling of this unjustified position, which seems to be largely a result of job insecurity and problems of professional identity that they may be suffering but which they mistakenly attribute to the threat that they seem to perceive derived from the consolidation of the figure of the GSP for their own personal and corporative status. This article insisting on my clear and well well-known position on this subject and adds new arguments and reasons to convince Spanish psychologists as a whole, not just PSCPs, of the necessity to fight jointly for the definitive establishment of Clinical and Sanitary Psychology and the raising of its profile in Spain.