Who we are

The Rwanda Psychological Society (RPS) is a national professional organization and regulatory body of Psychologists in Rwanda that was established on August 1st, 2015 in conformity with Law No 04/2012 of 17/02/2012 governing the organization and the functioning of national non-governmental organizations, especially in its articles 3, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 28. As a background, following the 1994 genocide perpetrated against Tutsi in Rwanda, the government resolved in 1998 to start the training of clinical psychologists as a response to the mass traumas from the genocide. The first clinical psychologists graduated from the National University of Rwanda, currently the University of Rwanda, and were immediately absorbed in the community to assist those requiring psychological service. In addition to clinical psychologists, the country gained from other universities abroad availing training in other orientations in psychology like social psychology, school psychology, psychological counseling, and others.

With time, it became obvious that plus the general training get from universities, psychologists at work require additional opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD) training and supervision to ensure the delivery of service of quality to beneficiaries and the wellness of the practitioners. Moreover, given the pervasive impact of the post-genocide psychological trauma considered to damage the social development and the growth of the country, it was assumed that an organization of experts in psychology could contribute to the country's development through community engagement and outreach activities. Therefore, gathered in the Constituent Assembly on August 1st 2015, Psychologists from different orientations in Psychology resolved to create the Rwanda Psychological Society (RPS) as a response to continuous training gaps and community involvement.