Integrity, Professionalism, and Impact
Along with the pioneers of psychologist education in Riau, take steps toward becoming psychologists of integrity, competence, and ethics—grounded in evidence-based practice, an Islamic worldview, and Indonesian cultural wisdom—who make a positive societal impact.
SELAYANG PANDANG
As a result of recent advancements in the subject, psychology is now seen as a profession that strategically contributes to raising the standard of living for the general population in addition to being an area of study that studies human behavior and mental processes. Psychologists currently contribute to a wide range of disciplines, from education, health, business and organizations, and social services, to crisis and catastrophe management. The need for qualified, moral, and easily available psychological services keeps rising as people become more conscious of the significance of mental health.
The availability of psychologists in Riau Province has not yet been sufficient to meet the demand. Residents in other regencies and cities have limited access to professional psychological treatment because the majority of psychologists are still centered in Pekanbaru. This predicament is directly related to Indonesia's small number of professional psychology schools, the most of which are found on the island of Java. In response to this, a lot of psychology graduates in Riau Province have trouble going back to school and getting a license to work as psychologists.
As a strategic move to increase access to professional education and enhance the fair distribution of psychological services in Riau Province, the Islamic University of Riau's Faculty of Psychology launched the Professional Psychology Education Program in response to this need. This project was originally introduced in 2023, and it took around three years to complete it. The program formation team carried out a number of scholarly investigations, created the founding papers, drew out resource requirements, assessed community needs, and established cooperative networks with several institutions and stakeholders during this process. .
Academic Discussion & Benchmarking
As part of the development process, the UIR Faculty of Psychology held academic discussions and consultations with experts in professional psychology education from various universities in Indonesia, such as:
- Prof. Dr. Kwartarini Wahyu Yuniarti, M.Med.Sc., Ph.D., Psikolog
- Prof. Dr. Seger Handoyo, Psikolog
- Dr. Sus Budiharto, S.Psi., M.Si., Psikolog
In addition, the founding team conducted benchmarking visits to Tarumanagara University and Surabaya University to study the governance of professional psychology education, curriculum development, the organization of professional internships, and academic quality assurance systems. This entire process served as the foundation for designing a degree program that meets national standards for professional education while remaining relevant to the needs of society.
Through this development process, the Professional Psychology Education Program at Riau Islamic University officially received authorization to operate pursuant to Decree No. 628/B/O/2026 of the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia.
Graduate Expertise
This program is specifically designed to produce outstanding professional psychologists with the following characteristics:
- Has scientific evidence-based expertise
- Upholding Islamic values
- Respecting Indonesian culture
- Having an awareness of the characteristics of a multicultural society
Therefore, it is expected that the creation of this degree program would not only increase Riau psychology graduates' access to professional education but also directly improve the community's psychological well-being and the caliber of psychological services..