Procedures

Applications for approval of programs or requests for opinions must be sent to the Commission by electronic means using the appropriate forms. In the interest of parsimony and to avoid an overload of work, the Commission issues an opinion on research "programmes" rather than specific studies. By "programmes" is meant a set of manipulations relating to the same theme and/or using the same method.

In the case of dissertations, the promoter guarantees compliance with ethical rules by signing a commitment form completed by the student. These forms are designed to make students and researchers aware of the issue of protecting research participants. The sponsor may also decide to submit a complete file to the ethics committee.

Clinic or not Clinic…

Since the entry into force of the law of April 4, 2014 regulating mental health care professions (amending Royal Decree No. 78 of November 10, 1967), clinical psychology and clinical orthopedagogy are recognized as health care professions.

Therefore, according to the 2004 law, any research project (study, trial, investigation) aimed at developing knowledge related to the practice of a health care profession (mental health, since 2014), including clinical psychology and clinical orthopedagogy, must be submitted to the approved hospital-faculty ethics committee, namely that of the Saint-Luc University Clinics. 

How do I know if my project falls under clinical psychology? 

The coordinated law of May 10, 2015 defines the practice of clinical psychology as the "habitual performance of autonomous acts aimed at (or presented as such), with respect to a human being, in a scientifically supported framework, the prevention, examination, screening, establishment of a psychodiagnosis, or the management/support of real or supposed psychological or psychosomatic suffering."

To help researchers interpret this definition, three indicative criteria are proposed:

1. Does the project involve a clinical population (patients or groups with diagnosed disorders or identified psychological suffering)?
2. Is the recruitment or testing location a health care facility (e.g., hospital, mental health service, medical center, etc.)?
3. Is the main objective of the study clinically oriented? Does the objective allow for the development of knowledge related to the practice of a health care profession (mental health)? (e.g., measurement or understanding of psychological or psychosomatic suffering)

⚠️ Attention: These criteria are not absolute rules. They do not replace the obligation to know and understand the laws. Their purpose is to help guide reflection, but it is up to the researcher to judge whether their project falls within the scope of clinical psychology as legally defined. 

If your project falls under clinical psychology:

You must then submit your project to the hospital-faculty ethics committee of the Saint-Luc University Clinics.

WHICH laws: know and understand:

Relations between the laws

• The Royal Decree of 1967 establishes a general framework for health care professions.
• The 2004 law specifies ethical requirements for human experimentation, particularly in the field of health care covered by the Royal Decree of 1967.
• The 2014 law amends the Royal Decree of 1967 by including the profession of clinical psychologist and reinforces the requirement for ethical approval for research in this field.
• The 2015 law clarifies the definition of the practice of clinical psychology, a key element for the application of ethical procedures in this specific field of health care.

Information and contacts: Saint-Luc Ethics Committee

Submission (simplified form possible for theses): Submit a project