Clinical psychology, which is called the flower of psychology, is a professional field of psychology concerned with the research, education, counsel, prevention, and rehabilitation of psychological pain and health of human beings, as well as psychological treatment and psychological evaluation. The Korean Academic Society of Clinical Psychology, which was founded in 1964, was the first branch of the Korean Psychological Association, and it promotes interaction among mental health experts as an academic society combining both the theoretical/scientific and the applicative/clinical aspects of psychology.

As of 2007, approximately 3,000 members from diverse fields and levels of society are in full play, and 457 members have acquired Clinical Psychologist Certificate, which is granted after completing the training curriculum authorized by the Korean Psychological Association. Furthermore, 1,000 members have acquired the Mental Health Clinical Psychologist Certificates (Level 1 and Level 2) authorized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare according to the Mental Health Act. In the past, clinical psychologists worked primarily at universities (as professors, counselors for students, consultants) and hospitals (for psychological evaluation and psychological treatment in the psychiatric department), but during the past decade, an increasing number of psychologists are providing services at private psychological treatment centers or volunteering at mental health centers funded by the government. Recently, as the professional capabilities of clinical psychologists are being recognized by the government and community, an increasing number of psychologists are working as professionals in government organizations (for example, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, the National Youth Commission, the Fact-finding Committee for Mysterious Deaths in the Military, the Famil y Court, the National Police Agency, probation offices, prisons, counseling centers, schools) or major companies.

This academic society quarterly publishes The Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology, which is registered at the Korea Research Foundation, and holds an academic feast of various symposiums, workshops, membership training, and case presentations through the four academic conferences (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) conducted every year. In Spring of 2007, a symposium on The Current State of Affairs of the Community Mental Health Project and Its Task was held at the Dae-gu Inter-Burgo Hotel in Fall 2007, symposiums on The Meeting of Clinical Psychology and Mass Culture and Strengthening the Social Safety Net Through Cl inical Psychology and Its Application on Special Issues are to be held. This academic society is striving to enhance the expertise of its members by organizing twelve subsections of study groups, and is answering to the needs of this rapidly changing era by keeping ten standing committees and one temporary committee.

Ever since the Korean Counseling Psychological Association was launched as a division of the Korean Psychological Association and developed into its current form, all members have constantly strived to learn and develop the theories and practices of counseling and psychotherapy in order to promote the mental health of our society, and to prevent and treat many problems individuals go through in our rapidly changing society.

As a part of such effort, this academic society has regularly held academic presentations and counseling case presentations (monthly), published journals (quarterly), scheduled winter and summer retreats (yearly), and hosted seminars (several times a year) starting from 1985. Also, the academic society has prepared qualifications for the Counseling Psychologist Certificates in order to foster competent counseling psychologists, producing Counseling Psychologist Certificate, Level 1 (professional counseling psychologists) and Counseling Psychologist Certificate, Level 2 (counseling psychologists) every year since 1973. Thirty-one years later, in 2004, a total of 294 members have acquired the Counseling Psychologist Certificate, Level 1 license and 902 members have acquired the Counseling Psychologist Certificate, Level 2 license. These people are currently working as professors at universities, or as counseling psychotherapists or counseling trainers at government-consigned organizations and private organizations specialized in counseling.

This academic society is promoting its activities through its two Special Committees (Planning and Development Committee, International Relations Committee) and eight Section Committees (Academic Committee, Case Study Committee, Licensure Committee, Professional Developments Committee, Counselors Training Committee, Public Relations Committee, Editorial Committee, Ethics Committee). On the third Saturday of each month, case presentations and discussions as well asacademic presentations are regularly held.

The Korean Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology was launched as a division of the Korean Psychological Association in 1964, and was ed to its current status in 2001. This academic society has continuously focused on finding ways to increase productivity and enhance the quality of working environment using the principles and methodologies of psychology, and to apply such findings at the workplace.

This academic society has been holding regular academic conferences and symposiums every spring and fall since 1964. Since 1988, the society has been publishing journals in an effort to systematically organize its research on industrial and organizational psychology, and since 2001, the society has published the journals three times a year. In August 2002, the journal was recognized as a true A-level journal by shifting its status to an officially registered academic journal at the Korea Research Foundation from the previous status as a candidate for registration.

This academic society, which consists of the Academic Committee, the Licensure and Training Committee, the Editorial Committee, and the Auditing Committee, is actively working for development. Since 2001, the society is granting licenses to Certified Industrial and Organizational Psychologists and Certified Industrial and Organizational Psychology Experts.

Information is available on the Korean Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology website (http://www.ksiop.or.kr). The website consists of introduction, conference, activities, archives (featuring journals and theses), certification (providing information on licensure), and free board (offering a space for free discussion on industrial and organizational psychology.

The Korean Society for Social and Personality Psychology was launched as the third division of the Korean Psychological Association in 1975 under the name of Korean Society for Social Psychology (with Jung, Yang-eun as the first division leader), which was changed to its current name the following year. This academic society consists of scholars and professionals interested in the field of social psychology, personality psychology, cultural psychology, and criminal psychology. As of February 2007, there are 380 members (210 of which are regular members), and the society is actively working for research and communication among its members.

This academic society holds semi-annual academic conferences (every spring and fall) and monthly presentations, and publishes quarterly "The Korean Journal of Social and Personality Psychology," which is registered at the Korea Research Foundation. Since 2001, the society is granting the Criminal Psychologist Certificates (Expert, Level 1, Level 2), providing an opportunity to train and acquire the professional knowledge necessary for those who intend to work in the field of criminal investigation and remediation as psychology majors. For more information about this society, it is recommended to visit the website (http://www.ksppa.or.kr).

The Korean Society for Developmental Psychology is a division of the Korean Psychological Association which was launched in 1975 for the invigoration, development, dissemination, and application of research on lifelong development. In the initial stage of research on developmental issues, research was mainly focused on the change and development of childhood and adolescence. In the twentieth century, due to the increase in average life span and an increase of the adult population, it was widely accepted that people go through significant changes in adulthood as well, and thus, adulthood was included in the scope of developmental psychology.

Accordingly, developmental psychology, which is also called lifelong developmental psychology or lifelong human development, studies the lifelong changes in the body, personality, way of thinking, emotion, behavior, human relationship, as well as the changing roles people play at each stage of life. At the same time, this field of psychology is also concerned with abnormal development, which goes off the course of standard development. Recently, studies on pathological development, which deviates from normal development, are being performed under the name of developmental psychopathology.

To keep pace with such trends, the society has been granting Developmental Psychology Expert Certificates and the Developmental Psychologist Certificates, securing the expertise of those who apply developmental psychology in the field.

The Korean Society for Cognitive and Biological Psychology is a field of study that researches human behavior and mind in an experimental method. In the early stages, this field of psychology mainly studied sense, perception, learning, and conditioning, but now it includes cognition, physiology, and language, and is also applied to the realms of developmental and social psychology. Cognitive and biological psychology, which aims to depict and explain the cause and effect of human behavior through experimental verification, plays an essential and fundamental role in all fields of psychology. The Korean Society for Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, which was the forerunner of the Korean Society for Cognitive and Biological Psychology, was established as a division of the Korean Psychological Association in 1982, and greatly contributed to the development of psychology in Korea by introducing the latest scientific methodologies and the field of experimental psychology such as cognition, physiology, and language.

Furthermore, the Korean Society for Biological and Physiological Psychology was established in 1989, contributing to the research on physiological psychology and neuroscience. In 2001, the two societies merged into the Korean Society for Experimental Psychology, expanding in scale and becoming a comprehensive organization representing experimental psychology in Korea. At a Special General Meeting held on December 12, 2008, the day an academic conference also took place, the name of the society was changed to the Korean Society for Cognitive and Biological Psychology, and the participants voted for a revised set of bylaws, to which was added an article on the establishment of a new advisor position and a new study group. The new name and the revised set of bylaws were approved by the board of directors of the Korean Psychological Association on January 5, 2009.

The academic activities of the society consist of the semi-annual academic conferences and the quarterly publication of "The Korean Journal of Cognitive and Biological Psychology" which is registered at the Korea Research Foundation. In the future, the activities of the affiliated study groups, which are segmented according to the specific academic interests, are expected to be vitalized. Recently, as the society is also interested in applying experimental psychology in the real world, it established the Cognitive Learning Psychologist Certificate and Cognitive Learning Psychology Expert Certificate.

Members acquire Cognitive Learning Psychologist Certificate and Cognitive Learning Psychology Expert Certificate through the authorized training sessions and qualifying examination. Licensed members are professionals who are authorized to analyze and evaluate the knowledge and learning activities of the learners, and to manage, develop, and evaluate programs on effective cognitive learning. Such members are able to work in diverse education sites in the society. Furthermore, this society will continue to make efforts to disseminate knowledge on experimental psychology, which is the basis of psychology, to the members of the Korean Psychological Association as well as the public.

The Korean Culture and Social Issues Psychological Association was established in 1991 in order to analyze and solve the problems of the society in a psychological way.

As of May 2005, there are 196 members. The purpose of the society is a) to gather and accept the psychologists interest in social issues, regardless of ones major, b) to act as a window through which research and opinions on social issues can be presented, which an academic society divided into specific majors cannot cover, c) to consolidate the foundation for psychologists in the Korean society by assembling the analyses and research achievements of psychologists on social issues and promoting a connection with social issues, d) creating the groundwork for psychologists to enter into the society as experts on social issues.

This society holds regular academic conferences and symposiums.

Its journal is called "The Korean Journal for Social Issues" and is published four to five times a year. The journal was registered at the Korea Research Foundation in December 2001, and is striving to take on the appearance of an excellent authorized journal.

Korean society will become more complex and various issues will come up in the future, so a more active interest and intervention of psychologists will be required.

The Korean Health Psychological Association, which is the ninth division of the Korean Psychological Association, was established for the purpose of promoting mutual cooperation among psychologists interested in the biological/psychological/social aspect of physical and mental health, researchers in a relevant field, and health care professionals.

This society ensures that psychological knowledge is applied to various health related areas, from the process of gathering a coordinated understanding of health and the cause of diseases to the process of promoting health and preventing disease.

The number of members has multiplied compared to the beginning, and is increasing each year. The Korean Journal of Health Psychology, which shares the research findings of health psychology, had been registered at the Korea Research Foundation in a short period of time, and is published four times a year. Furthermore, the society is holding quarterly academic conferences and workshops on a regular basis, and in 2004, a successful hosting of the Asian Health Psychology Symposium in Seoul set a foundation for the start of international academic exchange. The licensure of the Health Psychology Expert Certificate is being implemented in full-scale, and thus, trained experts are starting to be discharged, and an increasing number of people are registering for the training sessions.

At present, Certified Health Psychology Experts are not restricting their activities to a certain field (psychiatry), but are working in various fields, such as integrative medicine, rehabilitation medicine, and family medicine, thus setting a good example.

Furthermore, professionals in the field of stress and addiction are beginning to work as health psychologists, and an increasing number of members are working at local health centers and health related organizations. Also, members are working at health related government organizations such as the Health Policy Center, planning and establishing health management systems and health policies. Please visit the website for more specific information on the Korean Society for Health Psychology and the Certified Health Psychology Expert (http://www.healthpsy.or.kr).

The Korean Society for Women Psychology was established in 1995 in order to overcome the male-oriented approach to psychology, and to perceive and analyze psychology and female issues in the female perspective. This society supports research on gender differences and female psychology, presents the research direction which is the basis of solving female issues, strives to develop and disseminate women psychology.

The major activities of the society are to establish and enhance the professional qualities of its members, to support and promote research on women psychology, and to support the research activities of its members. For example, the society held its first academic conference titled "The Need for Research on Women Psychology and Its Prospects" in November 1995, and continues to hold conferences each spring and fall. The 2002 Fall conference is to be held under the title of "Women and Ego." Furthermore, the society hosts guest lecture with foreign scholars. For example, a lecture titled "Psychological Syndromes and the Law" was held on March 15, 2007 with A.J. Tomkins and V. Weisz from the Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The research activities of the members are presented through journals. Ever since "The Korean Journal for Women Psychology" was first published in November 1996, the journal is being published three times a year. Currently, there are approximately 100 members.

The purpose of the Korean Society for Consumer Advertising Psychology, which is an applied psychology society, is to establish the theory for the development of the field of study, and to provide essential information to companies, advertising agencies, and experts in research companies. The society was established on December 17th, 1999 for the purpose of acting as a bridge for smooth exchange between researchers in the academic world and professionals on the field.

The Korean Society for Consumer Advertising Psychology promotes mutual development by allowing the professionals in the academic world and the business world to exchange information and knowledge. For this purpose, professionals who are interested in sharing and intensifying the latest theories on consumer and advertisement from the academic world (such as consumer psychology, consumer research techniques, advertisement effect analyses, brand strategies) and the vivid information from the business world are actively participating in the societys missions.

Any researcher or professional in the field of marketing, journalism, advertisement, sociology, consumer studies, fashion design, and tourism is welcome to share opinions on our mutual interest of consumer advertising psychology.

The purpose of the Korean School Psychology Association is to contribute to the social well-being of Korea by providing psychological services on the educational site and for the academic exchange of members who are interested in the research and the offering of various psychological services in order to help children and adolescents in elementary school, middle school, and high school grow up in a healthy environment and harmoniously adjust to school life.

Almost all children and adolescents in school experience learning issues of various causes. Recently, an increasing number of children and adolescents are experiencing emotional problems such as depression and anxiety as well as behavioral problems such as delinquency, game addiction, bullying, and ping out of school. The cultivation of school psychology, which discovers the academic, career-related, emotional, and behavioral problems experienced by children and adolescents, and intervenes in order to help students lead a healthy life, is an urgent matter. The specific roles of the school psychologist are as follows.

First, the psychologist gathers information about the surrounding environment which is involved in the adjustment and development of children and adolescents, such as parents, family, teachers, school, and community, and evaluates the environment.
Second, the psychologist plays an intervention role to prevent and treat the maladjustment problems.
Third, the psychologist plays the role of an advisor for parents and teachers to enhance the healthy adjustment of children and adolescents at school and at home, and to solve the maladjustment problems.
Fourth, the psychologist plays a trainers role of developing and implementing programs to educate and train parents and teachers.
Fifth, the psychologist plays a researchers role of understanding the problems of children and adolescents more precisely, developing the tool for evaluating them characteristics of such problems, and verifying the effectiveness of programs for problem-solving and prevention.

This society consists of members who are carrying out such roles or have an academic interest in the issue. Every first week of the month, the society holds a presentation on a topic of interest in the field of school psychology. Please visit the Korean School Psychology Association website for more information (http://www.schoolpsych.or.kr).

The Korean Association of Psychology and Law is an interdisciplinary body constructed to develop a study that contributes to the public good in the field of law and psychology, and to enhance the practical expertise of its members. The purpose of the Korean Society for Forensic Psychology is to promote the contribution of psychology in deepening the understanding of law and legal policies through fundamental and applicative research, to facilitate the psychologists understanding of legal matters, to promote bilateral education so as to help the legal society to better understand psychological issues, and to inform the legal society, the psychological society, and the citizens of the research, education, and volunteer work conducted in the field of law and psychology.

The Korean Addiction Psychology Association deals with psychological research, professional services (practice) and policy concerning substance addiction and behavioral addiction, which currently lower the quality of peoples lives. The Association aims to professionally contribute to the improvement in health and quality of life by forming a trinity among three key challenges of research, practice and policy and achieving a win-win situation, and to expand the scope of Korean psychology. In addition to the improvement in addiction-related problems, the Association pursues a greater goal - healthy and meaningful lives. To this end, the Association accumulates empirical research regarding addiction, actively participates in policy making and enforcement based on research findings, and nurtures professionals for the evaluation, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of addiction.

Korean Coaching Psychological Association(KCPA) was established in November 2011. The mission of KCPA is to advance the academic understandings, research, application of the knowledge of coaching psychology, and provide psychological activities for training coaching psychology professionals and building policy of coaching psychology.

Among those who do not have psychological disorder, many people want to be more productive and change their behaviors in better ways. Coaching psychology should put much effort to develop coaching as a science by applying psychological theories and models to a wide variety of coaching settings to satisfy peoples needs.

At present, coaching is being applied in various fields such as business coaching, career coaching, life coaching, leadership coaching, learning coaching and parents coachings. Furthermore, it can be extended to health coaching and sport coaching and will be continuously expanded to other realms in the near future.

Since coaching psychology is much applicable to various fields, the members attached to various divisions of the KPA can join the KCPA. For example, business coaching and leadership coaching are related to Industrial and organizational psychology, counseling psychology, clinical psychology, and social and personality psychology. Learning coaching has a link to cognitive/ biological psychology and developmental psychology. In addition, health coaching and parents coaching are connected with health psychology and developmental psychology, respectively.

As remarked above, the Korean Coaching Psychological Association(KCPA) seeks to contribute to society as an one of applied fields of psychology by collaborating with the various members of other divisions of the KPA.

The Psychological Measurement and Evaluation Association was founded at the General Meeting in February 2014 and was officially recognized as the 15th Division of the Korean Psychological Association during its General Meeting in August of the same year. The association’s primary goal is to provide advanced methodologies for psychological research, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Additionally, it seeks to promote academic development and theoretical advancements through interaction with psychologists and scholars from related fields who share these objectives.

The history of psychological research methods can largely be divided into quantitative and qualitative approaches. Qualitative reasoning, which underpins the very foundation of all academic pursuits, forms the essential premise for this field. Meanwhile, quantitative methods emerged as an alternative for generating efficient information and constructing theories, tracing back to Fechner’s Elements of Psychophysics in 1860. Quantitative research evolved further through milestones such as Wundt’s experimental psychology laboratory, Fisher’s development of ANOVA for comparing group means, Spearman’s two-factor theory of intelligence and reliability theory, and Thurstone’s multi-factor theory of intelligence. Together, these developments have established quantitative approaches as one of the two pillars of psychological research methodology.

On the other hand, qualitative approaches gained recognition as a legitimate academic framework when Freud presented the results of his work at the 20th-anniversary conference of Clark University in Vienna in the fall of 1909. Based on this dual history of methodological advancements, our association upholds the foundational spirit of integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches essential for advancing psychology.

If measurement represents the numerical representation of qualitative content in the experiential world, then evaluation synthesizes the results of measurement with qualitative information about the context. This process enables scientifically concise judgments that approximate reality as closely as possible. The association recognizes that while modern psychology’s significant achievements incorporate both quantitative and qualitative analyses, all research ultimately begins and ends with qualitative insights, which derive meaning by connecting the quantitative data provided by contemporary society.

In the United States, the Psychometric Society was established as early as 1935, offering nearly 80 years of contributions to addressing quantitative inquiries in Western psychology. However, in Korea, academic cohesion to support the advancement of quantitative research has only recently started to take shape, leaving us behind in this regard. Moreover, there is a growing consensus on the need to address the imbalance where quantitative methods, rooted in Fechner’s legacy, have overshadowed qualitative research, which often requires significant time and effort.

Thus, this association aims to not only represent the extensively utilized quantitative methodologies but also encompass the often-overlooked yet crucial qualitative methodologies that have significantly contributed to research progress. To this end, the association seeks to facilitate communication among scholars specializing in measurement and those leading qualitative theoretical development within existing academic divisions. By fostering an interdisciplinary framework, we aim to lead open dialogue on psychological research methodologies.

For this purpose, the association has established a specialized board system to include scholars interested in the development of psychological research methods such as measurement, testing, and evaluation. This will create a platform for advancing both methodological and content-driven research in parallel. We sincerely hope that the Korean Psychological Measurement and Evaluation Association, which is founded with the vision of practicing open communication and embracing open scholarship, will inspire active participation from members of the Korean Psychological Association.

The recent rapid development of digital technology leads to innovative changes in our entire lives, and human mind is affected in various aspects. The Korean Digital Psychology Association deals with various topics such as the impact of digital technology on psychology and digitized tools and methods related to psychology based on psychological theory and research methodology.