A Section will also represent a specialty but will not lead to a Certificate of Completion of Training. It will be a field that, while it is an accepted area of practice, is normally of more recent development. The Sections are not listed in the Bye Laws but can be set up or disbanded by Council.

A member of the College can join whichever Faculty, Section and/or Special Interest Group they choose,  (to join a Faculty, Section or Special Interest Group, please contact the Membership Department) and can be a member of more than one at a time. The fact that a College member belongs to a particular Faculty, Section or Special Interest Group does not necessarily mean that they work in that field. Equally, it is not a requirement for any psychiatrist to belong to a particular Faculty or Section to work in that area of psychiatry.

Regulation XXIA

A Section will normally only be established where a specific branch of psychiatry can be identified with a cadre of practising specialists who will have acquired higher training in that sub-specialty or branch and where, in the Central Executive’s opinion there exists a substantial body of experience which the College needs to consult.

(Note: the name of the Central Executive Committee has been changed by consent of the Privy Council to ‘Council’. The Regulations will be amended to reflect this name change).