Chapter 1

• Clinical Psychology involves research, teaching, and services relevant to the application of principles, methods, and procedures for understanding, predicting, and alleviating intellectual, emotional, biological, psychological, social and behavioral maladjustment, disability and discomfort, applied to a wide range of client populations.
• The field of Clinical Psychology integrates science, theory, and practice to understand, predict, and alleviate maladjustment, disability, and discomfort as well as to promote human adaptation, adjustment, and personal development.
• Clinical Psychology focuses on the intellectual, emotional, biological, psychological, social, and behavioral aspects of human functioning across the life span, in varying cultures, and at all socioeconomic levels.
• Clinical psychologists work with a range of individuals, from infants to the elderly, and their work can involve individuals themselves, families/partners, school personnel, other health care workers, and communities.
• Clinical psychologists work in a variety of settings, including universities, hospitals, private practice offices, or group medical practices.
• A psychiatrist has completed medical school (M.D. or D.O.) and an additional four or more years of residency training in psychiatry.
• A clinical psychologist provides services such as therapy/intervention, diagnosis/assessment, teaching, clinical supervision, research, consultation, and administration.
• The Scientist-Practitioner Model is a training model for clinical psychologists that includes course work, practicum work, research, a qualifying examination, and an internship.
• The Clinical Science Model is a training model for clinical psychologists that focuses on evidence-based approaches to assessment, prevention, and clinical intervention.
• The training for a clinical psychologist typically includes a bachelor’s degree and then 5 years of graduate work, a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) degree from a university psychology department, a Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology) either from a university department of psychology or from a training institution not affiliated with a university, a bachelor's degree, a master’s degree, and additional trainings and seminars.
• Mental health workers must document that they have obtained appropriate professional training, pass a licensing exam indicating familiarity with current practice parameters, ethical regulations, and state laws, and maintain their current knowledge of the field through ongoing education requirements.
• Some members of the public are not aware of the distinction between professional and unregulated services.
• Psychiatric training during a four-year residency includes completing a general medical school curriculum, prescribing medication, treating physical ailments, and giving physical examinations.
• Psychotropic medication specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illnesses, including substance use disorders.
• Psychiatrists are medical doctors who complete a general medical school curriculum, prescribe medication, treat physical ailments, and give physical examinations.
• Clinical Psychologists often work from a person-centered or humanistic orientation.
• Psychologists with a PhD or PsyD receive extensive training in psychological principles governing human behavior, formal assessment of psychological functioning, and scientific research methods.
• Psychiatrists are qualified to assess both the mental and physical aspects of psychological disturbance.
• Clinical Psychologists work with normal or moderately maladjusted individuals, involve group counseling or counseling with individuals, interview, testing, and provide educational and occupational counseling.
• Psychologists may provide psychotherapy, which is “talk”therapy as opposed to medications.
• Psychopathology is viewed as a mental “illness” with discrete (often biologically based) causes that can best be remedied with a medical treatment, such as psychotropic medication.
• Psychopathology is viewed as a consequence of interactions between individuals' biological, psychological, and social predispositions and their experiences within the environment.
• A psychiatrist has access to a full range of medical laboratory and psychological tests which, combined with interviews/discussions with patients, help provide a picture of a patient's physical and mental state.
• Psychiatric Nurses work in close collaboration with the psychiatrist or the clinical psychologist, they (along with those they supervise—attendants, nurse's aides, volunteers, etc.) implement therapeutic recommendations.
• Clinical Social Workers have a Master’s degree program that lasts 2 years and focus on the familial and social determinants of psychopathology.
• Counseling Psychologists provide services for mildly disturbed or maladjusted clients and are more likely to specialize in career or vocational assessment.
• Health Psychologists are involved in the prevention and treatment of illness and have study programs to help people stop smoking, manage stress, lose weight, or stay fit.
• Rehabilitation Psychologists help individuals adjust to their disabilities and the physical, psychological, social, and environmental barriers that often accompany them.
• Some titles in the field of mental health are not regulated by the government, for example, “therapist” and “psychotherapist,” and virtually anyone can offer services using these titles.
• Occupational therapists, recreational therapists, and art therapists can help make hospitalization a more tolerable experience.
• Clinical Psychologists have a wider range of clients and the field of clinical psychology is much larger in terms of the number of doctoral-level professionals as well as the number of accredited doctoral training programs.
• Common in educational settings, also work in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, mental health clinics, and industry.
• School Psychologists work in schools, nurseries, day-care centers, hospitals, clinics, and even penal institutions and conduct psychological and educational assessments, develop learning programs, and evaluate their effectiveness.