Intro to Clinical Psychology

• Clinical psychology as a term was first seen in print in 1907.
• Lightner Witmer defined clinical psychology as a discipline similar to medicine, education, and sociology.
• Clinical psychologists work with treatment, education, and interpersonal issues.

Division of Clinical Psychology (Division 12) of the APA

• Clinical Psychology integrates science, theory, and practice.
• It aims to understand, predict, and alleviate maladjustment, disability and discomfort.
• Promotes human adaptation, adjustment, and personal development.
• Clinical Psychology focuses on intellectual, emotional, biological, psychological, social, and behavioral aspects of human functioning across the life span.
• It considers varying cultures and all socioeconomic levels.
• Clinical psychology involves rigorous study and applied practice.
• Directed towards understanding and improving the psychological facets of human experience.
• Includes issues/problems of behavior, emotions, or intellect.

Becoming a Clinical Psychologist Requires

• A doctoral degree in most cases, where you can enter with a bachelors degree.
• "Terminal" master's degree.
• A 4-year intensive full-time courses
• Conducting research, writing a master's thesis or Doctoral Dissertation
• A hands-on training or Practicum
• Predoctoral Internship
• Individuals should know their professional options
• They should consider earning high grades in the appropriate undergraduate courses
• Getting to know professors helps
• You must Get research experience
• Get clinically relevant experience.
• Maximize GRE score
• Students should select graduate programs wisely and write effective personal statements
• Prepare well for admissions interviews
• Consider long-term goals
• Predoctoral internship is a full year supervised clinical experience in a real-world setting (hospital, clinic, etc.) before earning a doctoral degree
• It serves as a proper transition from student to professional, to gain in-depth practical experience and develop specialized skills.
• Postdoctoral Internship provides a 1-2 year supervised clinical experience after earning the doctoral degree
• It is for further specialized training and development of clinical skills.
• designed to meet licensure requirements in most states and gain more responsibility and independence compared to predoctoral internship.
• Complete a predoctoral internship (a full year of supervised clinical experience).
• Complete a postdoctoral internship (in most states), this is a 1-2-year supervised experience after the doctoral degree.
• Pass the EPPP (Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology)
• Accumulate CEU or Continuing Education Units

Three Distinct Models of Training

• Balancing Practice and Science: The Scientist-Practitioner (Boulder) Model is the most dominant training method that aims for a balanced approach, aiming to train both effective clinicians and researchers
• Includes strong emphasis on research methodology, statistics, and conducting independent research
• Graduate students would (under supervision) conduct both clinical work and their own empirical research (thesis and dissertation)
• Leaning Toward Practice: The Practitioner-Scholar (Vail) Model prioritizes clinical skills and professional practice over extensive research training.
• More emphasis on coursework directly related to clinical practice, such as psychotherapy techniques, assessment procedures, and diagnosis.
• Aims to address the needs of aspiring clinical psychologists who primarily seek to become practicing clinicians rather than academic researchers
• Leaning Toward Science: The Clinical Scientist Model prioritizes rigorous scientific research and training above all else.
• Argues that scientific principles should be the foundation of all clinical psychology practice.
• A PhD degree is typically awarded, similar to the Boulder model.
• Richard McFall's "Manifesto for a Science of Clinical Psychology"
• For those who are deeply passionate about research and want to contribute significantly to the scientific knowledge base of clinical psychology.

Where Clinical Psychologists Work

• Settings vary, but private practice is the most common
• This has been true since the 1980s
• Other common work settings include Universities, Psychiatric and general hospitals, Community mental health centers, Other settings

What Clinical Psychologists Do

• Activities vary, but psychotherapy is the most common
• This has been true since 1970s
• Other common professional activities include: Diagnosis/assessment, Teaching/ supervision, Research/writing, other activities

How Clinical Psychologists Differ From Other Professionals

• Counseling Psychologists tend to see less seriously disturbed clients
• Tend to work less often in settings like inpatient hospitals or units
• Tend to endorse humanism more and behaviorism less
• Tend to be interested in vocational and career counseling

Psychiatrists

• They go to medical school and are physicians
• They have prescription privileges
• Increasingly emphasize biological/pharmaceutical rather than "talk therapy" intervention
• Social Workers tend to emphasize social factors in client's problems
• They earn a master's degree rather than a doctorate
• Training emphasizes treatment and fieldwork over research or formalized assessment
• School Psychologists tend to work in schools
• Tend to have a more limited professional focus than clinical psychologists (student wellness and learning)
• Frequently conduct school-related testing and determine LD and ADHD diagnoses
• May consult with adults in children's lives (e.g., teachers, staff, parents)
• Professional Counselors Earn a master's degree and complete training in two years
• There is little emphasis on psychological testing or research
• May specialize in career, school, college counseling
• Marriage and Family Therapists earn a master's degree
• Training focuses on working with couples and families, sometimes individuals
• Less emphasis on research and psychological assessment compared to clinical psychologist