Introduction to Clinical Psychology PDF

INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY by : Sopio Tugushi  CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY What is clinical psychology?  DEFINITION The field of clinical psychology involves research, teaching, and services relevant to the applications of principles, methods, and procedures for unders...

INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY by : Sopio Tugushi  CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY What is clinical psychology?  DEFINITION The field of clinical psychology involves research, teaching, and services relevant to the applications of principles, methods, and procedures for understanding, predicting, and alleviating intellectual, emotional, biological, psychological, social and behavioral maladjustment, disability and discomfort, applied  DEFINITION 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  INDUSTRIES FOR EMPLOYMENT Clinical psychologists work with a range of individuals, from infants to the elderly. Their work can involve individuals themselves, families/ partners, school personnel, other health care workers, and communities. Clinical psychologists often work in a large range of settings, including universities, hospitals, private practice offices, or group medical practices A psychiatrist is a physician. Psychiatry is rooted in the medical tradition and exists within the framework of organized medicine. Thus, psychiatrists are often accorded the power and status of the medical profession, even though their intellectual heritage comes from the non- medical contributions of Freud, Jung, Adler, and others. Although the latter were physicians, they stepped out of the medical tradition to develop a psychoanalytic system of thought that had very little to do with medicine. PSYCHOANALYSIS  A psychiatrist is a medical physician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illnesses, including substance use disorders. Psychiatrists are qualified to assess both the mental and physical aspects of psychological disturbance. A psychiatrist has completed medical school and an additional four or more years of residency training in psychiatry…. Because they are physicians, psychiatrists can order or perform 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. Their education and years of clinical training and experience equip them to understand the complex relationship between emotional and other medical illnesses, to evaluate medical and psychological data, to make a  PSYCHOLOGY VS. PSYCHIATRY: In contrast to psychiatrists, clinical psychologists typically receive little training in medicine. However, clinical psychologists do receive more extensive training in the psychological principles governing human behavior, in formal assessment of psychological functioning, and in scientific research methods  CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS Are more likely to Individuals’ view biological/psychol psychopathology ogical/ social as a consequence predispositions of interactions and their between: experiences within the environment.  COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGISTS The activities of counseling psychologists overlap with those of clinical psychologists. Traditionally, counseling psychologists work with normal or moderately maladjusted individuals. Their work may involve group counseling or counseling with individuals. Their principal method of assessment is usually the interview, but counseling psychologists also do testing  COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGISTS Currently, however, it is common to encounter counseling psychologists representing a wide range of theoretical orientations (e.g., cognitive- behavioral, psychodynamic) and treating clients across the life span. Traditionally, the most frequent employment settings for counseling psychologists have been educational settings, especially colleges and universities.  COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGISTS However, counseling psychologists also work in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, mental health clinics, and industry. In general, counseling psychologists see themselves providing the following services: (a) preventive treatment, (b) consultation, (c) development of outreach programs, (d) vocational counseling, and (e) short- term counseling/therapy of from one to fifteen sessions.  OTHER MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS :  CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS Many social workers conduct psychotherapy on an individual or group basis and contribute to the diagnostic process as well. The practice of social work requires knowledge of human development and behavior, of social, economic and cultural institutions, and of the interaction of all these factors.  CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS Definition of the profession of social work: “Professional social workers assist individuals, groups, or communities to restore or enhance their capacity for social functioning, while creating societal conditions favorable to their goals. “  CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS Compared to the training of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, social work training is rather brief. As a result, the responsibilities of the social worker are generally not as great as those of the psychiatrist or clinical psychologist. They are more likely to visit the home, the workplace, or the street —the places where their patients spend the bulk of their lives.  CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS Their role tends to be active, and they are less concerned with the abstract, theoretical generalizations that can be drawn from a particular case than they are with the practical matters of living. Many clinical social workers are employed by public agencies of one sort or anothe  SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS School psychologists work with students, educators, parents, and school administrators to promote the intellectual, social, and emotional growth of school-age children and adolescents. Toward this end, school psychologists may conduct psychological and educational assessments, develop learning programs and evaluate their effectiveness, and consult with teachers, parents, and school officials  HEALTH AND REHABILITATION PSYCHOLOGISTS Health psychologists are those who, through their research or practice, contribute to the promotion and maintenance of good health. They are also involved in the prevention and treatment of illness. They may design, execute, and study programs to help people stop smoking, manage stress, lose weight, or stay fit.  HEALTH AND REHABILITATION PSYCHOLOGISTS the focus of rehabilitation psychologists is on people who are physically or cognitively disabled. The disability may result from a birth defect or later illness or injury. Rehabilitation psychologists help individuals adjust to their disabilities and the physical, psychological, social, and environmental barriers that often accompany them.  PSYCHIATRIC NURSES. they spend many hours in close contact with patients, they are not only in a position to provide information about patients’ hospital adjustment but also can play a crucial and sensitive role in fostering an appropriate therapeutic environment. Working in close collaboration with the psychiatrist or the clinical psychologist, they implement therapeutic recommendations.  PROFESSIONS AND TITLES NOT REGULATED BY THE GOVERNMENT Most of the professionals and However, some paraprofessionals titles are not listed above have regulated by the fulfilled specific government (e.g., educational “therapist,” requirements and “psychotherapist” licensing ), and virtually requirements anyone can offer regulated by services using governments. this title  CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST depression, anxiety, psychosis, personality disorders, mental retardation, addictions, learning disabilities, conduct disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, pervasive developmental disorders, suicide, vocational problems, and sexual difficulties  CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST Many people have an image of the therapy situation as one in which the client lies on a couch while the therapist, bearded and mysterious, sits behind with notepad and furrowed brow. Actually, therapy comes in many different sizes and shapes. A few (but very few!) therapists still use a couch, but more often, the client sits face-to-face across from the therapy OVER 70% OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENTS EACH YEAR ARE WOMEN.  TODAY, THERAPY MAY INVOLVE SOME “INSIGHT-ORIENTED” WORK, BUT RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT THERAPIES INVOLVING SPECIFIC SKILLS MAY BE MORE USEFUL FOR REDUCING CLIENT’S PROBLEMS.  A CHILD WHO IS FAILING THE FOURTH GRADE IS ADMINISTERED AN INTELLIGENCE TEST AND AN ACHIEVEMENT TEST. DOES SHE HAVE A LEARNING DISABILITY? Personality tests are given to a client who is depressed and has lost all zest for life. Can the test results shed light on personality factors contributing to the depression? An adolescent has been talking excessively, moving quickly, switching from one idea to another, and has been engaging in more risktaking behaviors. A diagnostic assessment is conducted to determine whether he may have Bipolar Disorder OR ADHD A father has been charged with child abuse. He is interviewed and tested to determine whether he suffers from a mental disorder that influences his judgment and impulse control.  ASSESSMENT whether through observation, testing, or interviewing, is a way of gathering information so that an important question can be answered or so that a problem can be solved. These questions or problems are virtually infinite in variety, as the foregoing examples suggest  TEACHING Clinical psychologists who have fullor part-time academic appointments obviously devote a considerable amount of time to teaching. Those whose responsibilities are primarily in the area of graduate education teach courses in advanced psychopathology, psychological testing, interviewing, intervention, personality theory, developmental psychopathology  CLINICAL SUPERVISION it typically involves more one-to-one teaching, small group approaches, and other less formal, nonclassroom varieties of instruction. Whether in university, internship, or general clinical settings, clinical psychologists often spend significant portions of their time supervising students, interns, and others  CONSULTATION In consultation and in teaching, the goal is to increase the effectiveness of those to whom one’s efforts are directed by imparting to them some degree of expertise. Consultation takes innumerable forms in many different settings. For example, one might consult with a colleague who is having difficulty with a therapy case. MINDFULNESS MEDITATION DOES ANYONE HAVE A QUESTION? THANK YOU