He clinical psychologist He is a figure in full evolution. Psychology has been changing, growing and dividing into specialties. For this reason, it is sometimes complex to differentiate the (increasingly) branches of psychology. Clinical psychology is one of the specialties of psychology and is characterized by being focused on the mental health and psychological well-being of people. In this Psychology-Online article we explain what is clinical psychology and we detail its definition, its objective, its functions, examples of aspects it deals with, the tools it uses and the contexts in which they are applied, as well as the history of clinical psychology and the main differences found between clinical psychology and the other specialties of psychology.
What is clinical psychology: definition and objective
Currently, the clinical psychology It is a scientific and professional discipline that is defined as the branch of psychology that is responsible for evaluating, explaining, diagnosing, treating and preventing disorders. mental disorders and the promotion of psychological well-being.
The objectives of clinical psychology are understand, treat and prevent psychological problems and disorders through evaluation, diagnosis, intervention and research. Its main objective is to seek, care for and improve health at all levels, from a bio-psycho-social perspective of people. All of this is done through the application of knowledge, skills, techniques and instruments of psychology.
Clinical psychology can be practiced in different contexts, however, the main areas continue to be clinical centers, mental health services and general hospitals. Furthermore, clinical psychology is a profession that is continually evolving, expanding its functions and scope of work.
Clinical psychology: functions and tools
Functions of clinical psychology
Currently it is considered that the functions of clinical psychology are:
- Assess
- To diagnose
- Treat, intervene, rehabilitate
- advise or advise
- Promote health and prevent
- Investigate
- Teach and supervise
- Direct or manage health systems
Tools of clinical psychology
These functions are carried out by clinical and health psychologists through techniques and procedures such as interviews, where the professional asks questions with the aim of collect the information necessary for the evaluation. These interviews can be more or less guided. Information is also collected through direct observation of the professional. Another tool is tests, in general, consistent and validated psychometric instruments to measure everything from symptoms to abilities in a patient, although there are many. There are also psychophysiological records that serve to measure the physiological responses of the organism. Self-reports, surveys and exercises are also used in which the patient himself observes and records his thoughts or behaviors. Once all the information has been collected, it is usually summarized in a psychological report. The report will vary depending on the recipient, but in general, it usually includes the reason for consultation, the tests applied during the evaluation process with the corresponding scores and interpretations, and conclusions with a diagnostic orientation.
On the other hand, there is a large number and variety of techniques and procedures used in the intervention phase. Some of the most common are:
- Behavior modification techniques, which include exposure-based techniques, covert conditioning, self-control, skill learning, and relaxation.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which includes different cognitive techniques (such as ) and coping techniques.
- The techniques of psychoanalysis, which include interpretation, clarification, confrontation, alliance, transference and countertransference that are applied in different variants of psychoanalytic therapy.
- The techniques of person-centered psychotherapy.
- The techniques of phenomenological and existence psychotherapy, such as .
- Systemic therapy techniques based on relationships from a holistic and integrative vision.
History of clinical psychology
The history of clinical psychology dates back to 1879 with the beginning of the experimental psychology in the laboratory Wilhelm Wund at the University of Lipzig. During the history of clinical psychology and today, experimental psychology is one of the most important foundations and pillars of clinical psychology.
Another important event in the history of clinical psychology occurred in 1885, highlighting the psychology of individual differences. Within this framework, Francis Galton established for the first time a center for mental measurement.
On the other hand, in 1896, Lightnet Witmer was the first to establish the first psychology clinic formally, that is, a clinical psychology center where evaluation was carried out to determine diagnoses and work was carried out according to the guidelines of the scientific psychology. That same year, Sigmund Freudwho was already working at his center in Vienna and did , first used the term “psychoanalysis.”
Starting with Witmer’s clinic and thanks to him, training in clinical psychology began at the University of Pennsylvania. He also founded “The Psychological Clinical”, the first journal in the field.
Another important event in the history of clinical psychology is the formation of a clinical section within the American Psychological Association (APA).
The context of the First World War pushes the realization and implementation of psychological tests of personality and intelligence. The research advanced clinical psychology, which soon began to establish disorders, causes and treatments.
In 1930 the functions and scopes of clinical psychology were expanded and spread in places such as hospitals, prisons and others. In 1943, an important psychological test was published, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).
World War II also caused a lot of work for clinical psychologists, especially with war veterans. In that context, clinical psychology was defined as that profession that carries out the diagnosis, treatment and research of mental disorders. This profession was legally recognized and a code of ethics was created.
In 1952 Hans Eysenck, author of relevant contributions on personality collected in , wrote about the effects of psychotherapy. The same year, the American Psychiatric Association published the first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-I).
In the following years, some important authors in the history of clinical psychology contribute their contributions. For example, he publishes his research on behavior and uses the term “behavior therapy” and Beck also formulates a psychological model of depression, who will develop the best known and most used instrument to detect depression: the (BDI).
Due to constant scientific advances, clinical psychology is a field that has been transformed and continues to transform and that needs to be constantly updated.
Differences between psychology and clinical psychology
Clinical psychology has the particularity of the rigor of its actions, therefore, all its principles, techniques and instruments must be based on science. Although it is worth mentioning that psychology in general is currently considered a science, specifically, the science that studies human behavior through cognition, emotion and behavior. The difference is that clinical psychology is mainly applied in mental or behavioral disorders.
Psychology is a much broader discipline than clinical psychology and the latter consists of a specialization within the former. This specialization is considered the most relevant, since the volume of professionals in this branch is much greater than that of any other specialization that currently exists.
The psychology specialties that exist are, among others:
- Clinical psychology
- Health Psychology
- Psychotherapy
- psychological counseling
- Forensic psychology
- Neuropsychology
- Social psychology
- Occupational psychology
- Sports psychology
- Psychology teaching and research
- Child and adolescent psychology
- Road psychology
- Gerontopsychology
- Family psychology
- Psychology of emergencies and catastrophes
The fact that these specialties exist does not mean that they are accredited and recognized, and there are also big differences between them.
The difference between clinical psychology and other specialties is that its object of study is the person and their mental conditions. Typically, it focuses on mental health and psychological problems on an individual basis, but also at the couple or family level.
Another difference consists of the training prior to practicing the profession. This is regulated differently depending on the country or organization in which you are located, but in general, clinical psychology requires greater and more specialized training in this topic. In Spain, a psychologist is a graduate in Psychology, a person who has completed a university degree in Psychology. However, for the specialty of clinical and health psychology, a psychologist must also have the title of Psychologist Specialist in Clinical Psychology (PEPC) which is obtained through a 4-year training, which is accessed through competitive examinations, such as Resident Internal Psychologist (PIR) or the title of the Master’s Degree in General Health Psychology (MUPGS) which includes a theoretical part. and a practical part in health centers.
There is even a difference between clinical psychology and health psychology, and that is that while the clinic specializes in clinical mental disorders, health psychology addresses psychological phenomena and problems in relation to health in general.
To continue specifying the differences between professions related to mental health, it is interesting to know the .
Clinical psychology: examples of aspects it deals with
Below are some examples of the problems that clinical psychology mainly addresses:
- Disorders or problems in childhood
- Disorders or problems in adolescence
- Mood disorders or problems
- Anxiety disorders or symptoms
- Personality disorders
- Sleep disorders
- Eating disorder
- Adaptive disorders
- Disorders associated with medical illness
- Sexual disorders or problems
- Cognitive disorders
- Substance use disorders
What is clinical psychology: graphic summary
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