BAHAR BAŞTUĞAssist. Prof. Dr.

What Is Contemporary Clinical Psychology?

Lecture PreviewDefinitionPerspective and PhilosophyEducation and TrainingActivitiesEmployment settingsSubspecialtiesOrganizationsHow does clinical psychology differ from

related fields?

Clinical psychology is a complex field that parallels the complexity of human behavior and emotion.

We are defined by more than blood and tissue, emotions and ideas, or our relationships to others.

The case example: Carlos

Therefore clinical psychology is an integrative effort to understand the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Modern clinical psychology must respond to contemporary questions that impact our lives. It is related to economics, technology, ethics, and popular culture.

Like medicine and other fields, the roots of clinical psychology are viewed as basic and narrowly considered. However, with scientific advancements and collaboration between various fields, contemporary clinical psychology supports an integration the models for treatment, assessment, consultation, and research.

Definition of clinical psychology

Psychology is one of the most popular independent discipline.

Clinical psychology is the most popular specialty area within psychology.

Definition of clinical psychology

It can be defined as the assessment, treatment, and study of human behavior in the context of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Definition of clinical psychologyClinical psychology focuses on the assessment, treatment, and understanding of psychological and behavioral problems and disorders.

It focuses the ways that the human psyche interacts with physical, emotional, and social aspects of health and dysfunction.

Definition of clinical psychology

According to the APA, clinical psychology uses the principles of psychology to better understand, predict, and improve “intellectual, emotional, biological, psychological, social, and behavioral aspects of human functioning”.

Definition of clinical psychology

Clinical psychology is “the aspect of psychological science and practice concerned with the analysis, treatment, and prevention of human psychological disabilities and with the enhancing personal adjustment and effectiveness”.

Clinical psychologists

“have a doctoral degree from an university providing a clinical psychology program in a department of psychology”, according to the APA.

Perspective and Philosophy

Clinical psychology uses the scientific method to approach and understand human problems in behavior, emotions, thinking, relationships, and health.

Perspective and Philosophy

Exact scientific inquiry is used to select and evaluate assessment and treatment. Treatment outcome research helps to determine which treatments might be most effective with particular clinical problems.

Clinical psychology is an art at the same time.

Findings from scientific investigations must be applied to the unique and special needs of an individual. What might be helpful to one person may not be to another even if they are with the same diagnosis or problems.

The photograph was taken in Rodin Museum, Paris by Bahar Baştuğ.The photograph was taken in Rodin Museum, Paris by Bahar Baştuğ.

Biopsychosocial perspectiveClinical psychology uses integrative approaches to understand problems in human behavior.

Biopsychosocial factors are important. Problems in human behavior are multidimensional.

Biopsychosocial perspective

The biopsychosocial perspective emphasizes the interaction of biological, psychological, and social influences on behavior and psychological functioning.

Biopsychosocial perspective

The biopsychosocial approach is a systemic perspective. According to systemic perspective, changes in one area of functioning will impact functioning in other areas.

Education and TrainingLong and intensive training process

The doctorate is the minimal educational requirement. Post-doctoral fellowship, advanced sertification

PhD (doctor of philosophy)PsyD (doctor of psychology)

Week 14

Professional Activities

ResearchAssessmentTreatmentTeachingConsultationAdministration

Research

Research is at the foundation of all clinical psychology activities.

Clinical psychologists often conduct and publish a wide variety of research studies.

Research

Research programs determine which assessment or treatment approach might be most effective for a particular disorder.

Research identify the risks for the development of certain psychological problems or methods to better determine clinical diagnoses.

Research

The clinical psychologists who are faculty members at universities or medical schools or work at their hospitals, clinics, and industry may conduct research on a wide range of subject areas, publish their findings in professional journals, and present their research at national and international conferences.

Research

Clinical psychologists consume of research in order to inform new developments so that they improve their clinical activities.

Assessment

Clinical psychologists use psychological tests to assess or diagnose various psychiatric (e.g., depression, psychosis, personality disorders, & dementia) and nonpsychiatric issues (e.g., relationship conflicts, learning differences, educational potential, career interests, & skills).

Assessment

Clinical psychologists not only conduct psychological evaluations with individuals to assess intellectual, educational, personality, and neuropsychological functioning, but also assess groups of people (e.g., families) and organizations.

Assessment

The components to psychological assessment are cognitive, personality, behavioral, neuropsychological, and observational measures.

Assessment

A neuropsychologist may evaluate an adolescent boy for temporal lobe epilepsy with impulsive behavior and aggression. In addition to neuroimaging techniques, investigation of developmental history, or environmental factors explain the behavioral manifestations of the temporal lobe epilepsy .

Treatment

Psychotherapy may involve individuals,couples, families, and groups.

Treatment

Anxiety, phobias, depression, shyness, physical illness, loss, trauma, drug addiction, eating difficulties, sexuality concerns, hallucinations, relationship problems, and work difficulties may activate individuals to seek psychological treatment.

Treatment

Various treatment approaches and theoretical models are utilized to treat psychological and behavioral problems.

TreatmentMost psychologists use an eclectic strategy. Eclectic strategy integrates a variety of perspectives and clinical approaches in their treatment.

Others tend to specialize in one treatment approach, such as psychoanalysis, family therapy, humanistic/existential or CBT.

Treatment

Empirically supported treatment approaches are manualized treatments. Cognitive and interpersonal psychotherapy have been determined to be empirically supported treatments for both depression and bulimia, while exposure and response prevention have been found to be an empirically supported treatment for OCD.

Teaching

Clinical psychologists teach in different settings. Some are full-time instructor undergraduate, graduate, and/ or postgraduate students in universities.

They might teach by one-on-one clinical supervision of graduate students, interns, or postdoctoral fellows. During supervision, psychologists discuss the trainees’ clinical cases deeply.

Teaching

Teaching may also occur in hospitals, clinics, or business.

A clinical psychologist might offer a stress management or anger management course for nurses, clergy, and police officers.

Teaching

Intimate relationship course to young couples about to be married, to better maintain professional boundaries or understand psychopathology to doctors and nurses might be given.

ConsultationClinical psychologists provide consultation to health care professionals, business persons, schools and organizations.

Consultation might be an informal discussion, formal arrangement or a brief report.

Consultation

In companies, consultation might be about to help reduce coworker conflicts.

In medical practice, consultation might be about the physician to better manage patient noncompliance with unpleasant medical treatments.

Consultation

Clinical psychologists provide consultation in a wide variety of settings using a range of techniques.

Consultation might also include assessment, teaching, research, and brief psychotherapy activities.

Administration

Clinical psychologists find themselves in administrative positions such as chairperson of a psychology department, dean or even president of a university, in hospitals, mental health clinics.

Administration

In administration, they generally manage a budget, lead a multidisciplinary professional staff, make hiring and firing decisions, and develop policies.

Employment settingsClinical psychologists work in many different employment setting:Private or Group Practices: about 35 %

Colleges and Universities: about 20 %

Hospitals

Medical Schools

Employment settingsOutpatient Clinics

Business and Industry

Military

Other settings: police departments, low court, prisons, juvenile hall, rehabilitation centers, centers for substance abuse, battered women’s shelters and schools.

Inpatient Clinics

Outpatient Clinics

SubspecialtiesAfter the standard training in general clinical psychology, further training may be offered in many subspecialty areas. Many clinical psychologists finally specialize in one or more areas. Just as doctors specialize such as pediatrics, oncology, psychiatry, internal medicine, and cardiology, there are many clinical psychology subspecialties:

Subspecialties

Child Clinical Psychology Clinical Health PsychologyClinical NeuropsychologyForensic PsychologyGeropsychology

Child Clinical Psychology

Child clinical psychologists specialize in working with both children and families. In addition to standard training in general clinical psychology, these psychologists obtain deeply training in developmental psychology and child assessment (e.g., behavioral disorders, motor developmental delays) and treatment (e.g., family therapy & play therapy).

Child Clinical Psychology

Child clinical psychologists work with children who have experienced physical and/or sexual abuse or who experience ADHD, conduct disorders, autism, enuresis, learning disabilities, school phobia.

Psychologists provide consultation to teachers, school counselors, pediatricians, & parents. They may assist teachers in classroom behavior management or parents in developing better parenting skills.

Child Clinical Psychology

Pediatric psychologists work with children and families in hospitals where the child has a significant medical illness such as cancer, epilepsy, and diabetes.

Clinical Health Psychology

It began around 1980, it’s a new subspecialty.

Health psychology is the fastest growing area and the most popular area.

50% of all deaths are caused by lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, eating high fat food, not exercising, and refusing to wear seat belts.

Clinical Health PsychologyHealth psychologists work to help healthy people stay healthy and assist people with various illnesses or risk factors to cope more effectively with their symptoms.

They help in order to maximize health enhancing behaviors (e.g., exercise, low fat food consumption, smoking cessation) and minimize health damaging behaviors (e.g., smoking, stress, drinking alcohol).

Clinical Health Psychology

They help in the treatment of chronic pain, panic disorders, and migraine headaches, and other physical conditions with important biopsychosocial features.

Health psychologists work in hospitals. They often use techniques such as biofeedback & relaxation training.

Clinical Neuropsychology

It focuses on brain-behavior relationships. How does brain functioning impact behavior and behavioral problems?

Neuropsychologists assess brain and cognitive and neurological dysfunctioning due to a large range of problems such as dementia, head injuries, tumors, autism, stroke, AIDS, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Clinical Neuropsychology

Neuropsychologists are well trained in assessing a range of cognitive abilities such as executive cognitive functioning (i.e., planning, judgment, problem solving), sensory and motor functioning, memory skills and abstract reasoning.

Clinical Neuropsychology

They use many specialized tests to assess these brain-behavior relationships.

Most of them work in hospital, rehabilitation, or clinic settings.

Forensic Psychology

is the “application of psychology to legal issues”.

Forensic psychologists specialize in using principles of human behavior in the judicial and legal systems.

Forensic Psychology

Forensic psychologists may conduct psychological evaluations with defendants and present their findings as an expert witness in court.

Geropsychology

Psychologists who specialize in geropsychology provide a range of psychological services to elderly people.

Today’s society needs of professional psychological services in this area.

GeropsychologyGeropsychologists might consult with nursing homes, and hospital medical units.

These psychologists might provide psychological or neuropsychological testing, brief individual or family psychotherapy. Depression and reduction of self-care are common among elderly patients.

OrganizationsProfessional organizations provide an opportunity for the members to meet and collaborate, learn about new advances in the field, and participate in a number of activities.

American Psychological Association (APA)American Psychological SocietyState and County Psychological AssociationsAmerican Board of Professional PsychologyTurkish Psychological Association (TPD)

The APA was founded in 1892 and is the largest organization of psychologists in the world.

The APA publishes numerous journals:American Psychologist,Professional Psychology: Research and Practice,Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,Journal of Abnormal Psychologyas well as many books (eg, DSM-V).

There are 56 divisions of the APA. Division 12 is Clinical Psychology.

The APA also provides standards for the education, certification, and ethical behaviour of psychologists.

In 1988, the American Psychological Society (APS) was founded against to the APA by many of the academic or science-minded psychologists in the APA who felt that the APA no longer adequately represented their interests.

State and County Psychological Associations

Each state and most countries maintain psychological associations. Many clinical psychologists join their state psychological association.

The American Board of Professional Psychology was founded in 1947 as an agency that would certify psychologists in several specialty areas. The ABPP diploma is considered an advanced level beyond a state license to practice as a psychologist.

Turkish Psychological Association (TPD)

It was founded in 1976 in Ankara. The TPD publishes two journals and many books. It holds a national convention each two years.

How does clinical psychology differ from related fields?

A few people aware of the similarities and differences between the mental health disciplines.

“What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?”

Related Fields

Psychiatrists are physicians and complete training in psychiatry. They can prescribe medication, treat physical illnesses, and may utilize other biological interventions (e.g., electroconvulsive therapy). Training in general human behavior and research is usually minimal. They also are not trained in psychological testing and assessment.

Related FieldsCounseling Psychologists work in outpatient, college, and vocational settings with people who do not experience major psychiatric difficulties. Educational and occupational counseling. Testing involve career and vocational interests and skills.

School Psychologists work in elementary, secondary, or special education schools providing cognitive testing, brief counseling, and consultation to school teachers, administrators, parents, and students.

Related Fields

Social workers receive training in psychotherapy, they do not obtain extensive training in conducting research or using psychological testing instruments.

They have focused on social theories and interventions. Today, they can conduct psychotherapy with individuals, families or groups. They may act as patient case managers and advocates, and social services following hospital discharge.

Related FieldsPsychiatric Nurses obtain both an undergraduate and master’s degree in nursing.They learn about psychiatric diagnosis, treatment, and psychopharmacology.

Marriage and Family Therapists complete a bachelor’s degree in any social science discipline such as psychology, sociology, & political science. Despite the title, MFTs are not experts solely in marriage and family counseling. They treat adults in individual therapy.

Related FieldsOther Counselors: occupational therapists, activity therapists, alcohol counselors, art therapists, psychiatric technicians.

Other Psychologists: There are many different types of psychologists such as cognitive, developmental, experimental, social, personality, industrial- organizational, physiological of psychologists. They might be interested in human behavior but not in abnormal or clinical problems.

An experimental psychologist>>> memory of rats

A social psychologist >>> social functioning of groups of primates.

A physiological psychologist >>>how organisms such as snails learn new behaviors.

An industrial-organizational psychologist>>> improve performance or morale.

A cognitive psychologist >>> how medications impact attentional processes and sleeping behavior.

A developmental psychologist >>> attachment between child and mother.