Review of Foundations and Fundamentals of Clinical Psychology

Topic 1

What is Clinical Psychology? Clinical psychology focuses on the

diagnosis, treatment, and study of psychological and behavioral problems and disorders. Clinical psychology attempts to use the principles of psychology to better understand, predict, and alleviate “intellectual, emotional, biological, psychological, social, and behavioral aspects of human functioning” (APA, 2000b).

Cont’d

The road to becoming a clinical psychologist is a long one divided by a number of distinct stages and phases, which include college, graduate school, clinical internship, postdoctoral fellowship, licensure, and finally employment. However, academic positions are usually available following receipt of a doctorate degree and prior to licensure.

Cont’d One of the great advantages of being a

clinical psychologist is that there are a wide variety of activities and employment settings:

teach at the university level conduct research provide consultation to a wide variety of

professionals and organizations conduct psychotherapy and psychological

testing with a wide range of populations.

Cont’d Clinical psychologists’ employment settings:

hospitals medical schools outpatient clinics colleges and universities business and industry settings, and private or

group practices. part time or full-time private practice. Following

private practice, educational settings, such as academic careers in colleges and universities, are the second most common employment setting for clinical psychologists.

Cont’dMany clinical psychologists ultimately specialize in one or more areas of research or practice. While there are many types of clinical psychology subspecialties, the most common include child clinical psychology, health psychology, neuropsychology, and forensic psychology.

Cont’dClinical psychologist are organized into a wide variety of professional organizations. Most psychologists are members of the APA. The APA is also divided into 55 topic interest divisions. About 6,000 psychologists are members of the APA Division 12 (Clinical Psychology).

Cont’d In 1988, the American Psychological

Society (APS) was founded by many of the academic or science-minded psychologists in the APA who felt that the APA no longer adequately represented their interests. Founding members of the APS felt that the APA had become too focused on professional practice and was becoming less and less attuned to the science of psychology.

Cont’dEach state and most counties maintain psychological associations. Most clinical psychologists join their state psychological association and may also join their county psychology association.

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

Cont’dClinical psychology maintains both similarities and differences with other mental health related fields such as counseling psychology, school psychology, psychiatry, social work, nursing, and marriage, family, and child counseling.

Cont’dChanges in health care delivery and reimbursement, the large number of degrees being awarded in clinical psychology and other mental health disciplines, and the moderate salaries of most psychologists can be viewed as some disadvantages of clinical psychology as a career option.

Cont’d The field of clinical psychology is

dedicated to humanitarian concerns. Clinical psychology seeks to use the principles of human behavior to minimize or eliminate human suffering and enhance and improve human quality of life. Clinical psychology attempts to help individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations, and society achieve healthier, happier,and more effective functioning.

Becoming a Clinical Psychologist: Philippine Setting A PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST shall

be authorized to engage in the professional practice of psychology consisting of the delivery of  psychological services:

(1) psychological interventions such as  psychological counseling, psychotherapy, psychosocial support, coaching, psychological debriefing, group processes, etcetera;

Cont’d(2)  psychological assessment or the gathering and integration of psychology-related data for the purpose of making a psychological evaluation, accomplished through a variety of tools; and,

Cont’d(3)  psychological programs or the development, planning, implementation,  monitoring, and evaluation of psychological treatment programs and other psychological intervention programs for individuals and/or groups.

Cont’d A PSYCHOMETRICIAN shall be authorized

to do any of the following, provided, that such shall at all times be conducted under the supervision of a licensed professional psychologist:

(1) administering and scoring of objective personality tests, structured personality tests, pen and-paper intelligence, achievement and interest tests, excluding projective tests and other higher level forms of psychological tests;

Cont’d(2) interpreting results of the same and preparing a written report on these results; and,

(3) conducting preparatory intake interviews of clients for psychological intervention sessions.

 

PAP PRIMERClinical psychology is the scientific study of mental health, personality and everyday adjustment.

It is the branch of psychology engaged in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of psychological problems, i.e., mental, emotional and or behavioral problems.

Cont’dIt is a specialty that involves the application of psychology for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and addressing psychologically-based distress or dysfunction.

CompetenciesA. Assess individuals toward diagnosing the nature and causes of mental, emotional, and or behavioral problems, and understanding how these psychological problems manifest in their current levels of functioning using various clinical tools such as but is not limited to interviewing, observation, and psychological evaluation.

Cont’dB. Conduct therapeutic interventions directed at identifying the emotional conflicts, personality disturbance, and skills deficits underlying a person’s distress and/or dysfunction, and facilitate the healing process, using various theoretical orientations, modalities and techniques relevant and appropriate to the needs of the person.

Cont’dC. Supervise or train students (in practicum or internship programs) and novice practitioners (training and actual work supervision programs) in their conduct of assessment and psychotherapeutic interventions.

Cont’dD. Provide consultancy services in different settings (e.g., hospitals, schools, nongovernmental organizations, communities, mental health facilities) that require clinical psychological services.

Cont’dE. Conduct research in the area of clinical psychology to help improve and enrich the current practice of Clinical Psychology in the Philippines.

Requirements 1. Active Associate or Fellow of the

Psychological Association of the Philippines.

2. Educational Requirements: A. At least a Master of Arts (MA) in

Psychology, with major or specialization in Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Family Life and Child Development, obtained from an accredited (FAAP, NQAAHE, or international accreditation, or CHED Center of Excellence) graduate program in psychology.

Cont’dB. Has taken the following graduate level courses or their equivalents

• Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology

• Introduction to Psychotherapy• Group Therapy• Projective Tests• Intelligence / Individual Tests

Cont’d3. Clinical Work Experience:A. At least 100 hours of supervised practicum, internship or training relating to any of the above mentioned competencies such as in psychological assessment (e.g., administration, scoring or interpretation of psychological tests, or writing up clinical reports), psychotherapy, and research.

Cont’dB. For those with PhD, at least 3 years (minimum of 20 hours/week) and for those with MA, at least 5 years (minimum of 20 hours/week) of work in a clinical setting, doing psychological assessment, psychotherapy, consultancy, and or research in clinical psychology.

Cont’d4. In the first year of granting certification, those who do not meet the education requirements but have extensive professional experience may use at least 10 years of work in any of the clinical psychology related functions cited in the Competencies section in place of educational qualifications.

Cont’dEvidence for such work should be documented in the form of psychological reports, therapy reports, peer-evaluated research reports, reports and materials of consultancy projects, and other outputs that fall within the various sub-areas of clinical psychology. The evidence should show consistent work over at least a ten-year period.

Cont’d

5. Must have attended within the past three years prior to the date of application conferences, seminars, and continuing professional education workshops in psychology organized by agencies recognized by the PAP.

6. Has not been convicted of any civil, criminal, or administrative offense, or of ethical violation related to the professional practice of psychology.

Cont’dApplicants who meet all the above requirements shall be granted an initial certification that will be valid for three years. To renew this certification, the applicant should comply with requirements for continuing professional education which will be specified in future guidelines.

Cont’d

Evidence for such work should be documented in the form of (a) psychological reports, (b) therapy reports, (c) reports and materials of consultancy projects, and other outputs that fall within the various subareas of clinical psychology. The evidence should show consistent work over at least a three-year and five-year period for Phd and MA degree holders, respectively.

Class ActivityOutline the six major activities of clinical psychology.

Where do most clinical psychologists work?

How do clinical psychologists differ from other psychologists?

How do clinical psychologists differ from other mental health professionals?