CHAPTER ONE
What Is Clinical Psychology?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. What are the general licensure or certification requirements to be a clinical psychologist?
2. What educational and degree options are available for someone who wants to go into
clinical psychology?
3. What personal and ethical criteria are needed to be a good clinical psychologist?
4. How are clinical psychologists similar to and different from counseling psychologists,
school psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other mental health professionals?
5. How accurate are popular media portrayals of clinical psychology?
6. How do clinical psychologists spend most of their work time?
7. How does their work setting influence the way clinicians spend their time?
8. What are the salary ranges for clinical psychologists?
9. How have differing opinions about the balance of science and practice affected the way
psychotherapists operate and how graduate schools educate?
10. What is the eclectic approach to psychopathology and treatment?
11. How might integration of different theoretical approaches be possible?
12. How does cultural diversity affect approaches to psychological treatment?
13. How has managed care affected clinical psychology research, training, and practice?
14. What is mental health parity?
15. Should specially trained clinical psychologists be able to prescribe certain kinds of drugs?
CHAPTER OUTLINE
,AN OVERVIEW OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Definition of Clinical Psychology
Personal Requirements to Be a Clinical Psychologist
Legal, Educational, and Ethical Requirements to Be a Clinical
Psychologist
The Popularity of Clinical Psychology
Clinical Psychology and the Related Mental Health Professions
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS AT WORK
The Activities of Clinical Psychologists
Distribution of Clinical Activities
Employment Settings and Salaries for Clinical Psychologists
Diversity among Clinical Psychologists
Diversity Among Clients
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Science and Practice
,IDENTIFICATION / KEY TERMS
clinical psychology (p. 2) consultation (p. 10)
clinical attitude (p. 2) evidence-based practice (p. 15)
clinical approach (p. 2) Boulder model (p. 15)
mental health literacy (p. 5) Vail model (p. 16)
counseling psychology (p. 6) eclecticism (p. 16)
psychiatry (p. 7) psychotherapy integration (p. 16)
health service providers (p. 7) mental health parity (p. 16)
assessment (p. 8 ) managed care (p. 17)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS / CLASS ACTIVITIES
←
← AN OVERVIEW OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
1. Does clinical psychology belong in the category of “Health Professions”? Why or why
not?
←
2. Many programs for clinical psychologists require their students to engage in
psychotherapy themselves. Do you think this is worthwhile? Can you think of concerns
one might have about this requirement?
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS AT WORK
3. Why do you think that clinical psychology is the most popular subspecialty of
psychology?
←
4. Check your local psychological association website for job postings for psychologists.
Do these postings reflect the distribution of activities and salaries for clinical
psychologists as discussed in the text? Why or why not?
, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
5. Find an article on an “evidence based” intervention that a clinical psychologist might
use. Evaluate the quality of the research and make a recommendation as to the potential
usefulness of the intervention.
←
6. Check with your own insurance company about your medical policy’s mental health
parity.
WEB EXERCISES
1. Access the APA website and one website from a different organization of clinicians as listed below.
Compare and contrast the descriptions of the purposes and missions of the organizations.
• American Psychological Association (APA): www.apa.org
• Division 12 of the APA, the Society for Clinical Psychology: www. apa.org/divisions/div12
• Division 16 of the APA, School Psychology: www.apa.org/about/division/div16
• Association for Psychological Science:www.psychologicalscience.org
• Division 17 of the APA, the Society for Counseling Psychology:www.APA.org
• American Psychiatric Association: www.psych.org
• National Association of Social Workers: www.socialworkers.org
• American Psychiatric Nurses Association: www.apna.org
←
2. Search your state Psychological Association website for activities, programs, and training
opportunities that they sponsor in your area. Inquire about their policies for student membership.
←
3. Gather information about the training received by psychologists and psychiatrists from the website
of a major university that has programs in both fields. What are the most striking training
differences for these two professions?
What Is Clinical Psychology?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. What are the general licensure or certification requirements to be a clinical psychologist?
2. What educational and degree options are available for someone who wants to go into
clinical psychology?
3. What personal and ethical criteria are needed to be a good clinical psychologist?
4. How are clinical psychologists similar to and different from counseling psychologists,
school psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other mental health professionals?
5. How accurate are popular media portrayals of clinical psychology?
6. How do clinical psychologists spend most of their work time?
7. How does their work setting influence the way clinicians spend their time?
8. What are the salary ranges for clinical psychologists?
9. How have differing opinions about the balance of science and practice affected the way
psychotherapists operate and how graduate schools educate?
10. What is the eclectic approach to psychopathology and treatment?
11. How might integration of different theoretical approaches be possible?
12. How does cultural diversity affect approaches to psychological treatment?
13. How has managed care affected clinical psychology research, training, and practice?
14. What is mental health parity?
15. Should specially trained clinical psychologists be able to prescribe certain kinds of drugs?
CHAPTER OUTLINE
,AN OVERVIEW OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Definition of Clinical Psychology
Personal Requirements to Be a Clinical Psychologist
Legal, Educational, and Ethical Requirements to Be a Clinical
Psychologist
The Popularity of Clinical Psychology
Clinical Psychology and the Related Mental Health Professions
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS AT WORK
The Activities of Clinical Psychologists
Distribution of Clinical Activities
Employment Settings and Salaries for Clinical Psychologists
Diversity among Clinical Psychologists
Diversity Among Clients
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Science and Practice
,IDENTIFICATION / KEY TERMS
clinical psychology (p. 2) consultation (p. 10)
clinical attitude (p. 2) evidence-based practice (p. 15)
clinical approach (p. 2) Boulder model (p. 15)
mental health literacy (p. 5) Vail model (p. 16)
counseling psychology (p. 6) eclecticism (p. 16)
psychiatry (p. 7) psychotherapy integration (p. 16)
health service providers (p. 7) mental health parity (p. 16)
assessment (p. 8 ) managed care (p. 17)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS / CLASS ACTIVITIES
←
← AN OVERVIEW OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
1. Does clinical psychology belong in the category of “Health Professions”? Why or why
not?
←
2. Many programs for clinical psychologists require their students to engage in
psychotherapy themselves. Do you think this is worthwhile? Can you think of concerns
one might have about this requirement?
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS AT WORK
3. Why do you think that clinical psychology is the most popular subspecialty of
psychology?
←
4. Check your local psychological association website for job postings for psychologists.
Do these postings reflect the distribution of activities and salaries for clinical
psychologists as discussed in the text? Why or why not?
, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
5. Find an article on an “evidence based” intervention that a clinical psychologist might
use. Evaluate the quality of the research and make a recommendation as to the potential
usefulness of the intervention.
←
6. Check with your own insurance company about your medical policy’s mental health
parity.
WEB EXERCISES
1. Access the APA website and one website from a different organization of clinicians as listed below.
Compare and contrast the descriptions of the purposes and missions of the organizations.
• American Psychological Association (APA): www.apa.org
• Division 12 of the APA, the Society for Clinical Psychology: www. apa.org/divisions/div12
• Division 16 of the APA, School Psychology: www.apa.org/about/division/div16
• Association for Psychological Science:www.psychologicalscience.org
• Division 17 of the APA, the Society for Counseling Psychology:www.APA.org
• American Psychiatric Association: www.psych.org
• National Association of Social Workers: www.socialworkers.org
• American Psychiatric Nurses Association: www.apna.org
←
2. Search your state Psychological Association website for activities, programs, and training
opportunities that they sponsor in your area. Inquire about their policies for student membership.
←
3. Gather information about the training received by psychologists and psychiatrists from the website
of a major university that has programs in both fields. What are the most striking training
differences for these two professions?
