Clinical+Psychology

1. What is the major emphasis or what is the subject matter in this specialty area?

Clinical Psychology is the science of mental disorders, what they are, what causes them, and how they are treated. It is the job of the clinical psychologist to help the client alleviate distress, dysfunction, deviance, and danger to help the client deal with their abnormal feelings. Giving the client that right diagnosis will help the clinical psychologist find the right treatment to alleviate their symptoms.

2. What topics does it usually include? For example, privacy issues and work space design.

The topics associated with clinical psychology are the different types of mental disorders such as depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia. In order to give the right diagnosis the clinical psychologist has to assess the client. There are different types of assessment such as intelligent tests, personality, neuropsychological, and many more. There are also different models of psychology that help clinical psychologists understand the disorders better. There is the psychodynamic disorder, which deals with unconscious mind, humanistic which deals with people trying to achieve self- actualization, cognitive which deals with thought processes, and Behavioral which deals with experiences in the clients life. All of these help the psychologist gather information to help the client through treatment. There are also different kinds of treatment. It really depends on the best method to help the client but medicine could be given or counseling services.

3. Give examples of the typical types of questions studied. For example, What brain centers are responsible for memory?

Questions for Clinical psychologist could be: What causes mental disorders? What is the best treatment for the client? How to assess which disorder it is? How to help the client through their disorder? If medicine should be used which type is the best to achieve the best results?

4. Write a brief history of the specialty. Include where it was founded, why did it seem necessary to have this specialty, and who or what group initiated the specialty.

Lightner Witmer started the first psychological clinic at the University of Pennsylvania in 1896. This clinic mainly helped children with learning disabilities. He then wrote the first journal in 1907 called “The Psychological Clinic”. Clinical psychology was becoming more and more popular and also becoming known for its clinical assessments. During World War 1, clinical psychologists were testing out two intelligence tests on Army Alpha and Army Beta. These tests were very successful and gained clinical psychology an even bigger name. The APA recognized them in 1945 and created division 12 for clinical psychology. After World War 2, clinical psychologists were called in to help soldiers with “shell shock” or post traumatic stress disorder and regain a normal life again. Clinical psychology was now recognized everywhere and Rutgers University was the first school to offer a program for Psy.D. in clinical psychology.

5. List some psychologists and examples of their publications that support this specialty.

Lightner Witmer wrote the first journal called “The Psychological Clinic” and started the first psychological clinic to help children with learning disabilities. David Shakow was the principle architect of clinical training after World War 2. He also presented the “Shakow Report” that wanted graduate curriculum for clinical psychologists. Victor C. Raimy invented the Boulder Model that established guidelines for clinical training in post war environments. Joseph Wolpe wrote the book “Psychotherapy by Reciprocal Inhibition”. Reciprocal Inhibition was the process of extinguishing learned neurotic reactions in anxiety provoking situations; now this is called systematic desensitization. Aaron Beck found a way to help clinical psychologists assess their clients. He invented the Beck Depression Inventory; this was a self-report to measure depression. Marsha M. Lineham came up with the Dialectical Behavior Therapy. This is when the client doesn’t let thoughts entangle them. It is very affective with treating depression, anxiety, drug abuse, and more.

Two sources:

1. King, D. Brett, Wayne Viney, and W. Douglas Woody. //A History of Psychology Ideas and Context (4th Edition)//. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2008. 2. Comer, Ronald J. //Abnormal Psychology//. New York: Worth, 2006.