Clinical Psychology Flashcards
Training in clinical psychology
Boulder training model- Ph.D. program
Always housed in the psychology department
Emphasis on quantitive research methodology, assessment, and diagnosis
Empirically supported research
Programs in clinical psychology
APA found that 2/3 of doctoral level psychologists were trained in clinical psychology
234 doctoral programs in clinical psychology (compared to 70 for counseling psychology)
Acceptance rates are similar to counseling psychology
6% for clinical psychology; 8% for counseling psychology
Demographics
Median salary is approximately $72K per year
Projected job growth: 7% to 13% ( 2008-2018)
This is the same as counseling psychology
65% primarily work in private practice, 19% worked in medical settings, and 2% work in other therapy settings
Work settings
Psychiatric hospitals Medical hospitals Private Practice Clinical centers VA Hospitals Academic departments Independent assessment
Typical client characteristics
Adult and child populations
Students are admitted into specialized tracks
Historically have emphasized more chronic common pathology (ex. schizophrenia, psychosis, OCD, ect.
Socialization with clinical counseling
Common areas
Children
Health psychology
Neurological psychological disorders
Specific disorders (Ex. addiction, trauma, eating disorders, phobias ect.)
History of clinical psychology
Term first used by “Witmer” in 1907
Early training in psychology was heavily influenced by psychoanalysis
Hans Eyserick questions the effectiveness of psychoanalysis and advocate behavioral therapies
Used data from insurance companies
Division 12 (clinical psychology) was formed in 1944
Medical Model
Does not fit for all medical concerns
Assumes that mental illness has a specific root, diagnostic label, and course of treatment
Role of psychologist is parallel to that of a physician = Assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and maintenance are all necessary processes
Often leads to an emphasis on symptom reduction - Hence the popularity of manualized treatment and psychiatric drugs (may not be culturally sensitive).
**Does not work well with comorbidity because insurance companies like manualized treatment due to cost reduction
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of psychopathology is a key function of clinical psychology
Based on the criteria from the DSM-IV-TR, and most recently DSM-V
Clinical psychologist use assessment to make the best diagnosis (important to make the correct diagnosis).
Comorbidity is problematic
Child Track
Similar areas of training as the adult track (assessment, psychopathology, psychotherapy), but with a focus on children and adolescence
Emphasis on growth and development
May specialize in particular child psychopathology: autism, ADHD, trauma, OCD, ect.
Developmental Psychopathology
Views psychopathology as normal development gone wrong
Consider the “problematic” behavior in the developmental context
Ex. Child who was well -behaved becomes irritable and prone to temper tantrums.
Ex. Child says “I could make all these car crash if i waved my hand”
Development = Crucial
Therapy with children
Focus on age-related processes and concerns
Motivation - Children rarely self-referred
Behavioral concerns - Much more common than internalizing problems
Therapists must also work with the parents
Common interventions: Behavioral therapy, parent management training, problem solving and and social skills training for the child
