Intro to Clinical Psychology Flashcards
How do a lot of cases start?
They start with a referral call
What do psychologists use to clarify what may be going on with a client?
Various tools such as standardized tests
WIAT
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test
- tells you how well the person is reading, writing, and doing math in comparison to other kids her age
- Results: in percentiles
What is the purpose of conducting an interview?
Interviews can help us learn more information about the client
case conceptualization
different puzzle pieces that are usually psychological in nature that help us understand how a psychological problem is staying alive and is being fuelled
ex:
1. noticing a pattern in your head
2. having implicit thoughts about an initial thought
3. doing things to make sure that thought doesn’t come true
- all of these steps lead to continuing to believe that the thought is really important
Does diagnosis inform case conceptualization?
No. diagnosis in the DSM-5 does not explain how the different pieces fit together for a psychological problem
How are we oriented in clinical psychology?
Scientifically
- we try to use the scientific method to help us answer what would be the best way to assist this person and problem
NICE - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
A moderate group of experts in any particular field across different relevant disciplines come together and review the relevant research and based on that they come up with best practice guidelines and then clinicians who are trying to help individuals in the field can consult these guidelines – each clinician doesn’t have to do their own literature review
For more extreme cases of OCD what is the NICE suggestion?
CBT + ERP (exposure and response prevention)
ex: sitting and reading with a child who re-reads words over and over again and making her only read it once to see that nothing bad will happen
- by doing this again and again most people find the cycle starts to die and they get better on average
What is clinical psychology?
- it is both a practical profession and also an implementation and interpretation of research
- a practical healthcare degree and a research degree smushed together
- focuses on many age groups: children, adolescents, adults, elderly, families, groups
Ethics in Clinical Psychology
Principle I: Respect for the Dignity of Persons and Peoples.
Principle II: Responsible Caring.
Principle III: Integrity in Relationships.
Principle IV: Responsibility to Society.
What ethical principles are clinical psychologists bound to?
- Each province has their own guidelines which is what they are bound to, the national guidelines are what they are trying to achieve at their best
- Psychologists are not bound to the principles legally, these are the highest bar they are supposed to aim for at the national level
How do clinical psychologists prioritize ethical principles?
they are supposed to prioritize the principles in order, so 1, then 2, then 3, then 4
Principle I: Respect for the Dignity of Persons and Peoples.
Principle II: Responsible Caring.
Principle III: Integrity in Relationships.
Principle IV: Responsibility to Society.
Regarding the many different mental health care professions, which can perform psychotherapy?
All of them
What is a unique characteristic of clinical psychologists that no other mental health profession can do?
They can do psychological testing and assessments
- they focus on mental measurement
- just can’t prescribe medicine
What field did clinical psych grow out of versus psychiatry
clinical psych: education
psychiatry: medecin
what does “C.Psych.” mean?
that someone is registered with the provincial body that regulates the profession, registered with the College of Psychologists of the province
What is a controlled act?
- there are a number of actions that are limited if they’re being conducted in the course of delivering healthcare
- you have to be a member of a profession that has permission to implement one of these acts
What controlled acts are allowed for clinical psychology practice?
- to communicate diagnosis
- to treat, by means of psychotherapy
- to use electricity (energy) for the purposes of aversive conditioning (behavioural intervention)
What is an example explained in class for the use of electricity for purposes of aversive conditioning
-Head hitting: would give a verbal warning, then a tone would play, the behaviour would almost always stop but if it didn’t stop then an electric shock would be delivered and this would stop the behaviour
- Problems: People would get very good at knowing if the person in the room with them had the shocking device (which wasn’t dangerous)
What is evidence-based practice?
- The clinician must synthesize information drawn from research and data from the patient in question, the clinician’s experience, and the patient’s preferences when considering healthcare options
- Emphasizes the importance of informing patients, based on the best available research evidence, about viable options for assessment, prevention, or intervention services
