Week 1 Topic 2

Question 1

What is clinical psychology?

Answer 1

The application of psychological theories to understand, prevent and alleviate distress

Question 2

Why must you meet criteria to call yourself a clinical psychologist?

Answer 2

Because it is a protected title, and HCPC registration is required

Question 3

Name 3 types of people that CP’s work with?

Answer 3

1) Working age adults
2) Children and families
3) People in forensic settings

Question 4

Name 3 kinds of activities that clinical psychologists may carry out?

Answer 4

1) Psychological therapy
2) Team working
3) Psychological research

Question 5

Name 3 places they could work?

Answer 5

1) Cafes
2) Hospitals
3) Prisons

Question 6

Clinical psychologists often work in multidisciplinary teams, give 2 examples?

Answer 6

1) Psychiatrists

2) Mental health nurses

Question 7

What are CP’s 4 key tasks?

Answer 7

Assessment (gathering info to answer q)
Formulation (use psych theory to understand why)
Intervention (use psych methods to help someone improve) Evaluation (determine how helpful these methods are)

Question 8

What are the differences between a Scientist Practitioner and a Reflective Practitioner?

Answer 8

A Scientist Practitioner is an applied scientist, who is trained in empirical research skills and has scientific knowledge, whereas a Reflective Practitioner has a general reflection on their work and a self-reflection on themselves

Question 9

What are the 4 methods of assessment?`

Answer 9

Clinical interview, Psychometrics e.g. questionnaires, Self-Monitoring e.g. diary, Observation

Question 10

What do Formulations draw on? And what would be a good example of this?

Answer 10

The individuals history and characteristics, and Psychological theory and research e.g. Ken is anxious about his exams because his parents were very critical of him and we know that critical parenting is a risk factor for childhood anxiety

Question 11

What are Formulations based on?

Answer 11

Biopsychosocial Model

Question 12

What are the 5 factors within a Transtheoretical Formulation?

Answer 12

Predisposing factors, Precipitant events, Presenting Problems, Protective Factors, Perpetuating Factors

Question 13

What does CBT highlight the importance of?

Answer 13

Cognitions e.g. thoughts and beliefs, and how these influence and are influenced by mood, bodily sensations and behaviour

Question 14

How does CBT understand a problem in terms of behaviours?

Answer 14

e.g. learned responses and reinforcement strategies, including voluntary coping strategies

Question 15

Give an example of how thoughts lead to mood, lead to behaviour, to physical reactions?

Answer 15

I’m going to fail…. Anxiety…. Avoid studying… Racing heart

Question 16

What are interventions, and what drives them?

Answer 16

They are acts intended to help someone to get better e.g. relaxation exercises, re-living a trauma, reducing avoidance; they are driven by the formulation

Question 17

Name 2 different ways that clinical work can be evaluated?

Answer 17

Either by feedback from patients, for example verbal or in the form of a questionnaire, or by how well they reduce symptoms of mental health problems

Question 18

Why is evaluating a therapy based on how well it reduces symptoms of mental health problems a problem for some approaches?

Answer 18

Because for approaches that do not focus on symptom reduction, this wouldn’t be a true measure of evaluation

Question 19

What does evaluation drive?

Answer 19

Funding

Question 20

Other than CBT, what other 2 approaches are Clinical Psychologists trained in?

Answer 20

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Systemic Family Therapy

Question 21

What did Freud say about different motivational forces within the mind?

Answer 21

How these can conflict, and how unconscious thoughts and feelings can cause mental health problems in some people

Question 22

What is the Systemic Family Therapy based on?

Answer 22

The idea that people can only be understood within their ecological context, people do not exist in vacuums, and all behaviour has meaning in terms of relationships (with applied communication and systems theories, as well as mathematical and cybernetic models to families