Chapter 2 Contemporary Clinical Psychology Introduction to Clinical Psychology 2e hunsley & lee PREPARED BY DR. cathy chovaz, king’s college, Uwo
Contemporary Clinical Psychology Activities Two Pillars Assessment & Diagnosis Intervention Prevention Consultation Research Teaching Supervision: Clinical & Research Administration Science Ethics
Activities of Clinical Psychologists Clinical psychologists do a variety of activities including: providing psychological assessment providing psychological intervention conducting research providing clinical training consulting with other professionals and agencies Clinical psychologists work with Individuals, couples, families, groups and organizations All across the life span
Activities of Clinical Psychologists Percentage of professional activities of Canadian clinical psychologists Assessment 30.5 Intervention 36.6 Consultation 12.9 Research 4.6 Teaching 7.7 Other 7.7 Adapted from Cohen, Hunsley, Westmacott, & Flear (2008).
Activities of Assessment & Diagnosis in Clinical Psychology Assessment is very common and comes in many forms Evaluating the functioning of an individual client Evaluating a family or social unit of some sort Diagnosis Formal standardized testing (cognitive, behavioral or personality) Assessment in psychotherapy Planning Monitoring Evaluating
Activities of Intervention in Clinical Psychology Activities of Intervention in Clinical Psychology Intervention is offered by the majority of clinical psychologists. Psychotherapy: talk therapy Most people attend fewer than 10 sessions regardless of problem Different approaches (psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, experiential, etc) focus on different issues, (although most challenge thoughts and validate emotions) Most popular theoretical orientations in Canada is cognitive behavioural (84%) followed by an interpersonal approach (28%) and a psychodynamic approach (24%)
Intervention in Clinical Psychology (cont.) The Prescription Privileges Debate Highly debated Strong support from CPA section – Psychopharmacology Canada’s publicly-funded health care system means federal government has concerns about increasing number of practitioners eligible to prescribe expensive pharmacological treatments
Activities of Prevention in Clinical Psychology Prevention is less common but growing Primary prevention: prevention of a disease before it occurs Secondary prevention: reducing the recurrence of a disease Tertiary prevention: reducing the overall disability that results from a disease Prevention usually based in community settings Psychologist usually has several roles in prevention Developing programs Implementing programs Evaluating outcomes of programs
Additional Activities of Clinical Psychologists Consultation Clinical consultation: offering advice and information for others treatment professionals Organizational (or community) consultation: evaluating a service, or providing an opinion on how an organization is doing Usually there is a needs assessment, program development, program evaluation, and policy consultation
Additional Activities of Clinical Psychologists (cont.) Research All psychologists are trained to conduct and evaluate research APA & CPA’s ethics code requires a commitment to increasing scientific knowledge Small percentage produce research Much more common in university settings Range and content of research varies dramatically Can be on normal human functioning, psychopathology, assessment, intervention or prevention
Additional Activities of Clinical Psychologists (cont.) Teaching University courses (graduate or undergraduate) in variety of areas related to clinical psych Also can teach in several other settings (e.g., community colleges, in clinics training professionals, to medical students, in workshops/seminars etc.) Clinical Supervision Close monitoring of training clinicians Done in an individual meeting or with a number of training clinicians (group supervision) Some supervisors have supervisees audio or videotape their sessions
Additional Activities of Clinical Psychologists (cont.) Research Supervision Assisting in the development and implementation of a research study or program Administration organization, program development, meetings in committees
Two Pillars of Clinical Psychology: Science & Ethics 1. Science of Clinical Psychology Clinical psychologists must maintain their knowledge of research relevant to their activities This is true for all theoretical orientations However, how research informs practice differs for many clinical psychologists Balance between open-mindedness and skepticism
Two Pillars of Clinical Psychology: Science & Ethics II. Ethics of Clinical Psychology Canadian Code of Ethics – CPA (3rd edition) Respect for the dignity of persons Responsible caring Integrity in relationships Responsibility to society Informed consent – all individuals in therapy and participants in research must indicate that they understand and are willing participants
Additional Aspects to Clinical Psychology Training in Clinical Psychology Scientist-practitioner model (Boulder Model) Clinical scientist model Practitioner-scholar model (Vail Model) CPA Accreditation in Clinical Psychology Providing services that are competent for the larger multicultural community
Additional Aspects to Clinical Psychology Licensure in Canada Must meet minimal academic & clinical requirements Required by law to provide ethical and competent services In all provinces except Quebec and the Yukon must complete supervision (1 year to 5 years)
Copyright Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted by Access Copyright (The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency) is unlawful. Requests for further information should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. The purchaser may make back-up copies for his or her own use only and not for distribution or resale. The author and the publisher assume no responsibility for errors, omissions, or damages caused by the use of these programs or from the use of the information contained herein.