Dr. John Conlin & FAQ'S - What is a Clinical Psychologist?
A Clinical Psychologist is an individual who has earned a doctorate in psychology and whose training is in the assessment and treatment of psychological problems.
Clinical Psychologists have completed a 4 year graduate program specializing in Clinical Psychology. In addition they are required to complete a one year pre-doctoral residency (often in Hospitals or other health care settings) under the direct supervision of licensed psychologists as well as completing and successfully defending a dissertation (some type of scientific research complete with a scholarly written report of all findings).
Once completed they then have the additional requirement of completing a one year post-doctorate year of supervised work and upon successful completion of that year they then are required to pass a State Licensing examination in order to acquire the title of Licensed Clinical Psychologist and to be eligible for third party reimbursement from their patients health insurance carriers.
Clinical Psychologists receive more specialized training and are required to participate in more supervised clinical experiences then any other professional in the field of counseling and the treatment of psychological or psychiatric disorders. Clinical Psychologists are not only treatment providers but they are also recognized scientists in the study of human behavior.
-What Do Psychologists Do and Where They Do It (Adopted From APA.ORG and their position paper on careers in Psychology)?
Psychology is an extraordinarily diverse field with hundreds of career paths. Some specialties, like caring for people with mental and emotional disorders, are familiar to most of us. Others, like helping with the design of advanced computer systems or studying how we remember things, are less well known.
What all psychologists have in common is a shared interest in the minds and behaviors of both humans and animals. In their work, they draw on an ever-expanding body of scientific knowledge about how we think, act, and feel, and apply the information to their special areas of expertise.
In addition to their particular mix of science and practice, psychologists can be distinguished in terms of where they work. Many psychologists work in more than one setting. For instance, college professors often consult for industry or see clients on a part-time basis. Although it's possible to identify a host of different work settings, for the purpose of this booklet, we'll consider some of the most prominent examples.
Psychologists Conduct Research
Many psychologists conduct research that runs the gamut from studies of basic brain functions to individual behavior to the behavior of complex social organizations. Subjects of such scientific study include animals, human infants, well-functioning and emotionally disturbed people, elderly people, students, workers, and just about every other population one can imagine. Some research takes place in laboratories where the study conditions can be carefully controlled; some is carried out in the field, such as the workplace, the highway, schools, and hospitals, where behavior is studied as it occurs naturally.
Much of the laboratory research is conducted in universities, government agencies (such as the National Institutes of Health and the armed services), and private research organizations. Whereas most psychological scientists are engaged in the actual planning and conduct of research, some are employed in management or administration—usually after having served as active researchers.
Psychologists Study Social Development
Developmental psychologists study the many behavioral and psychological changes that occur throughout the life span.
Psychologists Help People Learn
Psychologists provide a number of services—both direct and indirect—to children, youth, and families in schools at all levels, from nursery school through college. Many focus on improving the effectiveness of teaching and student learning, frequently by studying motivation and cognitive processes in the classroom.
School psychologists also provide counseling and crisis intervention services. They help students with learning or behavior problems, learning disabilities, and cognitive deficits. They work with students in schools to prevent violence and other disruptive behaviors. They also serve on interdisciplinary teams that develop individual educational plans for students with special needs. Psychologists work within specialty areas of learning, too, such as the arts and sports.
Psychologists Promote Physical and Mental Health
Psychologists as health providers span a large and diverse spectrum of subfields. Some psychologists work alone, with patients and clients coming to the psychologist's office. Others are involved in health care teams and typically work in hospitals, medical schools, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, pain clinics, rehabilitation facilities, and community health and mental health centers.
Increasingly, psychologists in independent practice are contracting on either a part-time or a full-time basis with organizations to provide a wide range of services. For example, a psychologist can join a health practice and work with a team of other health care providers, such as physicians, nutritionists, physiotherapists, and social workers to prevent or treat illness. This team approach, which is likely to become more common in the future, frequently includes efforts to change unhealthy behaviors and ensure that patients follow the recommended treatment. The team also helps patients cope with stress.
Psychologists also instruct students who are training to become health care professionals, such as physicians and nurses, about the psychological factors involved in illness. And they advise health care providers already in practice about the psychological bases of some illness so that symptoms that are psychological in origin can be better diagnosed and treated.
Psychologists Study and Contribute to the Work Environment
Anywhere people work, and anything they do while at work, is of interest to psychologists. Psychologists study what makes people effective, satisfied, and motivated in their jobs; what distinguishes good workers or managers from poor ones; and what conditions of work promote high or low productivity, morale, and safety.
Some psychologists design programs for recruiting, selecting, placing, and training employees. They evaluate, monitor, and improve performance. They help make changes in the way the organization is set up.
Others help design the actual tasks, tools, and environments with which people must deal when doing their jobs. These specialists can also help design the products that organizations turn out and conduct research related to product design. For example, they play a big role in making computer hardware and software more user-friendly, which in turn contributes both to operator performance in the workplace and product acceptability in the marketplace.
Psychologists with training in mental health and health care also deal with the health and adjustment of individuals in the work setting. They work with employee assistance plans that provide help with drug or alcohol addiction problems, depression, and other disorders; they also foster healthy behavior.
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