Clinical psychology: definition and functions of the clinical psychologist

The clinical psychology is a subdiscipline within psychology that studies all the elements involved in mental disorders and, more generally, mental health.

Thus, clinical psychology carries out all the tasks of evaluation, diagnosis, prevention and therapeutic intervention in people with some type of mental impairment or maladaptive behavior, in order to restore psychological balance and eliminate all suffering.

Clinical psychology: a broad scope

Psychologists who are dedicated to the clinical field may have training in different schools, such as the cognitivist, the behaviorist, the psychoanalyst, the humanist, the Gestalt wave systemic family therapy, among other.

What does a clinical psychologist do?

Clinical psychologists are mental health professionals who are in charge of caring for those people who feel some kind of psychological discomfort. In this sense, lClinical psychologists are in charge of diagnosing certain psychological disorders, to later offer a personalized intervention through the psychotherapy.

Although this is the main aspect in which they intervene, psychologists also participate in the field of research (for example, contributing their knowledge in different scientific studies), in teaching (working as professors in public or private institutions), and even in other areas minority such as sports psychology, the school psychology or as experts in clinical psychology and forensic.

The beginning of clinical psychology: Witmer and Freud

If we turn to the manuals of History of Psychology, It is often noted that the beginning of what we know today as clinical psychology occurred in the United States during the last years of the nineteenth century. At that time, a psychologist named Lightner witmer (disciple of Wilhelm Wundt) opens the first psychological clinic to attend to people suffering from psychological problems, at the University of Pennsylvania.

In Europe, the honor of being considered the forerunner of clinical psychology often goes to the illustrious Sigmund Freud. Although many scholars often question the desirability of declaring Freud one of the architects of clinical psychology (since psychoanalysis arouses a long controversy), true is that the Austrian was one of the first neurologists who approached the study and therapeutic intervention of people with psychological disorders.

Freud, as early as 1895, grappled with defenders and detractors. His vision of therapeutic intervention and his theoretical bases were centered on three levels: study, direct therapeutic intervention, and theory formulation. This methodology founded the basic criteria of applied clinical psychology.

Twentieth century

During the first decades of the 20th century, the field of clinical psychology focused on psychological assessment, but placed little emphasis on intervention methodologies. It is after World War II when there is a boom in the revision of treatments, due to the high number of people who were psychologically damaged after the war.

As a result of this historical stage, the interest and the need to provide means to the field of clinical psychology becomes evident. Psychology faculties arise and consultations and offices dedicated to treating mental problems are opened. From the academic world to public institutions agree on the need to promote clinical study and intervention, due to its positive effects on people's quality of life.

Confusion between clinical psychology and psychiatry

In our article "What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?" we explain the similarities and differences between these two disciplines. Of course, it is still a source of confusion to know the functions of these two professional fields.

The main similarity between clinical psychology and psychiatry is that they both serve the same ends: treat and mitigate psychological distress. But both professionals differ in their previous training: psychologists studied psychology and psychiatrists, medicine. Another important difference is that psychiatrists are empowered to prescribe psychotropic drugswhile psychologists do not. In clinical practice, it is common for psychiatrists and psychologists to work together to treat patients who require multidisciplinary approaches.

Fields and applications of clinical psychology

Clinical psychology has been studied and refined throughout the 20th century and in recent years, and has been the object of study by many professionals and academics of human behavior.

From the early years with Wilhelm Wundt in his Leipzig laboratory, when he tried to find all observable and measurable variables of behavior, clinical psychology has been spreading to be the branch "par excellence" among graduates or graduates in psychology. In fact, and although psychology develops in clearly differentiated branches (business, educational, forensic, social ...), clinical psychology has always been the most popularly recognized branch.

However, there are multiple approaches and tools used by clinical psychology professionals, which work focusing on different fields of study according to different criteria, such as following:

• Intervention in families
• Adult therapy
• Child clinical psychology
• Clinical neuropsychology
• Neuropsychological rehabilitation
• Care and intervention in certain disorders
• Evaluation
• Psychooncology

In short, each professional in clinical psychology can specialize in that (or those) fields where they want to focus their professional practice. The people who may require therapeutic care are varied: from children to the elderly, from people with underlying diseases to people healthy people, from people who have a strictly psychological problem, to others whose affectation is related to bad family dynamics or Social.

In order to gain a better understanding of each psychological condition, clinical psychologists may specialize in different fields. Through the knowledge and tools acquired, they will be able to offer more accurate diagnoses and treatments to their patients.

Outstanding personalities

Many clinical psychologists have left us priceless theories and teachings that have served as academic inspiration to build the knowledge of this discipline.

It can be rightly said that many of them were not trained psychologists, but psychiatrists. However, it is possible to consider them psychologists to the extent that they were characters that contributed enormously to the theoretical and practical basis of clinical psychology.

• Sigmund Freud
• Lightner witmer
• Carl Gustav Jung
• Fritz perls
• Albert ellis
• Aaron Beck

Bibliographic references:

• Racks, V. (1998): Descriptive psychopathology. Signs, symptoms, and traits. Madrid: Pyramid.
• Lemos, S. (2000): General psychopathology. Madrid: Synthesis.
• Vallejo-Riuloba, J. (1991): Clinical cases. Psychiatry. Barcelona: Salvat.