Psychology vs. Psychiatry What’s the difference?.

Psychology vs. Psychiatry

What’s the difference?

Clinical Psychology….

…is not limited to therapy and assessment

Focus of this course:

• Review of assessment

• Review of therapies

• Review of additional roles in clinical psychology

What is Clinical Psychology?

Definition of clinical psychology

The field of Clinical Psychology integrates science, theory, and practice to understand, predict, and alleviate maladjustment, and personal development.

Clinical Psychology focuses on the intellectual, emotional, biological, psychological, social, and behavioral aspects of human functioning across the lifespan, in varying cultures, and at all economic levels.

What is Clinical Psychology?

• General Characteristics

• Activities and Work Settings of Clinical Psychologists

• Distinguishing Clinical Psychology from Related Professions

Clinical Psychology: General Characteristics

Emphasizes:

• Science

• Maladjustment

• Individual

Emphasis on Science

Clinical psychology, as a subdiscipline within the science psychology, adheres to two important assumptions of science:

• Determinism-events have determinable causes

• Empiricism-events must be observable and measurable

Emphasis on Maladjustment

• The concern is with the scientific understanding of abnormal behavior and emotional suffering

Emphasis on the Individual

Clinical psychology uses research information gathered in groups of people to guide their work with individiuals

Emphasis on Helping

• Clinical psychologists help people in psychological distress

• Historically, helping was not the first emphasis of clinical psychology. Any guesses about the first emphasis of clinical psychology?

Activities and Work Settings Of Clinical Psychologists

• Research

• Teaching

• Psychotherapy

• Assessment

• Consultation

• Administration

Distinguishing Clinical Psychology from Related Professions

Training of a Clinical Psychologist• Undergraduate (typical): focus on psychology• 4 (or more) years of graduate course work• Masters’ thesis or equivalent• Practicum training• Qualifying exam• Dissertation• Internship (typically one year)• State Licensing exam


Psychiatry• Undergraduate: focus on biology or

chemistry• Medical school (one year)• Internship (one year)• Residency, specialty in psychiatry• (three years)• Board exams


Last step in training in Clinical Psychology

• Defend the dissertation

Last step in training in becoming a physician

• Take the Hippocratic oath

Clinical Psychology vs. Psychiatry

Clinical Psychologists…• Learn to think as

researchers• To evaluate findings• To defend their views

by citing data

Psychiatrists….• Learn facts and use

this knowledge to understand and treat patients

Overlap of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry

Both…

• Diagnose

• Treat using therapy (although training in psychotherapy is more heavily emphasized for clinical psychologists)


Counseling Psychology• Most similar to clinical psychology• Training about the same• Counseling psychologists tend to deal with

problems of adjustment in healthy individuals• Historically counseling psychologists worked

within university counseling centers• In last few decades, they have expanded

their work setting to include private practice


School Psychology

• Typically have a masters level of training

• Typically work in school settings

• Significant emphasis on testing/assessment

• Consultation with schools to improve learning environments


Social Work• M.S.W. (2 years of post B.A. training)

emphasizing clinical work• Typically focus on working with the poor and

disenfranchised segments of the population• Work in settings dealing with many aspects of a

patient’s life and care such as social security, housing, food stamps, Medicare, arrangements for nursing homes, and foster care placement

• Emphasis on therapy, but not diagnostic training or emphasis on research

Summary: What is Clinical Psychology

The field of Clinical Psychology integrates science, theory, and practice to understand, predict, and lessen instability, and personal development.

Psychology vs. Psychiatry What’s the difference?.

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