General aspects of clinical psychology

Clinical psychology is a relatively new discipline (Hersen & Walker, 1998, p. vii), while the discipline can be traced back to the last days of the 19th century, the differentiation between the activity of academia and profession only comes during the Second World War, for those who wanted an alternative study of scientific behavior different from the one Medicine and psychiatry as such could offer, in the first moments clinical psychology emphasized in the tests, for this reason it came to be assimilated to the clinical psychologists such as the men in the tests, who only performed few verbal psychotherapeutic interventions and this under the supervision of a doctor. We had to hope that more psychologists were emerging so that the profession as such had a certain autonomy, which arises with the various currents of study of psychology, also brief psychotherapies and other therapies were developed by those years.

It was the great advances in the understanding of the brain and the psychosocial factors involved in illness and well-being that contributed to the appearance of two large subareas within clinical psychology: clinical neuropsychology and clinical health psychology, with their great contributions to area.

In this PsychologyOnline article we discover all about the general aspects of clinical psychology, take note!

Index

1. Introduction to clinical psychology
2. Definition of clinical psychology
3. General analysis of clinical psychology
4. recommendations
5. Conclution

Clinical psychologists today are considered responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of various psychological problems ("Psychology," 2009), that is, an applied and scientific way of treating and studying behavior and processes mental, but this time in a clinical area and solving day-to-day problems, problems such as evaluation, treatment, implementation of psychotherapies and research among the vast breadth of applications that the discipline allows.

The clinical psychologists At present they are understood as researchers applied to the practice that study and treat mental and behavioral problems, also those that are considered more serious, work with people with various problems and various disorders, psychotherapy and psychological evaluation are two of the tools most often mentioned by the use of psychologists clinical

Although it is true that clinical psychology in most cases acts in an interdisciplinary way together with the psychiatrist, the general practitioner, the counselor or Social worker among others is a discipline by its own extension, which also uses the contributions of other areas of psychology such as social psychology by example.

Clinical psychologists integrate science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of re-understanding, preventing, and improving psychological dysfunctions and promote subjective well-being and proper personal development. For example with respect to social psychology and I mention it as an example of multidisciplinary work and of how clinical psychology fits and makes use of research from the other areas of psychology, there is now a broad bridge of investigative interaction between psychology clinical and social psychology, with work in each area influencing work in another ("social and clinical psychology," (Hersen & Walker, 1998, p. 298), this tells us a lot since the understanding of normal or abnormal states in humans is not an aspect of just one area but of all of them as a whole, but it is in clinical psychology, where the application of research and knowledge obtained by other areas of psychology are put into practice, when the clinical psychologist makes use of psychometry to make evaluations, psychotherapies or treatments to treat problems, observation and understanding of cases for the research, it is there where the focus point is approached in the search for those mutual aspects that can improve or contribute to the improvement of the lifestyle of the Humans.

The concept of Human nature as a resistant set of capacities and mechanisms capable even of observation and reflection of comprehensible and easy principles in their correct functions, it is basic to understand the assumptions on which clinical psychology rests (Brugger, 2008), it is in the understanding of human nature, its mechanisms of action, its functions. lies the primary interest of clinical psychology and the point of focus for any clinician who wishes to fully understand all the clinical and behavioral implications in being human.

The human being is a complex conglomeration of different parts working together to keep the human being alive, from a series of basic functions that could be called instinctive such as complex reproduction to much more complex functions such as cognitive functions for example, which involve aspects such as reasoning and logic, in addition to memory and perception.

Clinical psychology the ara with the largest number of practitioners in the science of psychology, it is also for the same reason one of the largest research areas of all areas, Given by its nature to be a curious and complex mix between science, clinical practice, research and art of service, clinical psychology is a part essential of modern mental health teams, and even more so, whether in multidisciplinary or unidisciplinary practice, clinical psychology plays a profound role, in the treatment counseling, research, application of psychotherapies and measurement tests, as well as in the investigation of behavior in normal environments both as abnormal.

While is true that psychopathology is the area that most generally deals with abnormal psychology, its implications, its causes, clinical psychology also makes great contributions, in that it is clinical psychologists who are with people who suffer from disorders on a day-to-day basis, who apply the investigations of psychopathology and at the same time they also promote their own research both with and without clinical vision.

Clinical psychology is a focus point for behavior since it is in clinical settings where people with the greatest conglomeration of problems meet in situations associated with well-being, health and stress, functional points of all psychology, as psychology focuses on the study, understanding and treatment of the mind and behavior associated with well-being and health and who better than clinical psychologists to be close to this objective that is simplified in their daily practice, with a wide range of patients who suffer from small disorders from day to day, to more serious situations that require profound interventions to be treated.

Let us remember that in the present day in the field of mental health, clinicians are involved with disturbed behaviors of all kinds, severity and duration (Korchin, 1976, p. 83), this tells us the abnormal aspects that are observed and studied in order to obtain again a concept of normality and well-being in the individual, usually the terms of normality and abnormality are variable terms, but they can be understood and objectively studied and even in the greatest of cases intervened with the due reservations possible towards a change, that is the promise and the interest that drives me to study and clinical application of the knowledge that psychology with all its areas provides us as tools of practice and research.

Clinical psychology can be defined after the study of its variables as the discipline that uses the principles and knowledge of general psychology to assess and understand individual behavior, to make recommendations regarding it, or to engage in activities designed to contribute behavior modification and behavior research, within the regularity and predictability of individual behavior (Hadley, 1958, p. 6), this is a definition that if we do not define it as clinical could well be applied to any other of the specialized areas of psychology, since all the areas that tend to The specialization make use of the principles and knowledge that general psychology has already contributed in its investigations, in any way psychology is concerned with the study of behavior in general, while in the clinical field it emphasizes the study of individual behavior as they perform their functions in the context of all his life.

Each clinical psychologist and counselor must consider each individual and unique problem, the method used by the clinician must maintain that individuality, The behavior is the result of the interaction of the individual with the environment of her, so that there are external forces coming from the environment that induce their behavior, but there are also forces that come from themselves that also induce certain behavior and that are individual.

As usual, psychology is concerned with understanding, predicting, and eventually controlling behaviorIn the field of clinical psychology, the emphasis is on understanding and evaluating individual behavior in order to contribute to its modification or possible control.

The discovery of empirical relationships and principles in each field of research depends on a common methodology, to be sure, clinical psychology has its own techniques For making observations and measurements, these techniques, as well as a special vocabulary and class of problems distinguish clinical psychology from other disciplines (Shaffer & Lazarus, 1952, p. 32), the classes of variables studied by clinicians differ from those of physicians and the tools used as well, but the aspect that holds the sciences together is the general method that allows generating more knowledge, we must know that there are great aspects that differentiate clinical psychology and the measurement of individual personality from other disciplines but it should also be known that evaluations and tests, interviews and the particular measuring instruments that belong to clinical psychology have been adapted to other situations and applications practices.

Clinical psychologists make a unique and valuable contribution to the service of individual aspects, groups and society in general, combining skills scientific and applied, clinical psychologists are capable of practicing, evaluating their practice, and developing new methods and standards of practice (Vallis & Howes, 1996), at the moment it is when the clinical skills of psychologists have to be valued even more, nowadays when health care is expensive for the states as well as for the people, and when faced with the innumerable number of health problems, more and more effective methods of managing these situations.

Below is a table where we try to outline in general terms the best known applications of clinical psychology:

• Individual, group and community evaluation.
• Interventions that can be: biofeedback, hypnosis, operant techniques for the increase or elimination of behavior, relaxation and breathing, techniques of exposure, stress inoculation, social skills, cognitive techniques, problem solving, counseling, use of psychopharmacy depending on the situation, etc.
• Application of the various functions of psychopharmacology and neuropharmacology, in related aspects in a series of clinical situations, such as addictions, anxiety, depression, among others. -interventions in community and health programs.
• Interventions for emotional regulation and psychotherapies.
• Interventions in areas such as: couple and family therapy, disaster interventions, sleep disorders, tobacco and drugs, pathological games, depression, disorders of personality, hyperactivity, child anxiety, language and associated with stress as well as neuropsychological, cancer, AIDS, clinical pain, eating disorders, in psychology forensics, physical exercise, life crises, abuse, old age, grief, vocational guidance, various psychopathologies, as well as various behavioral and psychosomatic disorders associated with health and behavior.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration in the clinical area.

Some general principles according to Michael Vallis and Janice Howes (Vallis & Howes, 1996), tells us that clinical psychology is a broad field of practice and research within psychology, which applies psychological principles to the evaluation, prevention and rehabilitation of a series of situations. Including health, risk factors in behavior and everything that refers to well-being, this through both parts of the investigation scientific research, focusing on the search for general principles and the clinical service focusing on the study and care of patients, Other clinical psychology studies the interpersonal as well as individual aspects and diagnoses, evaluates, treats, in addition clinical psychology is devoted to ethical practice and professional conduct, this is broadly the great objectives of clinical psychology, which in practice become hundreds.

There is a tremendous difference between understanding a phenomenon on a theoretical level and beginning to use that phenomenon. understanding in a way that makes relevant interventions possible (Sarason, Levine, Goldenberg, Cherlin & Bennett, 1966, p. 170), this problem of transferring knowledge from scientific theory to professional practice is not something exclusive to the sciences of mental or behavioral health, it is in the Most of the sciences but by obvious terms it is in the human being where the situation becomes more complex and the applications must be more skeptical and careful than in any other app. In the clinical field, psychologists must know how to solve this situation by understanding the moment and the way that the transition of theory to practice has to be carried out, this understanding the dynamics of each case, to understand the type of intervention necessary as such. The clinical psychologist must judge what should be done to help people manage the problems that arise in their lives.

Clinical psychology has moved from its historical foundations way back in the 1950s when clinical psychologists worked almost exclusively in settings. psychiatric, the provision of therapy in a wide variety of situations with a range of patients, including those who were physically ill (Bennett, 2000, p. xi), this has changed and now clinical psychologists do not emphasize only mental health, which although it continues to be an important area of ​​study and work is not limited to the practice of the clinical psychologist, now psychologists in the area also work in areas such as rehabilitation, pain management clinics, They have also diversified into the fields of teaching, training and work supervision among a wide variety of situations that now clinical psychology occupies.

It is well valued in clinicians that orientation that leads them to carry out an investigation of the current problems of the patient as a key to psychotherapy, clinicians use evaluation to understand what brings the patient to therapy (Ey & Hersen, 2004, p. 3), the evaluation helps to understand which intervention will be the most effective and positive, also through evaluation the results and progress during the interventions can be measured.

Psychotherapies perhaps the best known interventions are defined as the treatment of mental and emotional disorders using psychological methods ("Psychotherapy," 2009), psychotherapies are not included within the group of drugs, the use of electro seizures but is defined as a separate area although they can be used jointly. Here is a list of the methods or the best known intervention and behavior change therapies:

• Techniques that allow to strengthen behaviors through stimuli or other techniques based on the reinforcement of positive behaviors or situations. On the other hand, there are also techniques that cause an inverse change to reinforcement, they are techniques to weaken behaviors inappropriate techniques, techniques that cause aversion or other circumstance that causes a change in the negative aspects or reinforces what is consider positive.
• Intervention programs with intervention programs with defined and specific objectives such as a particular population group, which can have objectives such as solving family problems, generating psychosocial skills, self-control among other aspects that can be try.
• Techniques that allow to generate behavior, establish discrimination of some stimuli, through the chaining, molding or modeling of the behavior or the situation.
• Verbal intervention techniques.
• Cognitive techniques and therapies such as Beck's cognitive therapy or Ellis's emotional rationale.
• Psychodynamic techniques in which you can make use of psychoanalysis, therapies with psychotropic drugs, which is used only in serious cases and when other therapies have failed, it is possible To add that there are a large number of techniques and therapies, such as the application of therapies based on Buddhism for example, each year new techniques and strategies of intervention.

It has long been appreciated the integration of body and brain are completely interrelated, thoughts and behaviors controlled by a disordered mind has brought patients The attention of health professionals, who have tried to change dysfunctional behavior with medical treatment or psychotherapies, is relatively new but the The combination of both therapies has been very effective (Glick, 2004), this should suggest that in clinical practice, the integration of intervention methods can be the most effective.

Clinical psychology is a profession that still continues in its infancy, some may place it in its adolescence (Ussher & Nicolson, 1992, p. 1), while other professions can trace their past to very, very ancient times such is the case of medicine and they do emphasis on its scientific origins in the works of Hippocrates, clinical psychology on the contrary seems to have been founded in a recent.

Clinical psychology is responsible for the investigation, diagnosis, evaluation, prognosis, treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of the issues that affect the human being, in general terms any issue that generates suffering or discomfort to the human being, perhaps our greatest vision and greatest interest has to be in such a way that clinical psychology is developed in an adult way emphasizing application, research and all related aspects, in addition to advancing in the aspects of interdisciplinary collaboration, better diagnostic and evaluation tools and a point of advance in applied research in general psychology, with a view to its use in the clinical area.

Today's world requires more than ever reliable and well-founded clinical knowledge, with the situation of anxiety and discomfort that seems to exist everywhere, with the great natural disasters that take thousands of lives each year and that leave the survivors in suspense and with great traumas and fears for life, with the generalized violence and that permanent anxiety that is lived in many parts with the fear of being the next murdered in a growing insecurity fostered by the trafficking of drugs, weapons and other substances, in addition to the long series of psychosomatic disorders that exist and that each year there seem to be more to add to the list, disorders and diseases that often originate only in unhealthy lifestyles or behaviors in the individual, but that when not treated become something more serious.

Our attention must focus on effectiveness and at the same time the ethical and consistent application of all our applications in the area from psychotherapies and psychological counseling to any kind of intervention be in the somatic, psychic or behavioral area or any other area in which clinical psychology develops, always having in mind that the well-being of the human being is the main objective of our science and that when applied it becomes an art of service.

Clinical psychology is a complex science given the breadth of problems and disorders that the human being can present and since it deals with them at any age and at any time in human lives. Clinical psychology tries to reduce or make disappear those emotional or physical situations that cause suffering and that move away the well-being of the human being, that is, everything that in one way or another does not allow people to have a full life full of well-being and Health.

Clinical psychology studies individual behavior of the patient who appears seeking her help, then making use of a series of psychological tools and treatment makes a diagnosis evaluation that is usually carried out through interviews, clinical history, lifestyle, in addition to the application of a battery of tests to know certain aspects of the problem that the individual presents, this seeking precision and efficacy in subsequent treatments, it is here where through the diagnosis the clinical psychologist realizes if the patient needs to be transferred in case of a serious physical illness to another professional Of the health.

Taking into account the situation caused by the diagnosis, the clinical psychologist can decide the kind of intervention that will be more effective, for the patient and the management of the problem, it could well be some psychotherapy, or another kind of intervention that helps reestablish well-being in the individualThis is based on consistent support for the recovery and rehabilitation of health problems or maladaptive conditions that make human beings suffer.

Clinical psychology is a wonderful integration of science, practice and theory in favor of the benefit of the human being, which helps to understand, to alleviate and prevent any kind of disorder or poor adjustment, clinical psychology focuses on factors as diverse as the aspects emotional, biological, social, behavioral, cultural, emotional, intellectual, family among others throughout the life of the human being.

Clinical psychologists investigate, evaluate with a series of tools and perform interventions to prevent, treat or correctional personality disorders, emotional conflicts, psychopathological and the lack of skills to handle life situations all with the intention of promoting satisfaction, adaptation and, more generally, health and well-being human.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to General aspects of clinical psychology, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

• Arnett, J. L. (2001). Clinical and Health Psychology: Future Directions. Canadian Psychology, 42 (1), 38+. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 5035505470
• Bennett, P. (2000). Introduction to Clinical Health Psychology. Philadelphia: Open University Press. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 115967917
• Brugger, E. (2008). Anthropological Foundations for Clinical Psychology: A Proposal. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 36 (1), 3+. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 5027529674
• Psychotherapy. (2009). In The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 117040778
• Psychology. (2009). In The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 117040774
• Ey, S., & Hersen, M. (2004). Chapter 1 Pragmatic Issues of Assessment in Clinical Practice. In Psychological Assessment in Clinical Practice: A Pragmatic Guide, Hersen, M. (Ed.) (Pp. 3-20). New York: Brunner-Routledge. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 110886322
• Glick, I. D. (2004). Adding Psychotherapy to Pharmacotherapy: Data, Benefits, and Guidelines for Integration. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 58 (2), 186+. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 5035450947
• Hadley, J. M. (1958). Clinical and Counseling Psychology (1st ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 24107419
• Hersen, M. & Walker, C. AND. (Eds.). (1998). Comprehensive Clinical Psychology (Vol. 1). New York: Pergamon. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 115339941
• Korchin, S. J. (1976). Modern Clinical Psychology: Principles of Intervention in the Clinic and Community. New York: Basic Books. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 100289615
• Hersen, M. (Ed.). (2004). Psychological Assessment in Clinical Practice: A Pragmatic Guide. New York: Brunner-Routledge. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 110886300
• Sarason, S. B., Levine, M., Goldenberg, I. I., Cherlin, D. L., & Bennett, E. M. (1966). Psychology in Community Settings: Clinical, Educational, Vocational, Social Aspects. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 85660064
• Shaffer, G. W., & Lazarus, R. S. (1952). Fundamental Concepts in Clinical Psychology (1st ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 13874752
• Ussher, J. M. & Nicolson, P. (Eds.). (1992). Gender Issues in Clinical Psychology. London: Routledge. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 104218077
• Vallis, T. M., & Howes, J. L. (1996). The Field of Clinical Psychology: Arriving at a Definition. Canadian Psychology, 37 (2), 120+. Retrieved March 17, 2011, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst? a = o & d = 5035470249