Clinical Psychology Clarified
Psychology is the scientific study and practice that aims to understand, prevent and treat serious mental illnesses, disorders and dysfunctions. The critical difference between psychiatry and psychology is that psychologists do not prescribe medication. The term “clinical psychology” was first coined in the late 1800s by Lightner Witmer, but the practice was reported to have grown from 20,000 to 63,000 practitioners between 1974 and 1990.
There are four main perspectives of clinical psychology: psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral and systems/family therapy. First, psychodynamic psychotherapy developed out of the works of Sigmund Freud and sought to make the unconscious desires come to the surface, rather than remain suppressed. Popular interventions include free association and the examination of transference and defenses. The history of mental illness is examined through the exploration of childhood memories.
The humanistic perspective of psychology was based around the work of Carol Rogers, Victor Frankl and Rollo May. Rogers argued that people needed congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathetic understanding as mental health treatment. The humanist perspective seeks to help the person towards self-actualization and connecting with their natural born potential.
The cognitive behavioral perspective looks at the interaction between how we think, feel and act. Psychology experts believe that we interpret the world through schemas (set patterns of thinking and categorizing information) that sometimes results in behavioral problems. To uncover irrational thinking, professionals try desensitization, Socratic questioning, relational dialectics therapy or note taking.
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June 9th, 2009 at 12:18 am
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