What is Clinical Psychology?

Clinical psychology is the field of psychology that deals with the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.

Lightner Witmer, disciple of Willhelm Wundt, was the first psychologist to use the term clinical psychology, in 1907. He defined clinical psychology as follows: “the study of individuals, by observation or experience, with the intention of promoting changes”.

Nowadays, clinical psychology is one of the most sought after areas to work by newly graduated psychologists.

Clinical psychologists can work in hospitals, clinics, private practices and universities. While still students in the Faculty of Psychology, they receive in-depth training in the various approaches, theories and techniques available.

What does a clinical psychologist do?

The field of clinical psychology is one of the largest for the performance of the psychology professional, including:

– Mental health of children, adults and the elderly

– learning problems

– Emotional disorders

– Alcohol and drug abuse

– Psychology of mental health

Although clinical psychologists are in the field of health in general and mental health in particular, it is important to know that psychologists do not prescribe drugs.

By Brazilian law, psychologists cannot prescribe any medication. If there is a need to use some medication, the psychologist refers the patient to the psychiatrist or to the specialist doctor.

Every psychologist who works in the area of ​​clinical psychology has at his disposal theoretical knowledge and techniques that help in the improvement of the patient.

As I say: “We may not prescribe medicine, but the techniques we use are based on thousands of laboratory studies and evidence of previous success since the beginning of the last century”.

We may not know exactly how a treatment will unfold and we cannot guarantee that the expected results will definitely be achieved – but we have the professional and academic experience that gives us a solid basis for clinical practice.

In the Free Course on the site, I explain what the 3 great forces of psychology are. They also influence, to this day, the approaches with which we work in clinical psychology:

Psychoanalysis: which is based on the theories of Sigmund Freud and collaborators. In the office, many use the couch. The most fundamental concept is that of the unconscious.

Cognitive-behavioral: which is based on theories of behaviorism (behaviorism), Skinner, for example, and cognitivism. The psychologist who uses this approach seeks to understand the patient’s behavior in relation to the environment in which he lives and the way he understands (and feels) the environment-behavior relationship.

Humanism-existentialism: which is based on the theories of humanists such as Carl Rogers – with his Client-Centered Therapy – and Maslow. The objective is to accept the patient as he is, and at the same time, promote the realization of all his latent potential.

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