Sample Report On  examination Of Clinical Psychology

Examination of Clinical Psychology

History and evolution of clinical psychology
The foundation of clinical psychology can be traced back to 1900’s. During that period, there was a keen interest in the study of the human mind by most of the scientists. The ideas, thoughts of the Fathers of Philosophy included, but were not limited to Sigmund Freud, and as such were influential since they contributed much towards the evolution of clinical psychology. These carried lots of research on the human behavior, as well as the mind, leading to the formation of psychology, as it is known in more recent times. In addition, during roughly the same period of the early evolution of psychology, William James from Germany established the first psychology laboratory (Singh, 2006).
However, little progress was made on the evolution of psychology. After World War II, clinical research showed significant development, with a new type of psychological interventions and assessment. The old systems of intelligence and personality tests were modified to the demands of the new assessment. In the early 1950’s, psychiatrists published a Comprehensive System of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DMS). DMS was accepted by the clinical psychologists and other mental professionals to treat patients with the problem of mental disorders. Since then, DSM has been reversed many times over the years. That was because the old editions had the shortcomings, and they were not suited for the technology advances. For that reason, the physicians tried to come up with better strategies for treating their patients.
Up to the present time, clinical psychology is not a different branch of psychology, but, theoretically, is used as the benchmark for other branches that have evolved from psychology. Today, these evolutionary processes had sculpted not only the human brain, but also the mechanism associated with it that is used in mental hospitals (Singh, 2006). In addition to that, it also affects the kind of the behavior that comes from most of the patients who are under these clinical programs. More importantly, clinical psychology has been adapted to solve some of the problems that historically are known for survival and reproduction. Equally important, the current clinical psychology has incorporated other byproducts. Some of these adapted byproducts were not used in the ancestral environment but the modern environment. Thus, it is clear the field of clinical psychology that keeps on evolving has undergone both the time and environment changes. The role of research and statistics in clinical psychology
Research and statistics are necessary and inseparable in the field of clinical psychology. Statistics, as one way of the scientific method, allows researchers to determine, whether the information obtained from the area of research is applicable to larger populations. Moreover, when statistics and research are applied correctly together, observing professional guidelines and ethics, they can benefit the people. Some of the benefits include discovering of new effective treatment and providing of psychological interventions for those who are in need of it. The use of statistics and research play a significant role of providing an insight into the human behavior and interaction in the field of clinical psychology. Derived from the research and statistics, scientists can find solutions to the major health problems facing the people.
Research has formed the foundation of knowledge for a better understanding of the phenomenon of clinical psychology. Some of the areas researched so far include psychopathology that examines the relationship between a physical disease and its psychological factors. On the other hand, the studies in the field of clinical psychology play an important role in providing the body of evidence that guide the whole clinical practice (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2008). These research guidelines, then, serve as the strategies to be used to assess patients with their problems and can support methods of prevention and treatment, as per the findings of the research results. Equally important, research is imperative for psychological test developers and other concerned specialists in their practice of clinical psychology. Additionally, research provides the physicians with ideas, applications, and new directions in the field of clinical psychology.
On the other hand, statistics plays an important role of enabling the researchers to understand the findings from the field of psychological study. This is because the physicians- researchers mainly depend on primary data that require statistical methods to analyze and interpret data to obtain full information. Physicians apply different methods, such as the qualitative and quantitative techniques, to correctly analyze and present the findings from the field research. Furthermore, statistics helps scientists in the area of clinical psychology to apply the proven theories. Therapies are, then, incorporated by the reputable science institutions to treat patients (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2008).
Consequently, research and statistics are two major strategies that totally depend on one another, when used in the field of clinical psychology. They both play important roles, by enabling the scientists to find solutions and new interventions to be used in the field of clinical psychology to treat patients.Difference between clinical psychology and other mental health professions
The difference between clinical psychology and another medical field is that it requires a particular focus and extensive graduate training. Clinical psychologists usually provide services, such as the medical treatment of the patients and administering of psychological services. The psychologist can work in the mental health clinics, hospitals, and scientific research, while mental health professionals are professionals who, generally, provide treatment and sanitary conditions (Singh, 2006). On the other hand, the social workers’ education differs from other mental health professionals’ education since they put more roles on the social issues and interaction at the social level. However, the social workers receive nearly the same education in relation to mental health treatment problems they tend to focus more on the health services available at the social level, in their practice. Thus, their responsibility is to offer social services to the community, while the psychiatrists are the professionals who have specialized in psychiatry. The therapists tend to concentrate more on the behavioral problems and biological basis of the human behavior. On the other hand, school psychologists are uniquely qualified school members who provide students with services. For instance, they are concerned with mental health, behavior, and learning to help the students succeed in the field of academics. They also help the youth to excel emotionally, socially and behaviorally. Thus, they help the young people to grow morally upright (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2008).
In conclusion, many factors had led to the genesis of clinical psychology that is independent of another discipline of medicine. The evolution of clinical psychology has been in constant development due to the new scientific research. Although, clinical psychology has noted differences with other disciplines, the clinical professional’s primary aim is to accommodate psychological needs of a human being.

ReferencesTop of Form

Koocher, G. P., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (2008). Ethics in psychology and the mental health professions: Standards and cases. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Singh, A. K. (2006). The comprehensive history of psychology. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.