Role and Training of a Clinical Psychologist

A clinical psychologist is a mental health professional with highly specialized training in the diagnosis and psychological treatment of mental, behavioral and emotional illnesses, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Clinical psychologists do not prescribe medications to treat mental illness. Rather, they use psychological techniques, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychoanalytic therapy.

Clinical psychologists must usually complete a Ph.D. in clinical psychology before being able to see patients and utilize these techniques. However, in some states and provinces, a Master’s degree is sufficient. In most states and provinces, the professional activities of clinical psychologists are regulated by a licensing board and/or professional college.

In addition to delivery of psychotherapy, psychologists may undertake a variety of activities, including psychological testing, research, and teaching.

The American Board of Clinical Psychology (ABCP) examination makes certain that board certification for clinical psychologists includes basic competencies in order to be able to practice, teach, or conduct research. These competencies include:

• Making and maintaining effective relationships with others, including clients, fellow practitioners, and the public. The clinical psychologist must also be fair, respectful, a clear communicator, and able to handle potentially difficult situations with understanding and diplomacy.
• Sensitivity to individual and cultural diversity and understanding how these factors affect who we are and how we think.
• An awareness of ethical and legal principles and employs them effectively.
• A professional attitude, values, and behaviors that are apparent in interactions with others.
• A continual practice of self-evaluation and always striving to improve treatment methods.
• An understanding of different scientific disciplines that relate to psychology and how they may impact treatment.
• Skill in collaborating with others from different disciplines and organizations, employing respect, appreciation, and communication.
• Keeping up with the latest research and identifying how it can improve clinical practice.

Clinical psychologists have a whole host of specific skills that they employ in their work, including:

• Consulting with a variety of other behavioral and health professionals and organizations about violence, suicide, and severe mental distress.
• Understanding the broad expanse of mental health issues and how they may occur at any age.
• Assessing personality and standardized psychological test scores in order to be more effective in treating patients.
• Having an extensive knowledge of mental illness and how to diagnose and treat it.
• Being able to perform research and collect data to enhance the understanding of clinical psychology.

The biggest difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist is that a psychiatrist is a medical doctor (MD) with a medical degree who can prescribe medications. A psychologist typically cannot. While psychologists also have a doctorate, it is not a medical doctorate. Psychiatrists go through a year of medical internship followed by three years of residency in treating and diagnosing mental illnesses. Psychologists usually do one to two years of internship after completing their degrees.

One major difference between the two approaches is that while a psychologist will typically look at your behavior, a psychiatrist is more likely to look first at the biological factors behind your mental health problems.

Whether you pick a psychologist or a psychiatrist may depend on several factors. Some psychiatrists only prescribe medication and do not do psychotherapy, so you may choose to see both a psychiatrist and a psychologist to get both medication and therapy. Many psychiatrists do both, however.