Skip to Content (press Enter/Return)
Essays
Topics
preview

Clinical Psychology Definition Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
According to Oxford Dictionary online, clinical psychology is, “The branch of psychology concerned with the assessment and treatment of mental illnesses and disability” (“Clinical psychology”). While it’s true that a clinical psychologist works to treat and console one’s mental illness and disability, there is much more to what makes a clinical psychologist than what the definition says. To me, being a clinical psychologist means not only helping treat a mental illness but helping the patient cope with different life struggles they may face. A clinical psychologist out of the kindness of their heart opens their ears to people in need and helps them reach a goal of success and happiness.
Another way to define Clinical psychology is by looking at its history, to begin with Wilhelm Wundt is known as the father of psychology he contributed to psychology by his creation of the world's first experimental psychology lab established in 1879. By creating the laboratory made to study experimental psychology he took psychology from a sub-discipline of philosophy and biology to a one of a kind scientific discipline. Wundt, in his academic years trained 186 graduate students one of them being Lightner Witmer. Witmer came up with the first definition of "Clinical Psychology" in a 1907 paper as, "The study of individuals, by observation or experimentation, with the intention of promoting change" (Cherry). Ten years after treating a young boy that had learning disabilities he created the journal Psychology Clinic. All though his journal no longer exists his theory of clinical psychology forms a significant part of the modern department.
Amongst branches of psychology, clinical psychology often gets confused with counseling psychology because...

... middle of paper ...

...4 Feb 2014.
Cherry Kendra "What are Clinical Psychologist and What do they do?" Careers in Clinical Psychology, n.d. Web. 14 Feb 2014.
Cherry Kendra "What is Clinical Psychology "psychology.about, n.d. web. 10 Feb 2014.
Cherry Kendra "Who Founded the First Psychology Lab?"about.Psychology, n.d. Web. 15 Feb 2014
“Clinical psychology” oxforddictionaries.com. Oxford Dictionaries, n.d. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.
Green, Christopher D, ed “Clinical Psychology Lightner Witmer (1907)” Classics in the History of psychology, n.d, web. 14 Feb 2014.
Grohol, John M, "So You Want To Become a Psychologist?" PsychCentral. , 30 Jan 2013. Web. 14 Feb 2014.
Molitior Nancy “The 411 on Clinical Psychologists: Here’s the Truth” Your mind your body. 20 Nov 2009. Web. 14 Feb 2014

Roger, Patricia R, and Stone Gerlad Counseling vs Clinical" Society of counseling psychology, n.d. Web. 13 Feb 2014.
Get Access
Related
Get Access