Clinical Psychology
Field devoted to assessing and treating psychological distress and disorder, from psychotherapy to formal testing.
Specifications & Metrics
- focus
- Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of psychopathology and distress
- pioneer
- Lightner Witmer (first clinic, University of Pennsylvania, 1896)
- method
- Controlled outcome trials, standardized assessment batteries, case formulation
Core Principles & Analysis
- Lightner Witmer opened the first psychological clinic at the University of Pennsylvania in 1896 and coined the field's name in 1907.
- Clinical work spans psychotherapy delivery, psychodiagnostic testing, and research on treatment efficacy.
- Training models integrate science and practice, most famously in the Boulder Model of clinical training from 1949.
Sources