The History and Intervention of Clinical Psychology - Research Paper Example

? The History and Intervention of Clinical Psychology Introduction Clinical psychology is one of the branches in psychology that deals with the assessment and treatment of abnormal behavior and psychiatric problems. This field improves the science of psychology with the treatment of complex human problems. Psychotherapists usually use different treatments on patients. Sigmund Freud believed that the human mind played a crucial role in a person’s behavior (Brewer, 2001). The scientific study of psychology became well established in school’s laboratories, in the mid-1800s. Many insisted on natural science as the only reasonable profession, and extremely rare voices called for an applied psychology, but this aspect changed when Lighter Witmer (1867–1956), father of the recent clinical psychology, treated a teenage boy who had trouble with spelling. Witmer, Head of the Psychology Department at the University of Pennsylvania and a former student of Wundt, managed to open a clinic (McGuire et al., 1965). This successful treatment led to Witmer's launch of the first psychological surgery in Pennsylvania in 1896. He dedicated his life to helping children with learning disabilities and ten years later, in 1907, Witmer founded the first journal in this new field, The Psychological Clinic. Witmer defined clinical psychology as "the education of individuals, through observation, with the aim promoting change." The sector grew steadily to understand Witmer's model, and by 1914, 26 similar clinics came into operation in the United States. Issues of mental distress remained the center for concentration of neurologists and psychiatrists (McGuire et al., 1965). Clinical psychologists never despaired but continued expanding their skills in psychological assessment. Experts came up with two intelligence tests: Army Alpha and Army Beta for testing verbal and nonverbal skills. This assessment became the main discipline of clinical psychology for the coming quarter of a century. The American Association of Clinical Psychology launch took place in 1917. It lasted until 1919 when G. Stanley Hall founded the American Psychological Association that offered certification until 1927 (McGuire et al., 1965). The field had been experiencing slow growth for several years when various psychological organizations joined forces to form the American Association for Applied Psychology in 1930. This association formed the primary forum for the psychologists until after World War Two when the American Psychological Association was reorganized (McGuire et al., 1965). In 1945, the American Psychological Association formed the Society of Clinical Psychology, which is the leading organization in the field of psychology (Jones and Jones, 1993). During World War Two, the military called the clinical psychologists to treat the soldiers suffering from psychological trauma known as posttraumatic stress disorders. During that time, the female psychologists formed the National Council of Women with the aim of helping communities deal with stress of war and providing advice to young mothers (Jones and Jones, 1993). In 1946, the United States went from having no formal clinical psychology programs in universities to over half of all Ph.Ds. in psychology, awarded in clinical psychology in 1950. World War Two helped in bringing dramatic changes to clinical psychology internationally (Harrington, 1988). Application of Clinical Psychology According to Harrington, Clinical psychology is a broad field of psychology dealing with the understanding and treatment of human problems, including both practice and research (1988). Clinical psychologists diagnose and treat patients with psychological problems (Compas and Gotlib, 2002). They also train and conduct hospital, clinical, school or office research. In doing so, a clinical psychologist applies the principles of psychology in assessing, preventing and rehabilitating psychological distress, disability, dysfunctional behavior as well as health risk behavior. In approaching human problems, clinical psychologists use a classification system of abnormal behavior to realize the behavior and its causes. They use case studies, experimentation and testing to determine human problems (Compas and Gotlib, 2002). There are also a number of subspecialty areas within the area of clinical psychology. Some professionals work with a variety of complications while others specialize in treating certain types of psychological disorders or age groups. Harrington (1988), states that some clinical psychologists, for example, might work in a hospital setting with persons suffering from brain injuries or neurological conditions. Others might work in a mental health center to counsel individuals or families struggling with stress, substance abuse, mental illness or personal problems. On a daily basis, clinical psychologists perform various tasks such as conducting assessments, interviewing patients, performing psychotherapy, giving diagnostic tests, and administering programs. Common work settings include hospitals, prisons, universities, mental health clinics, schools and private practices (Compas and Gotlib, 2002). According to Boswell and Litwin, Health psychology, neuropsychology and neuropsychology are some of the different subspecialty areas within clinical psychology (1988). According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, health psychologists promote proper health through health maintenance counseling programs intended to help people achieve their goals such as quitting smoking or losing weight. Neuropsychologists, on the other hand, study the relation between the brain and behavior, often incorporated in stroke and head injury programs. Neuropsychologists deal with problems affecting the elderly (Boswell and Litwin, 1988). Background of the Problem One of the problems that use clinical psychology as a treatment is the case of pornography addiction (Boswell and Litwin, 1988). Cases of pornography addiction amongst teenagers have been on the rise. The number of teenagers accessing sexual videos and contents has been on the rise with the advent of the Internet and other forms of technology that supports easy access to pornography. Pornography addicted people always suffer from unhealthy sexual life (Brewer, 2001). Teenagers who experience this problem end up having low self-esteem and even sometimes, they may end up being social miscreants. Pornography addiction is a psychological problem that can be treated using various clinical psychology interventions. Below is a case study of a young teenager who is addicted to pornography (Compas and Gotlib, 2002). John (name withheld) is a thirteen-year-old boy who is still exploring his adolescent stage. His mother and father were divorced when John was five years old, and he has never had a father figure in his life. John is unlike other teenagers in his age group and he often excludes himself from the other children. His mother has observed that John has become more and more detached from the rest of the family and friends. His teachers have also observed that John is usually alone and gloomy compared to other children. John’s behavior led to his parents to get concerned when they discovered that his grades were getting worse. He would always run straight to his room and close himself behind the door. His parents tried to talk to him before the teachers, but he always kept quiet and shy. While cleaning his room, John’s mother stumbled onto a pornographic magazine. She rummaged through John’s things and found more magazines. She alerted his teachers and they discovered a stack of magazines in his locker. His phone and laptop were discovered to contain a lot of pornographic contents. John’s mother decided to seek the guidance of a psychologist so that he can help him overcome the pornographic addiction (Boswell and Litwin, 1988). The Intervention An intervention is an act performed to prevent harm to a patient or to improve the patient’s mental, emotional, or physical function. A physiological process may be monitored or enhanced, or a pathological process may be controlled. In a health setting, interventions are quite common (Brewer, 2001). In this case, John’s problem is psychological and a clinical intervention will be important in helping John overcome his problem. In solving John’s addiction, the focus of the intervention will involve two areas. The first area will be separating John from his addiction, which is pornography, while the second approach will be helping John to contain and face the guilt and shame associated with pornography addiction (S. Jones and B. Jones, 1993). The intervention for the first area will involve cognitive behavior therapy, which will require establishing the causes of pornographic addiction. One of the major reasons that may have led John to this addiction is the lack of a father figure, who is important during the adolescent stage (Brewer, 2001). Because John is trying to understand his sexuality, it becomes hard for him to learn about sex from a male friend or older person. He seeks to understand his sexual urges through pornography. By identifying this, the therapist will be able to help John overcome this by seeking help of a third person, who is an older male. This will help John as he tries to understand the adolescent stage (Harrington, 1988). The second way of treating him will involve trying to encourage him to think of other things whenever sexual ideas cloud his mind. John can be encouraged to take up a new hobby that will keep him busy all the time. This will ensure that his mind is occupied and devoid of sexual ideas (Brewer, 2001). The second intervention will involve normalizing the issue to John so that he can avoid feeling ashamed and guilty of his addiction. This is the hardest part and the therapist should prescribe John’s involvement and activeness with other teenagers. The therapist and John’s mother should work on normalizing the situation for John by encouraging him to face his fears. By so doing, the problem of pornographic addiction may be solved in John’s life (Compas and Gotlib, 2002). The science and practice of clinical psychology in the medical setting is becoming a significant part of the evolving history of psychology, whether referred to in terms of the newer applications of health psychology or of the traditional psychology (Harrington, 1988). Continued successful evolution, survival and growth of clinical psychology in the medical settings will depend on scientifically based clinical practice of psychology, flexibility and adaptability of practice in the changing world of health care (Brewer, 2001). Although there are several professional and clinical problems, major bodies of knowledge now exist and considerable progress is made in providing psychological services in the medical setting. In their national survey of psychologists regarding medical staff membership and clinical privileges, Boswell and Litwin (1988) documented that progress in this area is coming, although quite slowly. Finally, ethical standards are quite influential in clinical psychology. Therefore, a psychologist must conduct their activities in a highly ethical manner and needs to be familiar with the ethical standards related to their activities. Ethical matters that may be considered include confidentiality, guidelines in using animals in research for psychology and guidelines in counseling women and children (Goodman, 1993). References Boswell, D., & Litwin, W. (1988). Medical staff membership and clinical privileges: A national survey. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Atlanta, Georgia. Brewer, K. (2001). Approaches to abnormal behavior. In Clinical Psychology. England: Heinemann. Compas, B., & Gotlib, I. (2002). Introduction to clinical psychology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Goodman, A. (1993). Diagnosis and treatment of sexual addiction. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 1S(5), 225–251. Jones, S. L., & Jones, B. L. (1993). How and when to tell your kids about sex: A lifelong approach to shaping your child's sexual character. Colorado Springs, CO: Nav Press. McGuire, R. J. et al. (1965). Sexual deviation as conditioned behavior. Behavior Research & Therapy, 1965(2), 185. Read More