Clinical Psychology: Treatment, Effects & Risks

Clinical psychology is a sub-discipline of applied psychology and deals with developmental, emotional, cognitive, behavioral as well as social bases of mental disorders and what effects they have on behavior. Clinical psychology also includes neuropsychology as well as medical psychology.

What is clinical psychology?

When internal or external disorders affect people, systems, or groups, clinical psychology uses scientific methods to study the effects on behavior and experience. If internal or external disturbances act on people, systems or groups, clinical psychology uses scientific methods to investigate the effects on behavior and experience. The interrelationships are described in the form of predictions and diagnoses, with research, evaluation and practical procedures forming a single unit. The training as well as the further professional activity follow the so-called scientist-practitioner model. Clinical psychology is very broadly defined and deals not only with mental disorders but also with a wide variety of systems and methods for diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention. However, the discipline primarily conducts basic research and, as part of research, also looks for the cause of disturbed areas of functioning. From the results it is possible to develop methods that bring about change. Within the framework of clinical psychological treatment, for example, psychological interviews, behavioral analyses and psychodiagnostics are used. The duration or type of treatment depends on the individual situation or the intensity of the symptoms.

Treatments and therapies

The field of activity of a clinical psychologist includes clinical psychological diagnostics regarding behavioral disorders, performance and psychological changes, as well as psychological treatment methods based on personality and developmental psychology, learning theory as well as social psychology. The psychological treatment should always be integrated into a preceding definition of the problem or into a later evaluation. Accordingly, the course of treatment is as follows:

  • Definition or description of the problem
  • Indication and treatment decision
  • Treatment planning
  • Evaluation of the outcome and the treatment process

Intervention in this context includes working with the affected person, but also changing institutional and social conditions. Since mental disorders are usually very complex, a variety of different forms of intervention is often required. Combined standardized treatment programs, such as behavioral therapy programs for conflict, stress and anxiety management, the integrated psychological therapy program for schizophrenic patients or neuropsychological training programs, which are used, for example, for brain disorders, have proven effective here. The interventions can be assigned to different areas. These include:

  • Cognition (problem-solving strategies, perception, concentration ability, orientation ability).
  • Psychophysiology (pain management, biofeedback, body awareness, relaxation, neuromuscular reeducation).
  • Social behavior (social perception, strengthening self-control mechanisms, behavioral training, self-confidence training, communication training).
  • Disease management (relapse prevention, disease management, compliance promotion, psychoeducation).
  • Disorder-specific treatment (personality development, conflict and stress management, affect and aggression control, suicide prevention).

The clinical-psychological treatment is oriented to six characteristic features:

  • Choice of means: these include, for example, conversation, interpersonal relationships, and exercise.
  • Treatment functions: Important functions for clinical psychological treatment are prevention, health promotion, rehabilitation, and therapy.
  • Goal orientation: in order to be able to select the right method for a clinical-psychological treatment, a concrete formulation of goals is necessary. It forms the basis for the development of goal-oriented interventions.
  • Theoretical foundation: the treatment must meet criteria regarding empirical research, empirical findings, theories and hypotheses.
  • Evaluation: it is possible to empirically verify whether a treatment is effective.
  • Professional action: Interventions are carried out by experts, with therapist and client actively exchanging ideas. Resource orientation in the course of treatment is also particularly important.

The offer is thereby aimed at individuals, families or couples who suffer from psychiatric illnesses, mental impairments or chronic or acute stress reactions. These include:

  • Acute crises or difficult situations such as separation, death, disaster experienced or violence.
  • Anxiety that is situational, such as before chemotherapy or surgery.
  • Psychosomatic complaints
  • School problems or developmental disorders
  • Sexual problems occurring in the context of mental or physical illness.

Diagnosis and examination methods

In the context of diagnosis, the presence or degree of expression of various psychological characteristics should be examined. For this purpose, the following test methods are available:

  • Performance tests (these include aptitude tests, school tests, general performance tests, intelligence tests, developmental tests).
  • Psychometric personality tests (this includes personality structure tests, attitude and interest tests, clinical tests).
  • Personality developmental procedures (this includes drawing and design procedures, Verbal-thematic procedures).

In addition, a number of computer-assisted diagnostic procedures are also used, including, for example, the Hogrefe test system or the Vienna test system. If stressful situations must be managed, it is called a crisis intervention. Since crises proceed in phases, special interventions are used in the individual phases, enabling those affected to reorient themselves. In the context of a clinical-psychological consultation, the therapist imparts specialist knowledge for certain disturbance patterns or ways in which these can be changed. In contrast to clinical psychological treatment, counseling is a solution-oriented and short-term intervention. In this process, clients are provided with decision-making tools and information, and the concern is worked out. As a result, behavior change can be initiated, but individuals are not followed for an extended period of time.