Clinical Psychology Paper Essay

The great evangelist D.T. Niles once said, Christianity is just one beggar corpulent another beggar where to find bread (Niles, 2010). At its most basic level, clinical psychology is the start musical note of one educated, licensed person using his or her knowledge of human behavior to address, assuage, or other moderate the troubles and concerns of another persons lifewhether they be relational, affective, or physiological. Strictly speaking, clinical psychology is, the assessment, give-and-take, and mind of psychological and behavioral problems and disorders (Plante, 2011, p. 5).Clinical psychology is a scientific endeavor, utilizing the instrument of the scientific rule to inform the practice, procedures, and treatments use to address human problems. There is an interplay that exists between treatment outcome investigate and psychotherapeutics in clinical psychologythe science informs the art and the art informs the science (Plante, 2011). The point of this paper is to archive and compare the history and evolving nature of clinical psychology as well as to consider the particularized case of counseling within the framework of clinical psychology.HistoryHippocratesthe original author of the Hippocratic adjurationformed the first complete, if nave, physiological chronicle of disease and dysfunction (Plante, 2011). He proposed that imbalances in the diversity and quantity of four fluids black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood, caused several emotions and psychological maladjustment, such as sadness, irritability, and anger. It was not until the advents of Plato that it was conceived that the meta bodily realm of the soul could have an effect on the corporeal dobriny. However, it was to Galen that a holistic possibleness of medicate was formed that incorporated the physiological explanations of Hippocrates with the metaphysical explanations of Plato. Even though Galens ideas of bloodletting were flawed, it was a step in the direction of objec tive explanations of illness and disease.During the middle ages the work of Thomas Aquinas, Paracelsus, and Weyer shifted the discussion of psychology away(predicate) from the metaphysical and toward physical explanations of mental illness, such as bodily causes, movements of the stars, and behavior. Furthermore, at the dawn of the Renaissance and into the nineteenth century the veil of shadow and secrecy behind the inner workings of the mind, body, and cell were ripped from his or her places and the mediums of scientific observation and laboratory investigation were instituted in the place of religion and mysticism as the sole explanation of illness.The works of Rush, Bernard, and Pinel during this period of history paved the way for more humane preliminaryes to the abnormal and deviantapproaches that desire to alleviate psychological dysfunction rather than simply separate and restrain the dysfunctional. The birth of psychology halal came on the heels of the publishing of Wu ndts The Elements of Psychophysics in 1850 and James Principles of Psychology in 1890 (Plante, 2011). These publications, along with the institution of the first psychological laboratory by Wundt, culminated in the founding of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1892. The main drive behind the fledgling field of psychology was to measure empirically behavior to the end of understanding the subsidiary components of the mind itself.Hence, when clinical psychology first got on its feet four years later (1896), by means of the opening of the first clinic by Witmer, many psychologists frowned upon the application of the principles of human behavior to clinical situations. This was seen as a step away from a general understanding of human behavior and toward abnormal or dysfunctional psychology. Despite the initial tension between clinical psychology and mainstream psychology, the first formal classes in clinical psychology began in 1904 at the University of Pennsylvania and the first edition of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology was create in 1907.Evolving NatureDespite the disinclination of the APA to embrace an applied approach to psychology, clinical psychology grew quick in the beginning of the twentieth century (Plante, 2011). Going back to Platos contention of the metaphysical affecting the corporeal, Sigmund Freud postulated that unconscious conflict and strife could have a direct outcome on mental and physical illness. The work of Freud shaped and molded the direction of clinical psychology for many decades after his death. Even though it was not until the Boulder Conference of 1949 that the training guidelines for clinical psychology were mapped out and etched in stone, so to speak.One of the main tenets of these guidelines was that clinical psychologists should have a firm understanding of both psychological research and psychotherapy. It was not until the 1950s and on that Freuds ideas of human psychology were exchanged for the alternativ es of humanism, cognitive-behaviorism, and family systems approaches (Plante, 2011). The changes in psychological lieu were precipitated by the put inment of community mental health facilities and the introduction of psychotropic drugs as a treatment of abnormal psychology.Even though these advancements in conception and treatment offered alternatives to the traditional ideas of psychodynamics and behaviorism, no one theory of human psychology proved to explain the entirety of behavior, dysfunction, and cognition. To that end, parsimoniously eclectic approaches to psychology were adoptedsuch as the biopsychosocial theorythat incorporated many of the ideas and practices from the abovementioned perspectives.Current IssuesThe last century of clinical psychology has been characterized by an illness ideology that emphasizes the treatment or preventions of disorders (Maddux, 2008). Even though this approach has utility in the realm of psychotherapy it lacks the ability to enhance the q uality of life for people who do not suffer from some fount of mental illness. Maddux (2008) proposes that a shift toward positive psychologya perspective that stresses human strengths and mental healthshould be pursued. Positive psychology aims to, promote health, happiness, physical fitness, and pleasure, and personal fulfillment through the free pastime of chosen and valued goals (Maddux, 2008, p. 68).By shifting toward positive psychology the strengths of people can be used to promote mental health preemptively as well as combat mental illness. At the drumhead of the implementation of positive psychology is the innovation of virtual reality (VR) as a means to seize patients to manipulate problematic situations related to his or her mental illness without the use of psychotherapy (Riva, 2009). By creating a safe and comfortable virtual environment patients can explore proactive ways to adapt and halfway his or her mental health problems.Research and Statistics in Clinical Co unseling PsychologyRather than approach this section from a structuralist approach (e.g. the ancillary parts of clinical counseling psychology), it seems prudent to offer a specific example of how research and statistics are used and effect clinical counseling psychology. Bakar, Jaafar, Mohamed & Tarmizi (2009) sought to establish a correlation between counseling self-efficacy and trainee counselor performance. Their research found that indeed there is a positive relationship (r(100)=.312p