Exploring Health Professions

Clincal Psychology

Starting in the second half of the 20th century, Clinical Psychology is the newest of the four traditional mental health professions. The essence of clinical psychology is the use of psychological techniques to ameliorate emotional and mental problems by changing behavior, feelings, thoughts and environments. In addition to providing treatment, the clinical psychologist is the mental health professional most highly trained in the science of psychology and in psychological measurement. Thus while the clinical psychologist duplicates many functions of the other traditional mental health professions of psychiatry (requires a medical degree), social work and psychiatric nursing, the clinical psychologist is particularly expert in psychological testing and in research in mental illness.

Clinical psychologists are licensed to practice in all fifty states. The doctoral degree in clinical psychology is the credential required to be a clinical psychologist. Doctoral training involves both course work and clinical experience for a minimum of four years of graduate work. Entrance into graduate clinical psychology programs is highly competitive and both excellent undergraduate grades and excellent performance on the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) are necessary in order to be a serious candidate for admission.

In addition to private practice, clinical psychologists work in a large variety of settings including hospitals, clinics, schools and business organizations.

Tufts has a rather unique undergraduate major emphasizing the clinical aspect of psychology so that students might have a better knowledge of this field before applying to graduate school. The Psychology Department at Tufts has more information on the requirements for graduate study in clinical psychology. You also can contact the American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20002-4242, 800-374-2721, www.apa.org for further information.