Clinical psychology is the application of psychology to mental illness or mental health problems. The term was introduced in a 1907 paper by the American psychologist Lightner Witmer (1867-1956). Psychology (ancient Greek: psyche = soul and logos = word) is the study of behaviour, mind and thought. ... 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Clinical psychologists are involved in the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of patients with psychiatric disorders, as well as research about all of these areas of clinical practice. Their clinical work may include the use of 'talk therapies' (i.e.,psychotherapy such as cognitive therapy and psychoanalysis), or the use of psychological tests to assess certain aspects of psychological functioning. Psychotherapy is a set of techniques intended to cure or improve psychological and behavioral problems in humans. ... Cognitive therapy or cognitive behavior therapy is a kind of psychotherapy used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, phobias, and other forms of mental disorder. ... Psychoanalysis is a family of psychological theories and methods which attempt to elucidate unconscious relations in a systematic way through an associative process. ... Psychological testing is a field characterized by the use of small samples of behavior in order to infer larger generalizations about a given individual. ...

Some clinical psychologists may specialize in understanding, assessing, and treating brain injury and neurocognitive deficits to become clinical neuropsycholgists. Brain damage or brain injury is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. ... Neurocognitive is a term used to describe cognitive functions closely linked to the function of particular areas, neural pathways, or cortical networks in the brain. ... Clinical neuropsychology is a discipline of psychology that specialises in the clinical assessment and treatment of patients with brain injury or neurocognitive deficits. ...

Prior to the 20th century, there was little, if any, clinical help available for sufferers of mental health problems. In the early 20th century, Sigmund Freud developed a therapy known as psychoanalysis. The practice of psychoanalysis was initially restricted to psychiatrists (medical doctors who specialise in treating mental illness) but is currently practiced by psychologists and other mental health practitioners. Psychoanalytic training is a lengthy endeavour, often taking the analytic candidate, who is already a psychologist or psychiatrist, an additional five to ten years to complete. Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud (May 6, 1856 - September 23, 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychology, a movement that popularized the theory that unconscious motives control much behavior. ... Psychoanalysis is a family of psychological theories and methods which attempt to elucidate unconscious relations in a systematic way through an associative process. ... Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that studies and treats mental and emotional disorders (see mental illness). ...

Clinical psychology developed partly as a result of a need for additional clinicians to treat mental health problems, and partly as psychological science advanced to the stage where the fruits of psychological research could be successfully applied in clinical settings.

See also

• clinical neuropsychology
• mental illness
• psychotherapy
• psychological testing
• Important publications in clinical psychology