Clinical and Counseling Psychology – it is the branch of → If dementia is present, a progressive decline
psychology that has as its primary focus on the in test performance will be noted.
prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of abnormal → Periodic testing with various instruments may
behavior. also provide information about the kinds of
Clinical psychologists tend to focus their research activities the patient should be advised to pursue
and treatment efforts on the more severe forms of as well as the kinds of activities the patient
behavior pathology. should be encouraged to curtail or give up
entirely.
Counseling psychologists focus more on “everyday”
types of concerns and problems, such as those → Case history data will provide some way to
related to marriage, family, academics, and career. estimate the patient’s level of premorbid
→ Members of both professions strive to foster functioning – level of psychological and physical
personal growth in their clients. performance prior to the development of a
The tools employed in the process of assessment disorder, an illness, or a disability.
overlap considerably. What type of treatment shall this patient be offered?
→ Intelligence, personality, self-concept, cognitive → Tools of assessment can help guide decisions
style—would be appropriate for clinical and relating to treatment.
counseling assessment. → Trends in the measurement data may contribute
to critical decisions regarding level of
An Overview supervision within the institution, strength of
medication administered, and date of discharge.
Tools of assessment are frequently used to:
How can this person’s personality best be described?
1. Clarify the psychological problem
→ Gaining an understanding of the individual need
2. Make a diagnosis
not focus on psychopathology.
3. Design a treatment plan
→ People who do not have any mental disorder
Clinical assessment may be undertaken for various
sometimes seek psychotherapy for personal
reasons:
growth or support in coping with a difficult set
Does this patient have a mental disorder? If so, what is of life circumstances.
the diagnosis?
→ In such instances, interviews and personality
→ The data derived from tests (e.g., Weschler tests tests geared more to the normal testtaker might
or MMPI-3) may provide the clinician with initial be employed.
hypotheses about the nature of the individual’s
Which treatment approach is most effective? or What
difficulties, which will then guide the interview.
kind of client tends to benefit most from a particular
→ Test data can confirm or refute hypotheses made kind of treatment?
on the basis of the clinical interview.
→ The researcher would use a variety of
→ Case history data can be used if the patient is assessment tools to combine subjects into
not cooperative during testing. treatment groups and then to measure outcome
→ Other sources of information (i.e., third-party in psychotherapy.
accounts) can also be used. → Counseling psychologists who do employment
What is this person’s current level of functioning? How counseling may use a wide variety of assessment
does this level of functioning compare with that of tools to help determine not only what
other people of the same age? occupations a person might enjoy but also which
→ E.g., A diagnosis of dementia may involve occupations would be sufficiently challenging
tracking the individual’s performance with yet not overwhelming.
repeated administrations of tests of cognitive → School psychologists and counseling
ability, including memory. psychologists working in a school setting may
, assist students with a wide variety of problems, as having been acquired through the Darwinian
including those related to studying. process of natural selection.
Wakefield’s attribution of disorder:
THE DIAGNOSIS OF MENTAL DISORDERS
A scientific judgment that such an
Frequently an objective of clinical assessment is to evolutionary failure exists.
diagnose mental disorders. The reference source A value judgment that this failure is harmful
used for making such diagnoses is the American to the individual.
Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical In contrast to the evolutionary view of disorder are
Manual (DSM). myriad other views.
DSM-5 lists all the criteria that have to be met in Klein argued that “proper evolutionary function”
order to diagnose each of the disorders listed. is not known and that behavior labeled
“disordered” may be the product of various
→ DSM-5 also contains a listing of conditions that
involuntary causes (such as disease) or even
may not be officially named as psychiatric
voluntary causes (such as role-playing or
disorders until further research has been
malingering).
completed.
Others have weighed in on this controversial
It permits clinicians and researchers to “speak the
issue by illuminating the role of and by
same language” by providing a kind of shorthand
championing alternative vantage points, such as
identification of patients’ varied psychological
focusing on the issue at the level of the neuron.
condition.
Some have suggested that the concept of
DSM-5 is more culturally sensitive than any of its
disorder is so broad that it need not have any
predecessors. There is a section in it which lists
defining properties.
cultural concepts of distress.
Ideally, the terms for classification in any diagnostic Biopsychosocial Assessment – it is a multidisciplinary
system should be so clearly defined that two approach to assessment that includes exploration of
diagnosticians who are reasonably skilled in relevant biological, psychological, social, cultural, and
psychodiagnostics, and who use the same environmental variables for the purpose of evaluating
procedures, should routinely make the same how such variables may have contributed to the
diagnosis when independently presented with the development and maintenance of a presenting problem.
same patient to diagnose. → This approach encourages input from virtually
Incidence – the rate (annual, monthly, weekly, daily, or any discipline that can provide relevant insights
when such input can be put to use in better
other) of new occurrences of a particular disorder or
understanding the problem and effectively
condition in a particular population.
intervening to remedy it.
Prevalence – the approximate proportion of individuals in
→ Studies focusing on various aspects of physical
a given population at a given point (or range) in time
health, for example, have noted that
who have been diagnosed or otherwise labeled with a
psychological factors such as fatalism, self-
particular disorder or condition.
efficacy, and social support may play key roles.
Jerome C. Wakefield – he conceptualized mental disorder
Fatalism – the belief that what happens in life is largely
as a “harmful dysfunction.”
beyond a person’s control
A disorder is a harmful failure of internal
Self-Efficacy – confidence in one’s own ability to
mechanisms to perform their naturally selected
accomplish a task
functions.
Wakefield’s position is an evolutionary view of Social Support - expressions of understanding,
mental disorder because the internal acceptance, empathy, love, advice, guidance, care,
mechanisms that break down or fail are viewed concern, or trust from friends, family, community
caregivers, or others in one’s social environment.
psychology that has as its primary focus on the in test performance will be noted.
prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of abnormal → Periodic testing with various instruments may
behavior. also provide information about the kinds of
Clinical psychologists tend to focus their research activities the patient should be advised to pursue
and treatment efforts on the more severe forms of as well as the kinds of activities the patient
behavior pathology. should be encouraged to curtail or give up
entirely.
Counseling psychologists focus more on “everyday”
types of concerns and problems, such as those → Case history data will provide some way to
related to marriage, family, academics, and career. estimate the patient’s level of premorbid
→ Members of both professions strive to foster functioning – level of psychological and physical
personal growth in their clients. performance prior to the development of a
The tools employed in the process of assessment disorder, an illness, or a disability.
overlap considerably. What type of treatment shall this patient be offered?
→ Intelligence, personality, self-concept, cognitive → Tools of assessment can help guide decisions
style—would be appropriate for clinical and relating to treatment.
counseling assessment. → Trends in the measurement data may contribute
to critical decisions regarding level of
An Overview supervision within the institution, strength of
medication administered, and date of discharge.
Tools of assessment are frequently used to:
How can this person’s personality best be described?
1. Clarify the psychological problem
→ Gaining an understanding of the individual need
2. Make a diagnosis
not focus on psychopathology.
3. Design a treatment plan
→ People who do not have any mental disorder
Clinical assessment may be undertaken for various
sometimes seek psychotherapy for personal
reasons:
growth or support in coping with a difficult set
Does this patient have a mental disorder? If so, what is of life circumstances.
the diagnosis?
→ In such instances, interviews and personality
→ The data derived from tests (e.g., Weschler tests tests geared more to the normal testtaker might
or MMPI-3) may provide the clinician with initial be employed.
hypotheses about the nature of the individual’s
Which treatment approach is most effective? or What
difficulties, which will then guide the interview.
kind of client tends to benefit most from a particular
→ Test data can confirm or refute hypotheses made kind of treatment?
on the basis of the clinical interview.
→ The researcher would use a variety of
→ Case history data can be used if the patient is assessment tools to combine subjects into
not cooperative during testing. treatment groups and then to measure outcome
→ Other sources of information (i.e., third-party in psychotherapy.
accounts) can also be used. → Counseling psychologists who do employment
What is this person’s current level of functioning? How counseling may use a wide variety of assessment
does this level of functioning compare with that of tools to help determine not only what
other people of the same age? occupations a person might enjoy but also which
→ E.g., A diagnosis of dementia may involve occupations would be sufficiently challenging
tracking the individual’s performance with yet not overwhelming.
repeated administrations of tests of cognitive → School psychologists and counseling
ability, including memory. psychologists working in a school setting may
, assist students with a wide variety of problems, as having been acquired through the Darwinian
including those related to studying. process of natural selection.
Wakefield’s attribution of disorder:
THE DIAGNOSIS OF MENTAL DISORDERS
A scientific judgment that such an
Frequently an objective of clinical assessment is to evolutionary failure exists.
diagnose mental disorders. The reference source A value judgment that this failure is harmful
used for making such diagnoses is the American to the individual.
Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical In contrast to the evolutionary view of disorder are
Manual (DSM). myriad other views.
DSM-5 lists all the criteria that have to be met in Klein argued that “proper evolutionary function”
order to diagnose each of the disorders listed. is not known and that behavior labeled
“disordered” may be the product of various
→ DSM-5 also contains a listing of conditions that
involuntary causes (such as disease) or even
may not be officially named as psychiatric
voluntary causes (such as role-playing or
disorders until further research has been
malingering).
completed.
Others have weighed in on this controversial
It permits clinicians and researchers to “speak the
issue by illuminating the role of and by
same language” by providing a kind of shorthand
championing alternative vantage points, such as
identification of patients’ varied psychological
focusing on the issue at the level of the neuron.
condition.
Some have suggested that the concept of
DSM-5 is more culturally sensitive than any of its
disorder is so broad that it need not have any
predecessors. There is a section in it which lists
defining properties.
cultural concepts of distress.
Ideally, the terms for classification in any diagnostic Biopsychosocial Assessment – it is a multidisciplinary
system should be so clearly defined that two approach to assessment that includes exploration of
diagnosticians who are reasonably skilled in relevant biological, psychological, social, cultural, and
psychodiagnostics, and who use the same environmental variables for the purpose of evaluating
procedures, should routinely make the same how such variables may have contributed to the
diagnosis when independently presented with the development and maintenance of a presenting problem.
same patient to diagnose. → This approach encourages input from virtually
Incidence – the rate (annual, monthly, weekly, daily, or any discipline that can provide relevant insights
when such input can be put to use in better
other) of new occurrences of a particular disorder or
understanding the problem and effectively
condition in a particular population.
intervening to remedy it.
Prevalence – the approximate proportion of individuals in
→ Studies focusing on various aspects of physical
a given population at a given point (or range) in time
health, for example, have noted that
who have been diagnosed or otherwise labeled with a
psychological factors such as fatalism, self-
particular disorder or condition.
efficacy, and social support may play key roles.
Jerome C. Wakefield – he conceptualized mental disorder
Fatalism – the belief that what happens in life is largely
as a “harmful dysfunction.”
beyond a person’s control
A disorder is a harmful failure of internal
Self-Efficacy – confidence in one’s own ability to
mechanisms to perform their naturally selected
accomplish a task
functions.
Wakefield’s position is an evolutionary view of Social Support - expressions of understanding,
mental disorder because the internal acceptance, empathy, love, advice, guidance, care,
mechanisms that break down or fail are viewed concern, or trust from friends, family, community
caregivers, or others in one’s social environment.
