Clinical Psych

Clinical Psychologist

A professional with a Doctorate (PhD or PsyD), state licensed, who performs assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, research, and consultation, especially with severe mental illness.

Counseling Psychologist

A doctorate-level professional similar to clinical psychologists, focusing more on vocational, educational, and group adjustments rather than severe mental illness.

Psychiatrist

A medical doctor (MD or DO) who prescribes medications and focuses on the medical model of treatment, involving less talk therapy.

LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)

A master's level professional with a state license who provides therapy and case management, linking clients to community services.

LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor)

A master's level counselor, licensed to provide therapy and assessment but typically not able to conduct complex neuropsychological testing.

School Psychologist

A master's level professional certified to work in schools, focusing on assessment and educational needs rather than therapy.

Pre-doctoral Internship

A one-year full-time clinical internship required as part of the training to become a clinical psychologist, with a competitive match process.

DSM-III

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual published in 1980, which marked a major shift in diagnosis with specific criteria for 265 disorders.

MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool (MacCAT)

A semi-structured interview used to assess an individual's competence in legal situations.

Eugenics

A discredited belief system advocating for the improvement of human populations through controlled breeding for desirable traits.

Blind/Double-Blind

Methods in clinical trials where the patient does not know the treatment condition (blind) and neither the patient nor the researcher knows (double-blind) to prevent bias.

Cultural Awareness

Recognizing and understanding one's own cultural perspective and demonstrating humility in working with diverse populations.

Functional Incompetence

The inability of an individual to understand, appreciate, reason, and express a choice due to cognitive deficits.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.

Health Psychology

The study of psychological influences on health, illness, and the behavior of patients and health care providers.

Competency vs. Capacity

Competency is a legal determination of a person's ability to make decisions, while capacity refers to a professional's assessment of the person's ability to make informed treatment decisions.

Dialects Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

A type of cognitive-behavioral therapy specifically designed for treating borderline personality disorder and emotional dysregulation.

Meta-Analysis

A statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies to identify patterns and strengths of effects.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A psychotherapeutic approach that considers that thoughts cause feelings and behaviors and focuses on changing dysfunctional thoughts.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A projective psychological test consisting of inkblots where the subject's interpretations may provide insight into their personality and thought processes.

Alzheimer's Disease

The most common form of dementia, characterized by impaired memory, executive function, and gradual cognitive decline.

Forensic Psychology

A field at the intersection of psychology and the legal system, focusing on assessment, intervention, and research pertaining to legal issues.