A Short Introduction to Clinical Psychology

Setting out the theoretical and practical dimensions of clinical psychology, the authors examine its origins, knowledge base and applications with different client groups, in different contexts and through different modalities (individuals, groups, couples, families and organizations). They also highlight issues affecting everyday practice - from professional relationships to government policy.

Drawing on the first-hand experiences of people who have recently qualified, the book describes the process of training and the transition that takes place from trainee to practitioner. Throughout, the book captures a sense of clinical psychology as a dynamic and changing field which has grown up fast alongside other more established professions involved in mental health care and which is continuing to evolve in response to contemporary needs.

As an overview of the field, A Short Introduction to Clinical Psychology is an ideal text for undergraduate and post-graduate students in psychology and as initial reading for clinical psychology courses.

David Pilgrim is Honorary Professor of Health and Social Policy, University of Liverpool, UK and Visiting Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Southampton. After training and working as a clinical psychologist he completed a PhD examining psychotherapy in the organisational setting of the British NHS. He then went on to complete a Master’s in sociology. He has worked at the boundary between clinical psychology and medical sociology for the past 20 years and has produced over 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals, based upon his research into mental health policy and practice. His years working in the British NHS provided him with extensive everyday experience of the theoretical and policy aspects of mental health expressed in practical settings. One of his books, A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness (3rd edition, Open University Press, 2005), co-authored with Anne Rogers, won the British Medical Association’s medical book of the year award for 2006. Currently he is writing a book on child sexual abuse and public policy.