Compass Psychology aims to provide clinical psychology services to our clients. Many of our clients often wonder what Clinical Psychology is and what they can expect from a session with one of our clinical psychologists.
What is clinical psychology?
In the English-speaking world (i.e. the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, India, New Zealand, etc…), clinical psychologists are seen as professionals with 6 to 9 years of university training to a Masters or Doctoral level who are skilled in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions. If we break down these skills, they look like this:
- Assessment: this refers to the ability of clinical psychologists to give all types of psychological tests to clients, including neuropsychological tests (memory and IQ), personality tests and tests to determine levels of mental health problems, such as measuring symptoms of depression. Clinical psychologists use tests to do initial assessments and then they continue to use tests to determine if clients are responding to the treatment plan. In Finland, as in most countries, only registered psychologists are allowed to interpret these kinds of tests.
- Diagnosis: In many countries clinical psychologists are legally allowed to diagnose mental health conditions. This means that clinical psychologists can look at psychological test results, interview a client and then do a “formulation” to diagnose the client – this is much like how a doctor diagnoses medical conditions and needs to take into account many factors, such as medical history, developmental history, current abilities and presenting symptoms. This complex task is the speciality of clinical psychologists, and it means that clients coming to clinical psychology can expect and ask for a diagnosis, often in written form (a psychological report or a letter). In Finland only medical doctors are legally allowed to offer such a diagnosis, though psychologists working in Finland may send information to a doctor about a potential diagnosis.
- Treatment: Psychologists in Finland usually provide treatment in the form of psychoeducation (education to a client about the mental health condition) and some interventions, usually with a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy basis. In the English-speaking world, Clinical Psychologists are also trained in psychotherapy and undergo intensive supervision, practice and training in psychotherapeutic techniques. In Finland, only registered psychotherapists can provide psychotherapy, and these skills are gained in part-time studies over 3 years after graduation as a psychologist. Clinical psychologists determine what the treatment plan should be (what interventions and therapy is needed) after the assessment and diagnosis have taken place. Clinical psychologists are often also given training in psychopharmacology (medications for mental health conditions), so that they can understand the effects of medication that their clients are taking (such as anti-depressants).
In other parts of the world, clinical psychologists have highly varied training which range from 3 years to 6 years of university training, with or without training in psychotherapy and diagnosis of mental health conditions. This means that while in some countries clinical psychologists are health professionals with the ability to legally diagnose within the medical system, in other countries clinical psychologists are psychologists with an interest in mental health conditions and some additional training but are not able to diagnose and treat mental health conditions or do any therapeutic inverventions.
Clinical Psychologists are usually trained in many different types of therapies, including all the main therapy schools, such as Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioural (CBT), Humanistic/Existential and Family /Systems Therapy, and are taught to choose which therapy to use with which client based on the research evidence. For example, most research evidence suggests that CBT is the best treatment for depression, while for interpersonal conflicts/ relationship problems, Family therapy or psychodynamic therapy would be best. Therefore, a clinical psychologist will always offer a client the most suitable evidence-based treatment for their condition, rather than requiring that a client engage in one type of therapy that may be unsuitable for their condition. Clinical psychology is therefore highly client-oriented and highly adaptable.
To help with their ongoing professional skills, clinical psychologists receive regular, high-quality supervision (for example monthly supervision from a highly trained professional and monthly peer supervision with similarly trained professionals) and attend professional development training for at least 2 to 3 days per year.
What to expect from a session with a Clinical Psychologist?
One thing that should be made clear is that Clinical Psychologists may be trained health professionals, but many are passionate about working with clients in a non-medical model which emphasises aspects of psychotherapeutic treatment such as spirituality, creativity and personal connection. Many of the clinical psychologists working at Compass Psychology prefer to focus on the client-therapist relationship in this way, while others are aware that some clients are seeking care that does not reference the medical model due to previous negative experiences with diagnoses and labelling. You are welcome to discuss your needs with your psychologist to ensure that you receive the treatment you want. All clinical psychologists strive to work towards non-medication interventions where possible and emphasise a bio-psycho-social and person-centred model for each client.
If you would like to book a session with one of the clinical psychologists at Compass Psychology, you can expect the following:
- Questions you may have before booking an appointment
- An initial appointment with questions about your psychological history, family back ground and reasons for coming to an appointment with a psychologist, as well as initial assessment of level of stress/ anxiety or depression.
- Ongoing assessment of your symptoms and discussion of your treatment plan
- Interventions from your psychologist that are relevant to your treatment, including use of different therapeutic interventions
- And all of the above with an emphasis on a good client-therapist relationship!
You can see the different psychologists and their approaches in this list on our About Us page and contact your preferred psychologist directly. Alternatively you can email info@compasspsychology.fi to ask for an intake call with our clinical director, Dr. Hatty Francis-Ehnholm, to determine which clinician is best for you.