field of clinical psychology: arriving at a definition, The

Canadian Psychology, May 1996 by Vallis, T Michael, Howes, Janice L

The draft definition was then recirculated to the Section membership (Section Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 1). It was also circulated to each member of the Executive Councils of selected CPA Sections (Health Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology, Family Therapy, Counselling Psychology, Section on Students), the Canadian Council of Clinical Psychology Programs (CCCPP), the Council of Provincial Associations of Psychology (CPAP), and the Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (CRHSPP). Feedback was solicited from each of the organizations, and the definition was again revised based on this feedback.

Finally, as part of the Section activities at the May, 1993 CPA Convention a conversation hour was held to discuss the definition. At the Section Business Meeting following the conversation hour, the definition was approved for use by the Section. It was then submitted to the Board of Directors, and was approved as an official CPA document in May, 1993 (BD 93 - 25).

Content of the Definition

The definition of clinical psychology is reprinted in the appendix, and is subdivided into the following major sections: Preamble; General Principles; Importance of Ethical Standards; Activities of Clinical Psychologists; Clinical Psychology and the Law; Knowledge Base; Training of Clinical Psychologists; Professional Skills of Clinical Psychologists; and, Appendices.

In the Preamble, the rationale for the definition is explained, and limitations of the definition are noted. The Preamble was added to address concerns raised by several reviewers of earlier drafts of the definition (see below). The General Principles section consists of an overview of clinical psychology. In the section that follows, the importance of ethical standards is highlighted. In the Activities of Clinical Psychologists section, general information is provided regarding the range of populations seen, service settings, and types of services provided. The relationship between clinical psychology and the law is discussed in the next section. The following two sections deal with the training of clinical psychologists with regard to knowledge base and the issue of Master's level and Doctoral level training. In the final section, the professional skills of clinical psychologists are highlighted, focusing on assessment, diagnosis, intervention, research, and consultation. The Appendices include lists of the ethical documents that guide the behaviour of clinical psychologists, and the provincial and territorial regulatory bodies in Canada.

RESULTS

Feedback was received from most of the organizations listed above, as well as from a number of individual Section members. As might be expected, comments ranged from positive to negative, with the majority being supportive. Aside from a number of editorial suggestions, concerns about the definition fell into three categories; the issue of entry level requirements, the exclusivity of the definition, and the potential use of the definition in legal and quasi - legal contexts. Each of the concerns expressed was considered as important by the Executive and was addressed in detail.