Psychology Top‑importance

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July - December 2006 January - May 2007

Archived the talk page again. The last edit was in May, so it seemed like a good time to give this page a fresh start. Ash(talk) 01:34, 16 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Please add your opinion below.

• No. The Self-acceptance article is a shallow stub with no substantive information. It has very little to do with clinical psychology and only the vaguest connection with psychotherapy. Ash(talk) 03:16, 16 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I used to edit this article under the name Psykhosis (yes, I'm back from "retirement"). —Ash(talk) 02:38, 17 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Great to have you back.--Ziji (talk email) 00:10, 22 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. :) It's amazing what a little distance can do to bring fresh eyes to something. —Ash(talk) 00:31, 22 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It is my impression that the counseling and clinical psych fields are now undifferentiated. In my experience, there is only one license for both fields and they both perform the same internships, in the same environment. Practically, both work in the same field, with the same clients, the differences have dissolved. The distinction the cited article claims may have been more true back when it was written (using sources from the eighties), but in the intervening time, it is my impression that the distinctions have become much less pronounced. I'm not sure how to phrase this and what would classify as a notable source for this, as I was not able to find an article written about this shift, but as it is, I feel this article is outdated. leontes 12:30, 21 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, the paragraph in the article does a good job of pointing out what differences remain, using recent sources (they are not from the 80s, as suggested). I also added a cite from the APA counseling section, Section 17. The practical differences are shrinking, but nevertheless remain, including differences in education, focus, and clinical attitude. —Ash(talk) 15:08, 21 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have retained the comparison in the paragraph, but rephrased as I feel that the distinctions were too strongly drawn. The increase in the prevalence of the short term psychiatric units in hospitals has increased number of Masters level counselor positions available in hospitals and many counselors are now trained in working with abnormal psychology. The article that I think thought was out of date was the 'what's the diff?' article, which I see now has it's references in late nineties rather than eighties has I originally thought: my bad. I'm curious about the "clinical attitude" you speak about, as in my experience clinical psychologists and counselors are quite similar in approach when it comes to psychotherapy, the main difference to me, seems to come between the different theoretical backgrounds, such as the cognitive behaviorists vs the humanists or the relationists. leontes 23:05, 21 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I made another edit because I think your's took away too many distinctions, but mostly kept your additions.

The "clinical attitude" I refer to is based on what I read about counseling... I would perhaps have better said "focus" rather than attitude. In this case, the focus is on problems of every day living. That doesn't mean that counselors don't work on more debilitating problems; they do, just as much as clinical psychologists work on problems of every day living as well. The difference is in training and outlook...based on what I can tell, there does still remain a difference, and it's worth pointing out in the article. As your reference points out: "Mental health counseling is a distinct profession with national standards for education, training and clinical practice."[1] —Ash(talk) 01:00, 22 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I rephrased your edits slightly. I believe you'll find that training and outlook is not divergent nowadays. Liscened mental health counselors need two years of clinical experience to get their masters, working in a wide variety of fields, such as mental hospitals, group homes and inpatient and outpatient centers. The most important part of being a counselor is the fact that counselors use psychotherapy and other clinical interventions. Counselors are clinicians first and foremost. Although traditionally, counseling has been so focused, if you continue to read that reference, it should be clear that the population of clients is not limited. Counselors see all populations nowadays, and the fact that counseling is clinical should be the first thing mentioned in the reference, to be clear to readers. leontes 01:19, 22 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Okay, I think we have got a good section. —Ash(talk) 02:07, 23 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. Nice working with you. leontes 02:16, 23 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have passed this article based on the Good Article Criteria. I enjoyed this article, and it's an exemplary bit of work. It's overall interesting to read, and provides a good overview for an outside reader like me. Ideally, a couple more citations could be worked in, but other than that I can't see any major problems. Cheers, Corvus coronoides 20:29, 24 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]