Glossary

Showing 38 terms.

Case formulation Original elaboration

A clinician's explanatory account of how a person's difficulties developed and are maintained, used to guide intervention.

See: Biopsychosocial formulation

Checklist / inventory Textbook concept

A brief standardised questionnaire assessing one or more problem areas or traits.

See: Behavioural observation, self-monitoring and checklists

Child clinical psychology Textbook concept

The specialisation concerned with the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents and families.

See: Areas of specialisation

Clarification Textbook concept

An interviewing skill: asking questions to resolve ambiguity in what a client has said.

See: Clinical interviewing and the mental status examination

Classical conditioning Textbook concept

Learning in which a neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response after being paired with a stimulus that naturally produces it.

See: The behavioural approach

Client-centred case consultation Textbook concept

Consultation focused on helping the consultee with a particular client's problem.

See: Consultation, teaching and administrative roles

Client-centred therapy Textbook concept

Carl Rogers's humanistic therapy, in which empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence enable clients' growth.

See: The humanistic approach

Clinical health psychology Textbook concept

The specialisation applying behavioural science to physical health, illness prevention and coping with medical conditions.

See: Areas of specialisation

Clinical internship Textbook concept

A full-time, supervised clinical training year required before the doctorate in US clinical psychology programmes.

See: Becoming a clinical psychologist

Clinical judgement Textbook concept

The process by which clinicians combine information to make decisions; vulnerable to cognitive biases.

See: Clinical inference, judgement and assessment reports

Clinical neuropsychology Textbook concept

The specialisation focused on brain–behaviour relationships and the assessment and rehabilitation of cognitive impairment.

See: Areas of specialisation

Clinical psychology Textbook concept

The field that applies psychological science to the assessment, treatment, prevention and study of psychological and behavioural problems.

See: What is clinical psychology?

Clinical significance Textbook concept

Whether a change produced by treatment makes a meaningful difference in a person's functioning, as opposed to being merely statistically detectable.

See: Treatment outcome research and evidence appraisal

Cognitive distortions Original elaboration

Systematic errors in thinking such as catastrophising, all-or-nothing thinking and mind reading.

See: The cognitive and cognitive-behavioural approach

Cognitive restructuring Contemporary update

A CBT technique for identifying, evaluating and modifying unhelpful thoughts.

See: The cognitive and cognitive-behavioural approach

Cognitive-behavioural approach Textbook concept

An approach combining cognitive and behavioural principles, emphasising present-focused, measurable change in thoughts and behaviour.

See: The cognitive and cognitive-behavioural approach, Theoretical models: why orientation matters

Common factors Textbook concept

Elements shared by many therapies, such as the therapeutic relationship and expectations of improvement, that contribute to outcome.

See: Integrative psychotherapy, Essential questions about psychotherapy

Community mental health movement Textbook concept

A 1960s movement to shift care from institutions to local community services.

See: Recent history: from the Second World War to today

Competence (ethical) Textbook concept

The obligation to practise only within the limits of one's training, experience and supervision, and to maintain skills.

See: Ethical principles and standards

Confidentiality Textbook concept

The professional duty to protect information shared by clients, subject to limits defined by law and ethics.

See: Ethical decision-making, confidentiality limits and risk, Ethical principles and standards

Confirmation bias Contemporary update

The tendency to seek and favour information that confirms an existing belief or hypothesis.

See: Clinical inference, judgement and assessment reports

Congruence Textbook concept

In client-centred therapy, the therapist's genuineness; also, in Rogers's theory, consistency between self-concept and experience.

See: The humanistic approach

Construct validity Contemporary update

The extent to which a measure behaves as theory predicts, including convergent and discriminant relationships.

See: Psychometrics: reliability, validity and screening accuracy

Consultation Textbook concept

Applying psychological knowledge to help others with problems in their own professional settings.

See: Consultation, teaching and administrative roles, What is clinical psychology?

Consultee-centred administrative consultation Textbook concept

Consultation aimed at improving the functioning of administrators or staff in an organisation.

See: Consultation, teaching and administrative roles

Consultee-centred case consultation Textbook concept

Consultation focused on improving the consultee's own skills, knowledge or objectivity through discussion of a case.

See: Consultation, teaching and administrative roles

Contingency management Textbook concept

Behavioural interventions that change the consequences of behaviour, for example by rewarding desired behaviours.

See: The behavioural approach

Controlled observation Textbook concept

Observation in a structured situation designed to elicit the behaviour of interest, such as a role play.

See: Behavioural observation, self-monitoring and checklists

Core beliefs Original elaboration

Deep, global beliefs about self, others and the world that shape how situations are interpreted.

See: The cognitive and cognitive-behavioural approach

Correlational method Textbook concept

Research that measures the association between variables without manipulating them; cannot establish causation alone.

See: Research design and validity

Counselling psychology Textbook concept

A related profession focusing on adjustment, development, vocational and relationship concerns, often with a strengths emphasis.

See: What is clinical psychology?

Counterconditioning Textbook concept

Replacing an unwanted conditioned response with an incompatible one, such as pairing relaxation with a feared stimulus.

See: The behavioural approach

Countertransference Textbook concept

The therapist's emotional reactions to a client, which can interfere with or inform therapy.

See: The psychodynamic approach

Couples therapy Textbook concept

Psychotherapy with two partners together, focused on their relationship.

See: Psychotherapy: goals, stages and modes

Crisis interview Textbook concept

A rapid, focused interview addressing immediate safety and needs during a crisis.

See: Clinical interviewing and the mental status examination

Cross-sectional design Textbook concept

Research comparing different groups at a single point in time.

See: Research design and validity

Cultural adaptation Contemporary update

Modifying an intervention's language, examples, format or delivery to fit a cultural context while retaining its active ingredients.

See: Evidence-based practice, diversity and lifelong learning

Cultural humility Contemporary update

An ongoing stance of self-reflection, curiosity and respect toward clients' cultures, recognising the limits of one's own perspective.

See: Ethical decision-making, confidentiality limits and risk, Evidence-based practice, diversity and lifelong learning