Dear Readers, This six-part series is intended to demystify psychology. Like most professions, we have many subspecialties: school psychologists, forensic (legal), industrial (work place), research (animal behavior), and others. Clinical psychologists provide therapy of which the core goal of success depends on a collaborative process with therapist and client.
Decades ago, the term "patient" was used because psychoanalysis was the accepted general therapy where you lie on the couch and rambled about your shit relationship with your ice-box mother; your absent or over-bearing father; and/or your poor childhood as the sickly, rebellious, or just simply the middle child. Your childhood was the central focus because psychology/psychiatry was playing by old Freudian rulebooks and hadn’t advanced to helping people with normal-enough upbringings to deal with overwhelming daily problems. Today, “patient" is used if you are briefly at a psychiatric facility, generally because you are dangerous to yourself or others, or gravely disabled, and need 24° supervision.
But, if you sit on my demure office chair, you are a "client." By your own free will, you have hired me as a clinical psychologist because I specialize in diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral health issues. Typically, we work on your interpersonal problems and your interaction with your world. We don’t dwell on the past but together figure out what’s impeding your progress today and give you the tools you need to solve it yourself. Don’t be shy; everything that happens in therapy is protected by confidentiality (see Part 1 of this series). My colleagues and I are here to help you to help yourself.
Whether a client or patient, I'm still the doctor, because, well, I am. Not a medical doctor. I can't prescribe medication, but I worked my ass off to earn that degree, that Ph.D., Doctor of Psychology. Eight years post high school AND 5,000 hours of clinical supervision before allowed to sit for the state licensing exam, and another 2,500 supervised hours after. Then, I'm a licensed clinical psychologist in good standing.
Our appointment begins, either by telehealth (very popular since COVID-19) or sitting in my office, Kleenex box nearby. I ask, after a brief meet and greet, and your signature on all the disclosures, "What brings you here today?" And the work begins, together.
I welcome your thoughts and questions. It has been my pleasure writing this series to unveil some of the common misconceptions of psychology. It really can be a magical experience where clients transform into even better versions of themselves. -SQ
*This information is based on California rules and laws.
