Definition of Clinical Psychology

Clinical Psychology is teh application of knowledge about human behaviour to the assessment, diagnosis and/or treatment of idividuals with disorders of behaviour, emotions and thought.

All members of the College of Psychologists require the following minimum working knowledge base:

A psychology degree or equivalent in a related discipline is required. More importantly, students must have completed numerous senior psychology courses which are considered Foundational Knowledge to the profession of psychology and are typically met at the undergraduate level. Those with a degree in psychology typically have most of these Foundational Knowledge (using ACPRO language) or General Psychology Core Content Courses (using CPA language) addressed. More information on the foundational knowledge is in the ACPRO Position Statement and CPA accreditation resources.

The basic knowledge for the discipline that is typically met at the undergraduate level includes 1) biological bases of behaviour & psychopharmacology; 2) cognitive and affective bases of behaviour; 3) social and cultural bases of behavior; 4) individual differences, diversity, growth, and lifespan development; and 5) the history of psychology.

It is common for clinical psychology students to have to take 1 or 2 of these core content courses after entering the clinical program, but we will not admit students whose undergraduate training does not address most of the core content areas of psychology.

In addition to the above minimum knowledge base, members practising Clinical Psychology require the following:

Core comptencies of a clinical psychologist

Foundational and functional competencies of a clinical psychologist

* It is the view of the Registration Committee that in the practice of clinical psychology, one must know what is wrong with the client in order to treat the client and evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. Therefore, the ability to communicate a differential diagnosis must apply to any psychologist or psychological associate practising in the area of clinical psychology. Individuals working in the area of clinical psychology who do not meet these criteria may expect to have their practice restricted.