REFLECTIONS ON PSYCHOLOGY AND THERAPEUTIC PROCESS

A patient tells me, half-apologetically, about “talking to AI” between our sessions, and finds it soothing, calming, and reassuring. It is available at three in the morning when the dread arrives. It never tires, never sighs, never glances at the clock. It says the right things.

Throughout the course of my career, many potential patients seem confused about what differentiates clinical psychologists from psychiatrists. In brief, here are some of the important distinctions.

Look-up the term “psychology” in a textbook and usually you will find “the study of behavior and mental processes.” But what kind of study, and what aspects of human life does a psychologist examine?

Years ago, when I was a full-time college professor and even as Director of Training for a graduate program in Clinical Psychology, students approached me with the question: “Isn’t psychology just common sense?” Most often, I would smile, shake my head “no”, and bring up the following ideas.

Many years ago, a prominent psychologist asserted that “there is nothing so practical as a good theory.”