Clinical Psychological Science

Clinical Psychological Science

Clinical psychological science is both the most recognisable and sought after postgraduate training program in psychology. At the same time, it’s also probably the most misunderstood. Every year, the University of Southern Queensland receives over 300 applications for somewhere between 25 and 30 positions in its Master of Clinical Psychology program. It’s highly competitive owing to the large number of applicants and relatively few positions available in the program, and this pattern is common among other clinical psychology graduate programs throughout Australia. The purpose of this chapter is to educate undergraduate students about the many facets of clinical psychology. In this chapter, we’ll define clinical psychology, the scope of practice and research, discuss training paths, and provide examples of careers in clinical psychology. The goal of this chapter is to educate students about clinical psychology, the training needed to become a clinical psychologist, and provide models of how the different facets of clinical psychology are practiced in various settings.