involvement with the everyday lives and stresses of
their patients. They are more likely to visit the
home, the workplace, or the street—the places
where their patients spend the bulk of their lives.
Their role tends to be active, and they are less con-
cerned with the abstract, theoretical generalizations
that can be drawn from a particular case than they
are with the practical matters of living.
Many clinical social workers are employed by
public agencies of one sort or another. Some find
their way into private practice, where their work in
individual or family therapy is often indistinguish-
able from that of psychiatrists or clinical psycholo-
gists. Other clinical social workers function as part
of the mental health team (including psychiatrists
and clinical psychologists) in hospitals, social service
agencies, or mental health clinics.
The field of social work appears to be growing
tremendously. It is estimated that social workers pro-
vide more than half of all the nation’s mental health
services, and social workers are likely to gain an even
greater foothold in the mental health market in the
future because they are a low-cost alternative to psy-
chiatrists and psychologists. Enrollment in social
work programs continues to increase, and the num-
ber of clinical social workers is predicted to continue
rising, perhaps by as much as 30% from 2004 to 2014
(Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.org)..)
School Psychologists. School psychologists work
with students, educators, parents, and school
administrators to promote the intellectual, social,
and emotional growth of school-age children and
adolescents. Toward this end, school psychologists
may conduct psychological and educational assess-
ments, develop learning programs and evaluate
their effectiveness, and consult with teachers, par-
ents, and school officials. To take one example, a
school psychologist may develop a program to assist
the development of children with special intellec-
tual, emotional, or social needs. This might begin
with an evaluation of the children in question, fol-
lowed by recommendations concerning special
programs, treatment, or placement if necessary. In
addition, the school psychologist might consult
with teachers and school officials on the
implementation of the programs as well as issues
of school policy or classroom management.
School psychologists are in high demand, as
U.S. laws require that children who may require
special educational resources must receive a thor-
ough educational assessment. School psychologists
conduct the majority of these assessments, and
thus, there is a great need for school psychologists
to evaluate the intellectual ability and academic
achievement of youth, many of whom remain on
waiting lists for months or years until someone is
available to conduct an evaluation. The majority of
school psychologists work in schools, but some also
work in nurseries, day-care centers, hospitals,
clinics, and even penal institutions. A few are in
private practice. There are about 60 APA-
accredited programs in school psychology, and
approximately 200 doctoral degrees in school
psychology were awarded by these programs in
2009 – 2010 (Kohut & Wicherski, 2010).Health and Rehabilitation Psychologists. Al-
though many health and rehabilitation psychologists
have doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, there is
no requirement for this. Indeed, counseling, social,
and experimental psychologists, for example, may
specialize in either health or rehabilitation psychol-
ogy. Such specialization typically occurs at the grad-
uate and postdoctoral level. Because Chapter 17 of
this book discusses both health and rehabilitation
psychology in more detail, only a brief introduction
will be provided here.
The field of health psychology has emerged in
the last few decades and continues to grow rapidly.
Health psychologistsare those who, through their
research or practice, contribute to the promotion
and maintenance of good health. They are also
involved in the prevention and treatment of illness.
They may design, execute, and study programs to
help people stop smoking, manage stress, lose
weight, or stay fit. Because this is an emerging
field, those in it come from a variety of back-
grounds, including clinical psychology, counseling
psychology, social psychology, and others. Many
health psychologists are employed in medical
centers, but increasingly they are serving as10 CHAPTER 1