Clinical Psychology

consultants to business and industry—in any orga-
nization that recognizes the importance of keeping
its employees or members well. As we will discuss
in Chapter 3, this specialty is likely to profit most
from the sweeping changes in health care.
In both research and practice, the focus of
rehabilitation psychologists is on people who are
physically or cognitively disabled. The disability
may result from a birth defect or later illness or
injury. Rehabilitation psychologists help indivi-
duals adjust to their disabilities and the physical,
psychological, social, and environmental barriers
that often accompany them. Thus, they advocate
for the improvement of life conditions for those
with disabilities and help develop and promote
legislation to promote this cause (e.g., the
Americans with Disabilities Act). Rehabilitation
psychologists often work at acute care facilities,
medical centers, rehabilitation institutes and hospi-
tals, community agencies, VA hospitals, and uni-
versities. In addition to clinical care, rehabilitation

psychologists may provide expert testimony in

insurance cases, conduct testing, and serve on

interdisciplinary teams.

Psychiatric Nurses. We have long been aware of

the role of psychiatric nurses. Because they spend

many hours in close contact with patients, they are

not only in a position to provide information about

patients’ hospital adjustment but also can play a

crucial and sensitive role in fostering an appropriate

therapeuticenvironment. Workingin close collabora-

tion with the psychiatrist or the clinical psychologist,

they (along with those they supervise—attendants,

nurse’s aides, volunteers, etc.) implement therapeutic

recommendations. Certified nurse practitioners now

have prescription privileges in all but a few states in the

United States. Therefore, nurses may be used increas-

ingly in the front line of mental health services.

Others. Most well-staffed hospitals employ a

variety of other therapeutic personnel, including

occupational therapists, recreational therapists, art

therapists, and so on. By virtue of their training

and experience, these people can play a vital adjunc-

tive role in enhancing the adjustment patterns of

patients. They can teach skills that will help patients

in a variety of non-hospital settings. They can help

make hospitalization a more tolerable experience,

and they can provide outlets that increase the thera-

peutic value of institutions. Whether their role is to

help put patients in touch with their feelings via art,

music, gardening, or dancing or to enhance patients’

personal and social skills, the contributions of such

therapeutic personnel are significant.

People who are trained to assist professional

mental health workers are called paraprofessionals,

and their role has expanded greatly in recent

years. Volunteers are often provided short training

sessions and then become the most visible personnel

in crisis centers (both walk-in and telephone). Cer-

tain paraprofessional activities have become

accepted practice. Research indicates strongly that

the efforts of paraprofessionals can effectively sup-

plement the work of professionals (e.g., see Chris-

tensen & Jacobson, 1994). We will discuss this issue

extensively in Chapter 16.

Psychiatric nurses often work on a team of mental health
providers.

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CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION 11