Five years after enrolling, she was awarded the
Ph.D. and began her career as a staff psychologist in
a tri-county outpatient clinic. Four years later, we
have a typical week in the life of Dr. Karen C.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
8:00–9:00A.M.Staff meeting. This meeting is
devoted to a variety of activities, including
discussion of cases, agency policy and
problems, insurance questions, and other
administrative business.
9:00–10:00A.M.Psychotherapy. The current
case is that of a moderately depressed 48-
year-old woman who was recently
divorced. Mrs. G. is showing gradual
improvement, and the prospect of hospi-
talization seems to have passed. Dr. C. is
using what might be termed an eclectic
form of psychotherapy that is generally
cognitive-behavioral in flavor.
10:00–10:30A.M.Psychotherapy. This
patient, Sam F., is 19 years old. He has
history of multiple arrests for shoplifting
and public intoxication. His intellectual
potential is limited, and his difficulties in
school led him to drop out of high school
at age 16. Dr. C. is using a behavior
therapy to focus in on enhancing Sam F.’s
repertoire of social skills and decreasing
the frequency of his maladaptive
behaviors.
10:30A.M.–12:00 noon.This time period is
reserved for psychological testing, both for
Dr. C.’s patients and for the patients of
other therapists. Typically, intelligence
tests and self-report questionnaires are
administered by Dr. C. Occasionally, she
also conducts neuropsychological
assessment.
1:00–2:00P.M.Clinical supervision. The local
university places several interns with
Dr. C.’s agency. This period is devoted to
supervising their psychotherapy and their
diagnostic efforts. The supervision of twoM.A.-level psychologists employed by the
agency is also included here.
2:00–3:00P.M.Psychotherapy. Bob S. is a
university student. His major difficulty is
moderate depression and feelings of alien-
ation. Dr. C. has tried a variety of thera-
peutic techniques, but nothing has seemed
to work. Although the patient has been
able to continue with his classes so far, the
prospects of hospitalization seem to be
increasing.
3:00–4:30P.M.Group psychotherapy. This
period is devoted to the treatment of a
group of six men from diverse back-
grounds who have alcohol dependence.
The group treatment approach is largely
supportive, and Dr. C. encourages and
reinforces abstinence from alcohol.
4:30–5:00P.M.This time is typically devoted
to report writing, administrative duties,
and responding to the day’s e-mail.Tuesday, Thursday
8:00–10:00A.M.Dr. C. is engaged in a
research project to determine whether
certain psychological test responses (e.g.,
from the MMPI-2) can be used to predict
responsiveness to various forms of therapy.
Dr. C. is using cases from her own agency
along with cases from four other local
clinics and institutions.
10:00A.M.–12:00 noon. Psychological testing.
1:00–3:00P.M.Dr. C. is a consultant to the
local school system. She serves four schools
and meets with teachers to discuss their
handling of specific problem children. She
provides consultation for the school psy-
chologist as well.
3:00–5:00P.M.Dr. C. is advising a local
institution for patients with mental retar-
dation on the establishment of a token
economy. The goal is to upgrade the self-
care habits of a group of adolescents and
young adults in the institution. It is hopedCLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION 19