Abstract
The training of the clinical psychologist requires the development of competencies in the fields of mental health prevention, health promotion, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness. This training has undergone many changes due to the pandemic, evolution of education, and the translation of clinical practices to an online format. The present proposal focuses on making a review and reflection on the best practices derived from the adaptation of the training of these professionals with a future-oriented look. This chapter seeks to address two critical questions: What practices are necessary for the acquisition of the disciplinary competencies of clinical psychologists? and What didactic strategies were integrated during the COVID-19 pandemic? In the light of the lessons learned from the pandemic, the main tasks to be faced by the clinical psychologist in the face of the new demands of practice that require the creation of programs of psychological intervention and psychosocial support to the community are pointed out.
TopBackground
Two essential developments within clinical psychology are clinical and health psychology and positive psychology (figure 1).
Figure 1. Evolution of the concept of clinical psychology
In the words of Matarazzo (1980), health psychology takes its efforts to the educational contribution to promote and maintain health and to direct its contributions to the prevention and therapy of disease in general. Another contribution is that it aims at improving the health system and health policies.
This direction of psychology emphasizes the different behaviors, attitudes, and the effect of the social environment that account for the maintenance of physical health or illness. This new look at the individual's physical health makes possible a variety of approaches to address it from the perspective of behavioral and attitudinal behavior. Clinical and health psychology is a further step after medical psychology, which began by pointing out a way to understand the patient beyond his or her physical illness and the psychological causality in some illnesses. This advance in psychology points out the necessary vision of understanding not only the disease but also the keys to prevention, that is, how not to get sick.
On the other hand, in the 20th century, positive psychology emerged, initiated by Seligman (1998). The author points out that psychology is not only to offer therapy to “damaged” people but that the perspective of psychology should be oriented to prevention through the study and research of human strengths and virtues.
For Seligman (1998), human beings can use their virtues and strengths as buffers against mental illness, such as the vision of the future, optimism, interpersonal skills, faith, work ethic, hope, perseverance, ability to flow, among others. He also points out how depressive disorders have been explained based exclusively on negative emotions without considering the absence of positive emotions. Therefore, progress in prevention and health promotion requires building personal competencies and resilience (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Telepsychology: Provision of psychological care services such as psychoeducational orientation, counseling and psychotherapy by using telecommunication technologies: telephone, interactive video conferencing, email, chat, websites and social media in synchronous or asynchronous mode AU101: Reference appears to be out of alphabetical order. Please check .
Clinical Supervision: Learning space for students in clinical environments where an expert supervisor gives feedback on the conduct of the cases attended, in a climate of collaboration, supporting the emotional and cognitive well-being of the supervised and their professional growth.
Accompanying Teacher: Role assigned to the supervisor to act as a co-therapist with the student in conducting the online psychological intervention of the Virtual Clinic.
Virtual Laboratory: Clinical Psychological Practices for the acquisition of clinical and communicative skills with the patient.
Virtual Clinic: Online psychological care clinic conducted by accompanying professors/supervisors and students in rotation of the Clinical Psychology program.
Debriefing: A stage of reflection on the findings of the learning experience obtained in the simulation or role-play. In which the teacher acts as a facilitator of learning, supporting the student in the identification of their successes and mistakes, considering the emotions involved.