| Abstract: | Contends that the traditional conceptions of clinical psychology (CP) as centering around the treatment of individuals suffering from mental health problems are no longer adequate. The concept of human services psychology, defined as a sector of professional psychology concerned with the promotion of human well-being through the acquisition and application of psychological knowledge about the treatment and prevention of psychological and physical disorders is proposed as an alternative capable of representing both training and practice in contemporary CP and related professional specialities. A biopsychosocial model of human behavior would be the basis for a generic professional program that would be functionally rather than categorically based at the doctoral level. Such a program, based on a systems orientation, has been established at the author's university. It is suggested that human services psychology graduates will be able to confront racism, sexism, delinquency, the effects of poverty, and other social ills in an effective and cost-efficient way. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
