Teaching Clinical Psychology

Abstract

As both a subject area and a potential career, clinical psychology fascinates undergraduates. In this article, the authors present four lessons that all psychology students can master: connecting to psychological science, committing to evidence-based practice, adapting treatment to the person, and becoming all that a clinical psychologist can be (in contrast to providing only psychotherapy). These lessons map directly on research directions in the field and refute common misconceptions about clinical psychology. The authors recommend multiple in-class activities and between-class assignments to illuminate these lessons and to engage students in the material.