CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY

3. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY

The history of the pre-doctoral degree in Psychology at the University (the degree of Licenciatura lasting 5 years) is very short: barely two decades. In this brief period of time we have gone from a situation with practically the disappearance of Psychology as a science and as a profession after the Spanish Civil War, to its present expansion. The first re-emergence was in Madrid in 1953. The School of Psychology awarded to its graduates (already pre-doctoral graduates in other disciplines at the University) diplomas which did not allow professional practice. In spite of this, the School awarded some 2500 diplomas between 1956 and 1974 (Hernández, 1989), which proves the interest that there was in Clinical Psychology.

In 1968, a Department of Psychology was set up for the first time in the Complutense University of Madrid and soon afterwards at the University of Barcelona. This example was followed throughout the country during the 70s, but it was not until 1980 that the Complutense University created the first Faculty of Psychology. At present there are at least 12 Faculties and a larger number of Departments of Psychology all through the country.

A pre-doctoral degree in Psychology implies that every graduate is allowed to become a practitioner. This is a very old tradition in European Universities. "Licenciados or Licenciadas" are experts who know how to organize specific applications in their scientific domain.

There are great differences between small and large Faculties of Psychology concerning the role assigned to the existence of specialties within a normal curriculum. During the 90s, for instance, the Complutense has created a curriculum design that emphasizes the existence of closed and incompatible specialties in Psychology. During the last two years of a degree course students make their choice of a single specialty. In contrast, the remaining universities have produced open programmes in Psychology where each student decides the best combination to embody his or her specific purposes.

Let us now see which essential Clinical Psychology-related contents are presently included in under-graduate studies. Later, we shall examine those contents in the post-graduate phase, and, we shall finish with a brief review of the type of research under way in different Universities in the clinical field.

3.1. The clinical contents in the undergraduate level

In the academic world, aside from personal likes and dislikes, there is a consensus about the basic contents that should be taught at under-graduate level to future clinical psychologists.

Firstly, clinical psychologists are, first and foremost, psychologists and, therefore, they should receive intensive training in those areas considered essential for the development and consolidation of scientific psychology, such as psychological processes (attention, perception, imagination, memory, learning, thinking, language, etc.), the biological and social foundations of human activity, methodology and action- research techniques, psychology of personality, psychological assessment, etc. Obviously, this plan is very similar to that already proposed in the forties, in the famous Boulder Conference, organized by the A.P.A.

Secondly, under-graduate studies include several courses considered basic in conventional applied fields such as Clinical, Educational, and Industrial Psychology. As far as Clinical Psychology is concerned, introductory courses to Psychopathology, Abnormal Psychology, Intervention Techniques and Psychological Treatments are considered fundamental.

However, upon analyzing prevailing Clinical Psychology-related subjects in the present syllabus of Psychology in 17 Universities, we find a scene that is slightly different from this desideratum (see Table 2).

                      INSERT TABLE 2 HERE

There are four subjects taught in practically every curriculum reviewed (Personality, Differential Psychology, Psychodiagnosis and Psychopathology), followed by Behaviour Modification and Dynamic Psychology (which almost always includes all kinds of Psychotherapies). This duality between two very different forms of interpreting psychological intervention and actions is the inevitable result of the historical evolution of Clinical Psychology in Spain.

In any case, it may be said that this profile will be modified during the 1990s. A new directive enacted by the Council of Universities fixed 50% of the curriculum design that is obligatory in every Faculty for the scientific and professional training in Psychology (Cfr. Table 3).

	INSERT TABLE 3 AROUND HERE

Every Faculty is quite autonomous in setting the number of remaining credits (up to a maximum of 390 credits) in two cycles. Each cycle involves at least a two-year academic period. The first cycle is viewed as a core program whereas the second cycle becomes an advanced professional training in psychology (Cfr. Prieto, 1992 for further details). Courses related to Clinical Psychology occupy, regarding class hours, about 19.5% of the obligatory curriculum.

3.2. About post-graduate Training.

At present, the university offers two routes for post-graduate training, directly related to the legal framework that regulates its functioning: Doctoral Degree programs (emphasis on psychology as a behavioral science) and Magister Degree programs (emphasis on psychology as a behavioral technological).

Several Universities have promoted Doctoral programs with a clear content in Clinical Psychology (Complutense University of Madrid, Autonomous University of Madrid, University of Seville, University of Valencia, UNED, amongst others), which not only include Mental Health but also Health Psychology issues.

                           JOSÉ RAMÓN CORREAS GONZALEZ
                      
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              LAST UPDATED Sunday 6 de August de 1995 - -