A few musings on how Clinical Psychologists are "connected specialists", and what we as UX practitioners (or indeed, as human beings) can learn from them.

1. Clinical
Psychologists
The Connected Specialists
A few musings by @quiffboy
Image from scribblenauts.wikia.com/wiki/Psychologist

2. Clinical Psychologists
• Typically studied for at least 7 years:
• Undergrad then post-grad
• PhD or other form of doctorate
• Usually work in a healthcare setting
• Typical activities:
• Assess individual’s or family’s situation:
• Reason for presenting, risks, motivations, goals, motivation for change, strength, etc
• Develop formulations to help individual understand their difficulties & changes required
• Devise treatment plans informed by formulations, research and theory
• Undertake scientific research
• Provide consultation and supervision to other disciplines
• Provide psychological therapy (last but not least)

3. The “Connected Specialists”
• Work alongside a variety of other disciplines, each with their own pressures and priorities:
• Psychiatrists, Social Workers, Medical staff, Care workers, etc
• Work within strict legal & ethical frameworks
• Work within increasingly tight financial constraints
• Can be a key figure in an individual’s care network
• Must support needs of individual in highly complex environment
• Are constantly reflecting & evaluating their own practice
• Managing their own well-being, while promoting and supporting that of their colleagues and
the wider team

4. What we can learn from them
• Empathy & knowledge of other teams’ priorities and concerns
• Awareness & understanding of wider systems & ecosystems
• Working with ever-decreasing resources (time & budget)
• Balancing the needs of the user against those of the client & the
agency
• Not making assumptions & letting the research define your response