Job description for the specialty “Medical psychologist”

Clinical psychology is a part of applied psychology that examines mental phenomena characteristic of certain diseases and diagnoses personality disorders. The activities of a clinical psychologist are associated with the harmonization of a person’s psychological health, increasing his adaptive capabilities and psychological rehabilitation. Specialists carry out preventive work and help overcome illnesses as quickly as possible.

Unlike psychiatry, which focuses on various pathologies that require treatment in special institutions, such as epilepsy, various psychoses or schizophrenia, clinical psychology studies “borderline” deviations and maladjustments - a violation of the body’s ability to adapt to various conditions.
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Main directions of clinical psychology

Clinical psychology has the following sections:

1. Psychology of abnormal development is a direction that aims to study mental desontogenesis and works with clinical disorders of human development.
2. Neuropsychology - combines neuroscience and psychology. Studies the structure and functioning of the brain, its connection with the behavior and mental processes of living beings.
3. Pathopsychology - studies, using psychological methods, disorders of mental processes characteristic of a number of mental illnesses.
4. Psychotherapy is an impact for therapeutic purposes on the psyche and through it on the body of a sick person in order to get rid of personal and other problems. It is carried out using a variety of means, including medications.
5. Psychosomatics - considers the problems of patients associated with somatic disorders. (Including psychological assistance for oncology and acute mental trauma).

Another serious area that distinguishes clinical psychology is helping children with mental developmental disabilities. Psychologists analyze their behavior, help them learn new skills, and work with parents.

As part of the psychological correction of patients, the fundamentals of psychological rehabilitation and psychotherapy are developed, aimed at restoring their social status.

Who is a clinical psychologist

We should start with the fact that, as the name suggests, a clinical psychologist has some relation to medicine, namely, he works primarily in healthcare institutions. A clinical or medical psychologist working in a hospital or clinic covers a fairly wide range of services.

The most common and traditional branch of medicine where a clinical psychologist is needed is psychiatry and narcology. Here this specialist performs a number of important functions, starting with diagnosis, motivation, psychotherapy of the patient and ending with the implementation of various psychosocial rehabilitation programs. It is the psychologist who helps at the initial stage to formulate a patient’s criticism of his condition, convinces the person of the need to take medications in a timely manner and see a doctor.

Further, at a certain stage of treatment, the psychologist conducts a mandatory diagnosis of higher mental functions, which is a necessary element of differential diagnosis, which is designed to help establish a diagnosis for a person. These are not just tests to determine a person’s personal qualities, they are a check of the mental state, in connection with which a rehabilitation plan will be built in the future.

Modern methods of clinical psychology

The choice of methodology in clinical psychology is always associated with the task facing the specialist, the severity of mental disorders, the patient’s education and his mental state.
Properly selected methods make it possible to qualify pathologies and differentiate them. This is, first of all:

1. The anamnestic method is the collection of necessary information about the causes of the disorder, its course and treatment.
2. The biographical method is the study of the patient’s personality in a historical context, diagnosis and correction of his life path.
3. Psychophysiological method - studying the connection between biochemical and physiological changes in the nervous system, the effect on memory, sleep and dreams, emotions.
4. Analysis of creative products, art therapy;
5. Experimental methods, hypnosis
6. The use of body-oriented practices that exclude negative patterns from patients’ thinking.
7. Observing the behavior of patients, the expression of their feelings and thoughts.
8. Metaphorical images and symbol-dramas that allow you to abstractly express deep feelings and hidden intentions.
9. Conversation.

Clinical psychology considers the problem as a correct definition of a mental norm or pathology and identifies only two possible states in a person - health and illness.

Brief definition of direction

Clinical classical psychotherapy is a direction of psychotherapy that has been developing since the beginning of the 20th century in the West and in Russia, but especially in Russia. This is natural scientific psychotherapy. In its worldview (worldview), it is inseparable from clinical classical Hippocratic medicine (Paul Charles Dubois, Ernst Kretschmer, Alexander Ivanovich Yarotsky, Semyon Isidorovich Constorum). Here, therapeutic techniques are imbued with clinicalism. That is, firstly, they start not from psychological theory, concepts (in the psychological-theoretical understanding), but - more or less strictly - from the clinical picture of mental disorder. Secondly, the clinician-psychotherapist “reads” in the clinical picture the body’s struggle with external and internal (including hereditary) harmfulness, the spontaneous healing, protective and adaptive “work” of the nature of the soul and helps nature, if possible, “heal” "more perfect.

Clinical classical psychotherapy includes all psychotherapeutic methods (hypnosis, rational psychotherapy, creative therapy, etc.), as long as they are imbued with clinicalism.

Clinical psychology: mental norms and pathologies

According to mental norms, the following signs characteristic of a healthy body are indicated:

• the individual's adaptability to society and the environment;
• safety of human organs and nervous system;
• good health.

The concept of illness in clinical psychology is associated with a noticeable decrease in adaptability. They also indicate its possible outcome: complete recovery without the presence of residual effects, recovery with residual effects, the presence of a pronounced defect (disability), death of the patient.

It is very difficult to correctly determine the norm and pathology, since this issue cannot be considered only medical. In addition to psychiatry and psychology, specialists have to consider such areas as philosophy and sociology.

The productivity of an individual and how critically he perceives life circumstances and his productivity matters a lot. To make a diagnosis, clinical psychologists use personal experience and experience, the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

Why are documents and laws needed in psychological work?

Clinical and medical psychologists of healthcare organizations and other enterprises, in practical activities, use various types of documents to streamline work and properly organize work with accounting and reporting forms.

In their activities, the medical clinician and psychologist rely on:

1. Law of the Russian Federation dated 07/02/1992 N 3185-1 (as amended on 12/28/2013, as amended on 06/04/2014) “On psychiatric care and guarantees of citizens’ rights during its provision.”
2. Federal Law of July 27, 2006 N 152-FZ (as amended on June 4, 2014) “On Personal Data.”

Finding Consultant-Plus in the database and downloading it is not difficult, and they are updated regularly.

Along with the fundamental regulatory legal documents, I will reveal to you what is really necessary in practical work with a client; this is not taught at the institute.

Short description

The quality of life of every person is affected not only by his physical health, but also by his psychological health.
In recent decades, this truth has become increasingly firmly established in the minds of people, and psychologists have proven to be an effective tool for solving many internal problems that a person is not able to cope with on his own. They often work together with doctors, or use their knowledge to maintain a comfortable psychological climate in organizations. Work in the field of psychology also requires a sufficient level of awareness, the absence of serious internal contradictions on the part of the psychologist himself, therefore it is almost always preceded or accompanied by a visit by a specialist to his own psychotherapist.

Where to study to become a psychologist?

Training to become a psychologist involves obtaining a higher education (specialty “Psychology”, code 37.03.01). To enroll, you must pass the Unified State Exam in Russian, biology and mathematics, or a foreign language at the discretion of the university. Some educational institutions also conduct interviews with all applicants as part of the admissions campaign (you can find out about this on the official website of the university, where one of the main profiles is supposed to be a psychologist).

Full-time education lasts 4 years, all other courses last 5 years. After completing your studies, you can enroll in a master's program (this option is more suitable for those who plan to study scientific psychology).

Job description of a medical psychologist

Job Descriptions

Open in WORD format

I. General provisions

1. A medical psychologist belongs to the category of specialists.

2. A person with a higher psychological education and additional education in medicine is appointed to the position of a medical psychologist.

qualification category(s).

3. Appointment to the position of a medical psychologist and dismissal from it are made by order of the head of the institution.

4. A medical psychologist should know:

4.1. Constitution of the Russian Federation.

4.2. Laws of the Russian Federation and other regulatory legal acts on health care, provision of psychiatric care and guarantees of citizens' rights.

4.3. Declaration of Human Rights and Freedoms.

4.4. Medical psychology (neuropsychology, pathopsychology), personality psychology, general and differential psychology, developmental psychology, psychotherapy, mental hygiene, psychodiagnostics, psychoprophylaxis, psychological counseling.

4.5. Methods of active learning, socio-psychological communication training.

4.6. Methods for diagnosing and correcting normal and abnormal personality development.

4.7. Psychology of work.

4.8. Legislation on labor and labor protection of the Russian Federation.

4.9. Internal labor regulations.

4.10. Rules and regulations of occupational health, safety, industrial sanitation and fire protection.

II. Job responsibilities

Medical psychologist:

1. Conducts work aimed at restoring mental health and correcting deviations in the development of the personality of patients.

2. Identifies conditions that prevent or complicate the harmonious development of the patient’s personality.

3. Carries out work on psychoprophylaxis, psychocorrection, psychological counseling of patients, as a result of which it provides assistance to patients and their relatives in solving personal, professional and everyday psychological problems.

4. Conducts psychodiagnostic studies and long-term diagnostic observations of patients, paying special attention to persons with risk factors for mental disorders.

5. Together with the attending physician, develops developmental and psychocorrectional programs taking into account the individual, gender and age factors of patients, carries out work on career guidance for patients, taking into account their wishes, abilities and situational opportunities.

6. Conducts work to train medical personnel on issues of medical, social psychology and deanthology.

7. Evaluates the effectiveness of ongoing psychological, therapeutic and preventive measures based on the patient’s health status.

III. Rights

A medical psychologist has the right:

1. Receive information necessary for the high-quality performance of functional duties.

2. Make proposals to management to improve the quality of medical and psychological care to the population and improve the organization of work.

3. Take part in meetings, conferences, sections, medical associations, which discuss issues related to professional competence.

IV. Responsibility

The medical psychologist is responsible for:

1. For improper performance or failure to fulfill one’s official duties as provided for in this job description - within the limits of the current labor legislation of the Russian Federation.

2. For offenses committed in the course of carrying out their activities - within the limits of current administrative, criminal and civil legislation.

3. For causing material damage - within the limits of current labor and civil legislation.

4. For mistakes that entailed grave consequences for human health and life - within the limits of current administrative, criminal and civil legislation.

Psychologist

By “classical” psychologist we mean a specialist who has a diploma of higher humanitarian psychological education. This specialist works with his patients using various tests, reflexive, projection and other techniques, but the main working “tool” still remains communication.

Reference! A representative of this profession is not a doctor, and has neither the right nor the knowledge to treat his patients using medication methods.

The field of research of ordinary psychologists covers human consciousness, individual behavior, character and temperament. Most of them can be divided into individual, family or children's specialists. Each of them has their own narrow specialization and is able to provide more qualified assistance than a specialist in general psychology.

It is no secret that virtually one hundred percent of people are under the daily influence of a large number of different stress factors, or simply experience difficulties in life, self-development or self-determination. If a person feels any of these “symptoms” and cannot correct the situation on his own, then it is better for him to turn to a psychologist.

Important! Regular visits to a psychologist are quite normal for ensuring a healthy state of a person’s psycho-emotional sphere, although in the vastness of the post-Soviet space, many still have not gotten rid of the stupid stereotype that if a person seeks paid psychological help, then not everything is right in his head.