May 20, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR MOLLY WILLIAMS IN MI
This answer comes from my brother-in-law, a clinical psychologist
on the staff of a medical school:

"A clinical psychologist can do a variety of things. He or she can
work at an academic center like the medical school and teach medical
students and residents and also work clinically with a variety of
patients, including those suffering from common psychological
problems like depression and anxiety as well as patients with
chronic pain and medical problems like cancer, heart disease,
orthopedic problems etc. They can teach at Psychology Departments
at universities or colleges. The requirements for a degree in
clinical psychology will vary with the degree that you get.
Although you can earn a terminal master's degree in Clinical
Psychology, the preferred degree is the PhD. You need four years of
college with a major or minor in psychology. A good well-rounded
liberal arts degree comes in very handy. Then you have to go to
graduate school for about four years and also do a pre-doctoral
internship, a year at a placement approved by the American
Psychological Association where you can get more training in either
a particular area of interest or have a general internship with a
variety of experiences in a real world situation. You also have to
write a doctoral dissertation, usually an experimental type designed
research paper in your area of interest. Usually the courses you
take in graduate school are courses in Psychopathology, Personality,
Experimental Psychology, Statistics, Psychological testing, Clinical
Interviewing, Theory and Systems of Psychology, and several courses
in a variety of treatment approaches as well as practicums, which
are supervised experiences in which the student treats clients."