Clinical psychology is an expansive branch that combines general practice with health services. In clinical psychology, the main focus is on diagnosing, assessing, evaluating, and treating behavioral, emotional, and mental disorders. This field became more widely recognized toward the end of the nineteenth century (American Board of Professional Psychology, n.d.). Research and statistics help the field to grow and helps psychologists and those in the mental health field to understand more about disorders and behaviors. This field also shares some similarities, as well as differences, with other mental health professions. The history of clinical psychology is a rich one, and the field continues to grow.
Clinical Psychology History Before psychology was a science, it was a practice. It is believed that the practice of psychology has always existed. However, the science of psychology emerged from philosophy. The many ideas and thoughts of philosophers laid the foundation of psychology (Benjamin, 2005). The field of psychology began as a mixture of philosophy, medicine, and theology. In the late 1800’s, The Elements of Psychophysics was published by Theodor Fechner, and Principles of Physiological Psychology was published by Wilhelm Wundt. These two publications allowed the explanation that physics and physiology could be used to answer questions on a psychological level. Wundt opened the first laboratory for psychology in Germany. When he opened his laboratory, psychology as a science was born. The American Psychological Association was founded, and the field of psychology blossomed from there (Plante, 2011). The field of clinical psychology was discovered just four years, when the first psychological clinic at the University of Pennsylvania was opened by Lightner Witmer. Witmer was the first psychologist to help people with particular issues by completing