What is a Clinical Research Psychologist

May 17, 2019 Guest User

Clinical psychology research is a specialization within clinical research. It is the study of behavioral and mental health. In many ways, it is as important to the nation's health and well being as medical research.

In the same way that medical scientists work to understand the prevention, genesis, and spread of various diseases, clinical research psychologists conduct rigorous psychological research studies to understand, prevent, and treat the psychological conditions as it applies to individuals, couples, families, cultures, and diverse communities.

Empirical results gathered from psychological research studies guide practitioners in developing effective interventions and techniques that clinical psychologists employ - proven, reliable results that improve lives, mend troubled relationships, manage addictions, and help manage and treat a variety of other mental health issues. Clinical psychology integrates science with practice and produces a field that encourages a robust, ongoing process of scientific discovery and clinical application.

Role

Clinical research psychologists integrate the science of psychology and the treatment of complex human problems with the intention of promoting change. The four main goals of psychology are to describe, explain, predict and control the behavior and mental processes of others. This approach allows clinical researchers to accomplish their goals for their psychological studies, which is to describe, explain, predict, and in some cases, influence processes or behaviors of the mind. The ultimate goal of scientific research in psychology is to illustrate behaviors and give details on why they take place.

Clinical psychologists work largely in health and social care settings including hospitals, health centers, community mental health teams, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and social services. They often work as part of a team with other health professionals and practitioners.

Salary and Education

The mean annual salary of a clinical psychologist is about $69,000, however, those with doctoral degrees can earn salaries of $116,343 or more. This industry is highly stable and growing, as psychological research becomes more important to various other industries.

If you want to become a clinical research psychologist, you need a master’s or doctorate degree. In these graduate programs, you will be trained at how to navigate this large body of research. In addition, many clinical psychology students are able to make significant contributions to the field during their education by assisting in labs and learning valuable field knowledge.

Research in clinical psychology is vast, containing hundreds if not thousands of topics. By engaging in research, we are investigating new ways to understand the human mind, and developing solutions to enrich the lives of all others, many students create current and up-to-date with psychology research at universities and research labs across the world.

Take courses from CCRPS and learn more on how to become a clinical research professional.