Functions and areas of expertise of clinical psychologists versus general health psychologists: a comment

This article reviews several future challenges for clinical and health psychology. Patients are now seeking treatment not only for traditional mental disorders, but also for emotional distress and misadjustment to everyday life. There is an ongoing discussion about the differences in the professional role of clinical psychologists and health psychologists and about the curriculum for the degree in Psychology. The differences between health psychologists and clinical psychologists are discussed in terms of their own expertise and not in terms of their workplace (public sector versus private practice). The need to integrate clinical expertise with the best available external evidence from systematic research is emphasized. Finally, drawing upon the experience of the authors in the field of teaching and research in clinical psychology, some topics are suggested for debate.