ABSTRACT
Many clinical psychologists work with people who are experiencing psychological distress. Examples of common difficulties that clinical psychologists come across are often described as depression, anxiety, psychosis, post-traumatic stress, addiction and so on. In the context of the common language used to categorise problems, clinical psychologists are less interested in how to label a problem but are more concerned with how to understand and make sense of it. Clinical psychologists try to make sense of people's difficulties by gathering information (an assessment) and then trying to make sense of how the problem functions in that person's life. The assessment process often considers a person's early life history, family history, including the quality of parenting, social history, and close relationships, experiences of traumatic events, disadvantage, deprivation, disability and discrimination. People who are experiencing psychological distress are often experiencing an understandable reaction to unusual or overwhelming events.
