ABSTRACT
The term 'clinical psychology' was first used by Witmer in 1896 to refer to assessment procedures which were carried out with retarded and physically-handicapped children. The establishment of the Vineland Institute for the investigation of mental retardation in 1906 and the Chicago Child Guidance Clinic in 1909 reflect the preoccupations with handicapped children of the pioneering psychologists in the clinical field. In the United Kingdom, the demand for psychological services in mental hospitals was generated following the collaboration of psychiatrists and psychologists which took place under the auspices of the War Office Selection Board. The lack of agreement between clinical psychologists as to the sort of services they should be providing can be both a drawback and a blessing in disguise. The list of personality, intellectual, cognitive, perceptual, learning and memory tests, which have been devised by clinical psychologists for diagnostic purposes, is far too long to be considered here in full.
