Hi TOK List,

 

  Yesterday I had the opportunity to give the Keynote address to the 2021 New Zealand Conference for Clinical Psychologists. I was slotted to go last year right about this time, but alas COVID happened. In the talk, I linked the (a) combined training across clinical, counseling and school as organized and practiced in JMU’s C-I doc program with (b) an integrative/unified approach to psychotherapy with (c) a unified metaphysical/ontological conception of psychology. That is a tall order for an hour lecture, but I think it managed to at least make a few key points.

 

Here is a link to my slides.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZtkWb3Db73vRq0hebI6xKL8uL46y-KhV/view?usp=sharing

 

I am not sure if they are going to allow the recording of the actual talk to be shared. If folks are interested in hearing it, I can see if I can get access. Here is the description in the program:

 

Gregg Henriques: Combined, integrated, unified: Toward a more coherent clinical psychology in the 21^st century: Clinical psychologists face a bewildering landscape of complexity in carrying out their professional work. On the one hand, clinical psychologists’ are required to be anchored to science, such that professionals are obliged in engage in “evidence-based” practice. However, scientific knowledge about human psychology, psychopathology, and psychotherapy is disorganized and chaotic, and consists of multiple and often competing paradigms (e.g., bio-medical, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, emotion-focused, family systems, and cultural viewpoints). Moreover, much of the primary work of the professional is defined by extra-scientific or humanistic concerns. For example, the fundamental purpose of professional activity is to effect change via improving the well-being of the client. This means that it is a value-laden exercise that cannot be determined by the empirical methods of science alone. In addition, each assessment and therapeutic encounter involves a “unique particular” set of circumstances manifesting in real clinical situations between real individuals or groups in real cultural contexts. Given the massive complexity of these operating conditions, it is little wonder that clinical psychology is fragmented. Despite the difficulties, a new “integrative pluralistic” vision for the professional psychologist is emerging. This talk will review how a “combined-integrated” doctoral training program in the US has been developed that effectively weaves together a scientific humanistic framework that: (a) “combines” across the practice areas of clinical, counseling, and child-family-school psychology; (b) “integrates” across the different levels of analysis (physical, biological, psychological, and social) and the major intervention paradigms (humanistic, psychodynamic, CBT and systems); and (c) is grounded in a broad “unified” definition of psychology that clearly defines the science in relationship to and as separate from the practice.  

 

Best,
Gregg

___________________________________________

Gregg Henriques, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Graduate Psychology
216 Johnston Hall
MSC 7401
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
(540) 568-7857 (phone)
(540) 568-4747 (fax)

Be that which enhances dignity and well-being with integrity.

Check out the Unified Theory Of Knowledge homepage at:

https://www.unifiedtheoryofknowledge.org/