Psychology profession, clinical psychology, psychotherapy. Specificities and boundaries

Abstract

In the Italian context, the psychology profession is regulated by a particular legal framework, which establishes that (a) a set of expert functions (e.g., psychological diagnosis, rehabilitation) are exclusively reserved to the psychology profession (b) psychotherapy is defined a second-order function reserved to psychologists (and practitioners) having a 4-year specialization after the master degree in psychology. This specific institutional framework raises the necessity of a threefold differentiation. First, the need to set clear scientific boundaries between professional psychology and other non-psychological forms of professional/expert practice (e.g., counselor, mental coach). Second, the need to clarify the specificity of the psychology practices operating in the clinical field with respect to those operating in other fields of intervention (e.g., school, community). Third, the need to model the articulation between the clinical psychologist and the psychotherapist. The paper provides a model to operate such a differentiation. Though motivated by and focused on the peculiarity of the Italian context, the current paper offers considerations that may transcend that context and be of general interest