Do Psychologists Guess or are They Certain About Treatment?

Reader’s Question

I am doing an essay on Psychology and I have a question that I need to be answered. I need proof to prove the statement I have made in my essay.

My question is:

Do psychologists give an intelligent assumption based on their research and analysis of the patient or are they CERTAIN about what they believe?

I am grateful for your help.

Our Consulting Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

Interesting question… I’ll start off by saying that no professional is 100% certain about any treatment dealing with people. People, the brain, the body system, the personality, etc. are far too complex for 100% certainty. Professionals try to make decisions at the highest degree of probability. If you are given a medical or mental health diagnosis, it’s based on the opinion of the professional and his/her training, knowledge of research, assessment skills, and treatment background. Professionals with excellent skills in those areas produce better diagnoses and treatment plans. If our professional skills are uneven, as when we have a great understanding of the research but weak patient assessment skills, the chances of helping the patient decrease. If all those areas of clinical skills are weak, then we are an incompetent professional.

The way it works might look something like this:

1. The patient presents a list of symptoms or concerns.
2. The psychologist should be able to identify patterns in the symptoms (symptoms of depression for example) at which point he/she asks more questions to clarify the symptoms and patterns.
3. If the pattern of symptoms forms a diagnosis (patient has eight out of ten symptoms of depression), we assess for additional symptoms based on research in that area. Research tells us, for example, that depression may include many more symptoms than we commonly consider — and we look for them.
4. If the symptom pattern is not clear, we begin an assessment process, selecting assessments known (in research) to help clarify conditions in that area of symptoms.
5. If the assessment process confirms our original clinical opinion, then we establish a “working diagnosis” and develop a treatment plan, again based on research of what treatments work for this condition…and what doesn’t work.
6. During the course of treatment we measure improvement, monitor for additional symptoms, and seek to improve our treatment outcome.

In summary, a professional makes an intelligent assessment based on the patient’s symptoms. This intelligent assessment is based on the clinical skills, knowledge of research/assessment, and experience of the psychologist. Every attempt is made to be as close to certain or 100% accurate as possible in the practice situation. Psychologists who are able to offer an accurate assessment and successful treatment in an efficient manner are considered to be excellent psychologists. It’s like going to a physician with some weird body complaints, he/she conducts a 15 minute assessment, prescribes a medication, and the symptoms go away in three days. It may have taken that physician 30 years of experience and lots of training to become that skilled. Excellent professionals are not certain about what they believe…but they are highly-confident in their beliefs and clinical skills.