Clinical Psychologist in the System of Complex Rehabilitation

Abstract

The research substantiates the role of clinical psychologists in the system of comprehensive rehabilitation within the conditions of bio-psychosocial model of rehabilitation. Practical experience and the analysis of scientific literature made it possible to describe peculiarities of modern complex rehabilitation and the problems experienced by clinical psychologists. The authors determined difficulties and characteristics of professional work of rehabilitation psychologist within modern legal terrain. One problem is the lack of professional standard for the profession of clinical psychologist. The other problem is the inconsistency in the use of terms denoting professional specifics. Тhe paper focuses on the specificity of psychodiagnostic and rehabilitative work of a psychologist in the light of changing theoretical basis of rehabilitation and the transition from the International Classification of Disability Disorders and Social Insufficiency to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health. The authors showed the discrepancy between the theoretical approaches of domestic and foreign psychology to the assessment of mental disorders. New professional tasks of the psychologist are defined taking into account multidisciplinary orientation of rehabilitation process. The paper describes the problems of professional training of clinical psychologists and specifies new educational tasks are specified proceeding from the modern approach to rehabilitation. Positive dynamics in the solution of the declared problem can be found in new legislative initiatives, development of General clinical recommendations for rehabilitation psychologists, scientific publications on psychological rehabilitation, update of educational programs for training clinical psychologists.