June 19, 1997
KALAMAZOO -- A Western Michigan University faculty member and a WMU alumnus have co-written two new books that provide an overview of the field of clinical psychology, offering academic and practical information.
Dr. Malcolm H. Robertson, WMU professor of psychology, and Dr. Robert H. Woody, professor of psychology and social work at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, are the authors of "Theories and Methods for Practice of Clinical Psychology" and "A Career in Clinical Psychology: From Training to Employment." Woody earned a bachelor's degree from WMU in 1958 and a specialist degree in 1962.
When combined, the two-volume set provides a comprehensive overview of clinical psychology, including history, training, employment opportunities, job-finding strategies, and ethical and legal issues. It also offers information on methods of assessing normal and abnormal behavior and different modalities of treatment like psychotherapy, group therapy and family therapy.
"The tendency today is to have books that are specialized in one thing like ethics and law or abnormal behavior," Robertson explains. "What we've done in these two volumes is cover what we believe are the major topics and issues in the profession of clinical psychology."
Designed to be used as a two-volume set or individually, the books are intended for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in the clinical psychology discipline.
While each volume has a particular area of emphasis, both publications devote a chapter to the clinical psychologist's role against a backdrop of changing social, economic and political priorities. For example, the authors discuss how managed healthcare has added a new element to the treatment process.
"Healthcare decision-making has shifted from the provider to the business sector," Robertson says. "Providers no longer have the sole decision-making power they used to have and they must seek authorization from the business sector to do treatment. It's a question of convincing the business sector that a certain amount of money or services should be authorized for treatment, why this is necessary and what it's going to accomplish. The provider has to know how to work with this third key player who wasn't involved in the past."
"Theories and Methods for Practice of Clinical Psychology" and "A Career in Clinical Psychology: From Training to Employment" are available from the publisher, International Universities Press of Madison, Conn., for $35.95 and $33.75, respectively.
A WMU faculty member since 1961, Robertson also is a licensed psychologist in Michigan. He was awarded the Diplomate in Clinical Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology and Fellow status in the American Psychological Association. Robertson earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, his master's degree from George Washington University and his doctoral degree from Purdue University.
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