What Is Clinical Child Psychology?

Clinical child psychology is a specialty of psychology that combines "clinical psychology with a thorough background in child, adolescent and family development and developmental psychopathology," according to the American Psychological Association.

Treatment Areas

• Clinical child psychology involves the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the "psychological, cognitive, emotional, developmental, behavioral and family problems of children," according to the APA.

Patients

• Patients can have problems that include depression, substance abuse and difficulty adjusting to life events, as well as problems related to medical illness. Practitioners recognize the need for research data and evidence-based treatments.

Techniques

• Techniques used in clinical child psychology include assessment by personal interviews, tests and questionnaires about intelligence, personality, achievement; consultation with other health professionals such as physicians, teachers, social workers and lawyers; intervention by behavior management, psychotherapy, parent counseling; and prevention programs aimed at antisocial behavior, substance abuse, and delinquency.