Clinical psychology in Europe and its relationships with psychiatry The present and the future of clinical psychology in the UK

In the UK clinical psychology is in demand. Training courses are being commissioned to provide more places each year. Currently (2001), 30 courses exist and train over 400 people per year, almost exclusively on 3 year doctoral degrees, which require supervised practice, academic ability and research skills. "Clinical psychology aims to reduce psychological distress and to enhance and promote psychological well-being by the systematic application of knowledge derived from psychological theory and data" (Harvey, 2001). According to this document, the core skills of a clinical psychologist are 'assessment, formulation, intervention and evaluation' (p2). It is the focus on formulation and intervention which has changed in the (almost) 30 years since I joined the profession as a trainee. At that time, in the early 70's, clinical psychologists were primarily seen as 'handmaidens' to psychiatry, asked primarily to provide technical data, such as IQ, personality and even psychiatric diagnostic testing, in order to inform the wardround in the old mental hospitals. It was a little like asking for a blood test, and about the same amount of time was allocated to listening to the results. Thus it is interesting to reflect on the changes in the UK over these years, and to consider possible future