Clinical Psychology addresses a breadth of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. It is designed to integrate the science of Psychology with the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide variety of complicated human problems.

Clinical Psychology differs from Counseling Psychology in that it explores more serious mental health issues.

According to the American Psychological Association, Clinical Psychology is important to learn because it helps people live healthier lives. It’s a field that applies the research and science of behavior change to the problems their patients experience. It can make a huge difference in bettering these patients’ lives.

While it’s true that jobs in Clinical Psychology require years of education and training, the payoff is huge when it comes to helping individuals in distress—and learners will have ample opportunities in various psychological fields. Some titles that can be earned in Clinical Psychology include Behavioral Health Psychologist, Child Psychologist, Clinical Case Manager, Clinical Psychology College Professor, Clinical Social Worker, Medical Psychologist, Mental Health Social Worker, Neuropsychologist, and other related roles.

Clinical Psychology courses offered through Coursera provide a comprehensive overview of the scientific study of thought and behavior. Concepts explored include how perception, communication, learning, memory, decision-making, persuasion, emotions, and social behavior develop in children, differ across people, are wired in the brain, and how they break down due to illness and injury.

Successful learners of Clinical Psychology are able to listen reflectively, differentiate benign, non-incapacitating psychological / behavioral crisis reactions from more severe, potentially incapacitating crisis reactions. Skills are gained in triaging crises, mitigating acute distress and dysfunction, recognizing when to facilitate further mental health support, and practicing self-care.