DEVELOPMENT OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY ON THE PATH TOWARD THE STANDARDIZATION OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Abstract

The article addresses current issues in the development of clinical psychology in Ukraine within the context of contemporary societal challenges associated with wartime events, socio-economic transformations, and ongoing reforms of the mental healthcare system. The necessity of standardizing psychological care and aligning national approaches with European standards is substantiated as a key prerequisite for improving the quality of psychological services and safeguarding the rights of service recipients.
The paper outlines the evolution of clinical psychology as both a scientific discipline and a field of professional practice, highlighting its gradual emergence beyond the traditional framework of medical psychology. Clinical psychology is presented as a domain encompassing psychological assessment, prevention, rehabilitation, psychological interventions, and research on mental health across the lifespan. Contemporary trends in the institutionalization of clinical psychology are analyzed, including the regulatory recognition of the clinical psychologist profession, the implementation of professional standards, and the integration of specialists into the healthcare system.
Particular attention is devoted to substantiating the rationale for establishing clinical psychology as an independent scientific specialty, 19.00.12 “Clinical Psychology,” and to developing its official specialty passport as a tool for the institutional and methodological support of the field. The article presents a proposed specialty passport that includes the specialty definition, principal areas of scientific research, and the academic fields within which scientific degrees are to be awarded.
It is stated that the establishment of a distinct scientific specialty and the development of its specialty passport constitute scientifically grounded, systematically necessary, and timely measures aimed at advancing clinical psychology as an independent field of knowledge, improving the training of professionals, strengthening the scientific foundations of the mental health sector, and harmonizing the national scientific and professional landscape with international standards.