Abstract
M.A. (Clinical Psychology)
Over the past decade, clinical psychologists have begun to play
an increasingly important role in the community and in the
mental health team.
A good understanding of the role of the clinical psychologist
is of extreme importance for the general practitioner in order
-to make effective referals to the clinical psychologist when
necessary and also for the maintenance of the mental health
team.
Van Den Berg (1980) states that the large number of incorrect
referals between members of the mental health team are due to a
lack of knowledge as to the services available. It is thus
essential that research be conducted in order to clarify any
misunderstandings that may exist between the general
practitioner and the clinical psychologist who are both members
of the mental health team.
This research was conducted with two broad hypotheses in mind,
namely that incongruence exists between the clinical
psychologist's perception and the general practitioner's
perception of the role of the clinical psychologist; and that
general practitioners do not have a clear perception or
understanding of the professional role of the clinical
psychologist.
In order to test these hypotheses, a questionnaire was designed
and given to a sample of clinical psychologists and a sample of
general practitioners. The questionnaire was based on the
literature study of the role of the clinical psychologist and
on interviews that were conducted with the teaching staff at
the psychology department at the universities and mental
institutions in the Witwatersrand area.