NIMHANS

DEPARTMENTS

Department of

Clinical Psychology 

The
Department of Clinical Psychology was started in the year 1954 as the Department of Psychology and Human Relations. It is one of the oldest and largest departments in NIMHANS. In tune with the guiding philosophy of NIMHANS, the department is engaged in clinical service, human resource development and research activities. The department has a sanctioned strength of 18 faculty members, 1 senior scientific officer, 2 junior scientific officers, 6 clinical psychologists and a teacher for the mentally-challenged persons.

Objectives

• Services
  Providing psychological assessment, therapeutic & outreach services
• Human Resources Development
  Conducting training programs at the M.Phil and Ph.D. levels as well as providing training inputs to scholars from other departments within the Institute and candidates from other organizations. [For the Course details, please see Prospectus]
• Research
  Conducting research in identified thrust- areas and contributing to scientific advancement in the field of Clinical Psychology
• Consultancy
  Providing consultancy and advisory services to governmental, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions and corporate sector in order to assist them in human resource development, organization of psychological services and research

Human Resource Development

The department started its first training program in 1955. It was a two-year course titled “Diploma in Medical Psychology”. Since then, the department has undertaken periodic revisions in its training program that reflect the expanding horizons in the application of psychology to the field of mental health. The department currently offers a two year full time M. Phil program in Clinical Psychology. A three-year doctoral program is being offered from the year 1967. Extensive direct engagement with the clients and close one-to-one supervision are integral components of both the training programs. [For the Course details, please see Prospectus] The department also provides training to postgraduates of other departments in the Institute such as Psychiatry, Psychiatric Social work, Nursing, Neurology and Neurosurgery. The department offers short-term observer-ships/training programs in various specialty areas such as child & adolescent mental health, neuro-psychology, family therapy, behavioral medicine & psychosocial rehabilitation in order to help individuals gain exposure or upgrade their existing skills in the respective areas. In addition, workshops and other programs for continuing professional development are periodically organized by the department.

Services

The department offers comprehensive and integrated psychological services for children, adolescents and adults. Psychological assessment services span the following areas: Diagnostic clarification, assessment of personality, intra-psychic & interpersonal factors contributing to the development & maintenance of psychological problems, evaluation of cognitive functions (e.g. intelligence, memory) & neuropsychological functioning, specific learning disabilities, behavioral assessments & assessment of couples & families. These assessments are made using clinical interviews as well as standardized instruments. The department has an extensive inventory of various psychological test materials such as tests for assessment of cognitive functions, projective & non-projective tests for assessment of personality & interpersonal functioning, neuro-psychological assessment batteries, questionnaires and rating scales. In addition, equipments for EEG/ERP monitoring, biofeedback, cognitive retraining and neuro- feedback are also utilized for clinical, training and research activities as appropriate. ( Continues ... )