Clinical Psychologist

Clinical psychologists are trained to help you with a wide range of mental health challenges and use a mixture of evidence-based treatments techniques to help you improve your life and well-being. Most commonly they use therapy (often referred to as psychotherapy), and counselling techniques depending on their approach and your unique characteristics and history. Clinical psychologists are also trained to administer and interpret a number of written tests that can help diagnose a challenge or tell more about you. Some also conduct researches in order to find new ways to help you.

A clinical psychologist approach would most likely focus on current challenges, emotions and experiences while you were growing up, your past and current thoughts and concerns in order to understand how these experiences have shaped who you are today and how you can live above them all. You may decide to book an appointment with a clinical psychologist because you feel depressed, anxious, angry, stressed, grieving, experiencing the psychological effects of a past trauma or experience, or uneasy about a condition that is interfering with your life or physical well-being. Your clinical psychologist will listen to you to assess the situation as to how you are functioning emotionally, mentally, intellectually, and behaviourally. They do not have answers to all your questions, but they will come up with processes that you can use in order to deal with your challenges in a more effective way.

For some life challenges, therapy and medication are the treatment conditions that would work best for you. This means that clinical psychologist may have to work in close relation with your primary health care physicians or psychiatrists for an overall treatment. Clinical psychologists are not allowed to prescribe medications in Nigeria.  Therapy can be scheduled for you alone, as a couple, with your family, or with other groups.