What clinical psychology can become

Surviving Clinical Psychology holds very seriously the fact that words on paper can only go so far. This chapter introduces the reader to the basic tenets of the book. The book seeks to remind readers of why personal, professional and political differences are at the heart of clinical psychology’s future – differences that can connect us through social action, solidarity and common humanity. Many books on clinical psychology answer the questions of what is clinical psychology? Or How do I become a clinical psychologist? Whilst these questions are important and helpful aids on the journey to qualification, what these texts tend to omit is the much more complex, yet richer question of what can clinical psychology become? This latter focus is what lies at the heart of Surviving Clinical Psychology and within its pulse – a number of shared values and principles: inclusion and collaboration; social justice and community psychology; and creative means to liberation.