Clinical psychology is not a unified 'school' of psychology. A clinical psychologist might be a non-directive, Rogerian psychologist, emphasizing that the client must find out what is bothering him or her and interfering with self-actualization. A behaviorist might suggest a complex system of rewards and punishments to a parent when helping a child with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) cope with the rigors of the classroom. But while a clinical psychologist may help a client better to adjust to society, the psychologist is not treating a larger 'system' as a whole, and his or her ultimate duty is to the client -- including confidentiality obligations, unless the client is a danger to him or herself or others (Clinical psychology, 2010).

This is not to say that forensic psychologists are callous or do not have individual client's needs at heart: they play an invaluable role, for example, in helping family courts...
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