The emergence of clinical psychology departments in Australian teaching hospitals.

Over recent years, clinical psychological services have diversified within the health sector, leading to a breakdown in the traditional nexus between clinical psychology and psychiatry, and to the emergence of the interdisciplinary field of behavioral medicine. From their earlier limited role as providers of psychometric assessments in educational and psychiatric hospital settings, clinical psychologists now provide a wide range of therapeutic services and research skills to general hospitals, universities, community health centres, and the private sector. This evolving trend has significant implications for the future structure and direction of clinical practices in clinical psychology, psychiatry and medicine.