Abstract

AbstractA review of the history of the University Clinic at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, is presented. The history of the Clinic can be viewed as a case illustrating more general trends at university clinics in Western societies. The history is viewed in relation to key points in the development of psychological science in general, with a special focus on clinical psychology and the emergence of social needs for clinical psychological practice in the wake of World War II. The so-called “scientist–practitioner” model is introduced, and it is argued that the higher priority given to research today is double-edged, entailing on the one hand the possibility of contributing to the development of research-based clinical theories and practices on a high level and on the other hand the risks of undermining university clinics tradition for clinical psychological practice and education.