The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the profession of clinical psychology. We provide a definition and overview of the core features of the profession, followed by a description of entry requirements and education. We go on to describe the dominant models which have driven the training and practice of clinical psychologists through the latter half of the 20th century to the present day. We conclude with a look to the future of the profession and a brief consideration of opportunities and threats. Throughout we have attempted to pick out aspects of the profession that are relevant or of interest, irrespective of national differences in professional training and practice, or variations in the development of clinical psychology in particular nation states. When generalisations would be too broad to be useful or are otherwise difficult, we have provided specific information about the profession as it has developed in the UK or USA. The references should provide a rich source of further information for the interested reader.