Health Psychologist

You’ll carry out a brief placement in a healthcare setting, which can include the NHS, third sector or industry. You’ll usually arrange this placement yourself with support from the course team. A professional who provides business support to clinical and non-clinical staff. Make and maintain professional connections that include opportunities to discuss the specific nature and stresses of our work.

Community health psychologists may also work with lobbyists, local government or other elected officials to shape and reform health psychology via a government agency or private organization. Some health psychologists move between types of employer, for example from applied practice to a university. Joint appointments between universities and health services are also possible. If you follow the Doctorate route, you’ll need to apply for a course that leads to a Doctoral qualification in health psychology and provides the equivalent of a minimum of two years full-time practice placement.

Treatments for pain involve patient-administered analgesia, acupuncture (found to be effective in reducing pain for osteoarthritis of the knee), biofeedback, and cognitive behavior therapy. Health psychologists aid the process of communication between physicians and patients during medical consultations. There are many problems in this process, with patients showing a considerable lack of understanding of many medical terms, particularly anatomical terms (e.g., intestines).

This change, from the biomedical paradigm to the biopsychosocial medicine, characterizes the current holistic model of health provision. Health psychology curriculum includes courses in psychological theory and practice, stress and coping mechanisms, and promotion of healthy behaviors. Health psychologists are vital contributors in a variety of settings as educators, facilitators as well as direct clinical practice and research.

So, you might use group counseling with first responders that were involved in responding to a natural disaster. The counseling setting could provide its participants with a forum to share feelings and emotions about the event. It could also provide comfort in knowing that others shared the same experience. For example, as a critical health psychologist, you might champion for improved access to health care services for the urban poor.

The nature of dysfunctions and the physicians’ transaction with the patient must also be informed by the psychosocial understanding. This statement is a quotation from the editorial address of the British Journal of Psychiatry as its entry into the 21st century. Occupational health psychologyfocuses on the individual’s job and his overall state of health. Professionals working in this area might work with companies and businesses to help create happier and healthier employees.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *