Careers in Health Psychology
Both help people who are struggling to cope with personal issues. Health psychologist focus of issues that stem from or can be influenced by lifestyle choices.
clinical health psychologist v. clinical psychologist?
Other subfields in health psychology
Public health psychology & Community health psychology
Health psychologists know more about disease processes and physiology and how the mind and body can work together on what’s going on with a specific illness in order to help people.
Clinical health psychologist develop treatment programs to help patients adopt healthy lifestyles.
Public health psychology - applied research focused
Investigates potential cause-and-effect links between health and psychosocial factors at the population level.
Public health psychologists communicate with educators, policy makers, and health care providers to disseminate research results that promote better public health.
Community health psychology – applied research focused
aims to study community factors that have impacts on the health and well-being of individuals who live in communities. Community health psychologists design community-level interventions to prevent and treat diseases and promote physical and mental health.
What it takes to be a health psychologist
Undergraduate degree in psychology
courses in statistics, research methods, and biology!
Ph.D. level training in health psych programs or a biopsych program with a health psychology emphasis.
Job growth for health psychologists is projected to increase steadily through the near future as more hospitals and medical clinics hire these specialists. Many opportunities are available for health psychologists in the private sector, substance abuse rehabilitation centers, clinical settings, mental health centers, government agencies, and colleges and universities. (http://www.psychologycareercenter.org/health-psychologist.html)
Why health psychology?