Clinical Health Psychology

Clinical health psychology is a professionally recognized specialty that investigates and implements clinical services across diverse populations and settings to promote health and well-being and to prevent, treat and manage illness and disability.

Clinical health psychology sees health as the confluence of psychological, social, cultural, and biological factors and applies this understanding to professional activities including:

• Research.
• Clinical services.
• Consulting with, educating and supervising other health care providers and psychologists
• Advising organizations, institutions, the public and policymakers.

Specialized knowledge

Clinical health psychology has evolved as a specialty area of knowledge and practice with foundations in health psychology, the field of psychology that addresses the interactions of psychological, social, cultural and biological factors as they relate to health and well-being across diverse populations and settings.

Problems addressed

Clinical health psychologists have knowledge of how learning, memory, perception, cognition and motivation influence health behaviors and impact physical illness, injury, and disability. Examples of problem areas addressed by the specialty include:

• Weight management.
• Tobacco use.
• Pain management.
• Psychological adjustment to serious and chronic disease.
• Appropriateness for and adherence to medical treatment.

Populations served

Clinical health psychology serves any individual of any age with a disease that could be prevented, treated or rehabilitated through the use of psychological techniques or procedures. The primary focus is on problems that present as physical complaints as opposed to issues that are restricted to emotional or mental health. Recipients of clinical health psychology services include:

• Healthy people (for purposes of health promotion and disease prevention).
• People at elevated risk for disease (e.g., genetic carriers, people who engage in risky behaviors).
• People with acute health problems or complex healthcare needs.
• People with chronic diseases.

Skills and procedures utilized

The essential skills and procedures associated with clinical health psychology include:

• Assessment. Clinical interviewing; behavioral observation; personality assessment; general and disease-specific self-report instruments; psychophysiological measures; medical record review; biological parameters associated with specific diseases.
• Intervention. Evidence-based psychotherapy, health promotion and behavioral interventions provided to individuals, groups and families.
• Consultation. Consultation with the health care team (including family members); participation in multidisciplinary teams; program development.
• Evaluation. Use of research methodologies to develop and evaluate practices based on the best available evidence and to develop new program evaluation methods.