Psychology for health and social care analyzes the psychological and social factors associated with physical illnesses, the impact of illness on people, psychological intervention, and how this knowledge can be used in health and social care practice. Health psychologists apply psychological research and methods to the prevention and treatment of diseases, the promotion and maintenance of health, the identification of psychological factors that contribute to physical illness, the improvement of the health care system, and the formulation of health policies. Using this information and in-depth knowledge of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, psychologists are also analyzing the interaction between mental processes, behaviors, and health. In particular, they conduct and apply research to help people adopt healthy behaviors, promote health and well-being, prevent diseases, and improve health care systems.
Health psychologists use their psychology skills and knowledge to promote well-being and healthy behaviors throughout the population. The entry requirements for the master's degree include certain relevant experience, which can be obtained through paid or voluntary roles. For example, you may have worked in nursing or social work, or you may have followed a health psychologist. Health psychology is a rapidly growing field.
As the number of people seeking to take control of their own health increases, more and more people are looking for health-related information and resources. Health psychologists focus on educating people about their own health and well-being, so they are perfectly prepared to meet this growing demand. Many health psychologists work specifically in the area of prevention and focus on helping people stop health problems before they start. Another way that health psychologists can help is by educating and training other health professionals.
By incorporating knowledge from health psychology, doctors, nurses, nutritionists and other health professionals can better incorporate psychological approaches into the way they treat to patients. Relationship stress undermines health through behavioral, psychosocial and physiological pathways. For example, stress in relationships contributes to poor health habits in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood (Kassel et al. Stress contributes to psychological distress and physiological arousal (e.g., the propensity to adopt certain health-risk behaviors in response to stress appears to vary from throughout life).
For example, stress is associated with increased alcohol consumption in early adulthood and greater weight gain in middle age (Umberson et al. Relationship stress also undermines feelings of personal control and mental health, which, in turn, are associated with poorer physical health (Mirowsky and Ross, 200). The American Psychological Association defines clinical psychology as “a clinical discipline that involves the provision of diagnostic, evaluation, treatment plan, treatment, prevention and consultation services to patients in emergency rooms, inpatient units and hospital clinics. Clinical psychology is the application of psychological knowledge and skills and research and intervention techniques to health and illness, particularly as it relates to mental health.
Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, a psychology educator and the author of the book Everything Psychology Book. From there, you'll need to complete a BPS accredited master's degree in health psychology and then complete a doctoral degree in health psychology. Health psychology is a field of psychology focused on health promotion, as well as on the prevention and treatment of diseases and ailments. Rehabilitation psychology is a clinical specialty applied to professional psychology that deals with the treatment and science of chronic and disabling health conditions.
Other terms, such as medical psychology and behavioral medicine, are sometimes used interchangeably with the term health psychology. The most common route is to complete a degree in Psychology (or a conversion course), followed by a master's degree in Health Psychology (first phase of training) and, finally, a doctoral program in this field (second-phase training) at a university, research institution or through a graduate program (i.e., a rapidly growing field at the intersection between psychology and clinical care, health psychology has great potential to change the world). The Master's Degree in Health Psychology, one of the few online graduate programs in health psychology accredited by the BPS, can be studied alongside work commitments from anywhere in the world. Counseling psychology is a specialty in the field of psychology in which professionals help individuals, as individuals and groups, to improve their well-being, alleviate their distress, resolve their crises, and increase their ability to solve problems and make decisions. Recognizing the limitations of traditional healthcare models, health psychology favors a more holistic approach that analyzes the root causes of health problems and encourages psychological solutions to prevent diseases at an early stage.
Written by Kendra Cherry, MSed Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator and author of the book Everything Psychology. The school's psychology department enjoys a fantastic international reputation, and 100% of psychology case studies are considered outstanding or very considerable in terms of of scope and importance. You will need an accredited degree in psychology recognized by the British Psychological Society (BPS) that will allow you to obtain the postgraduate degree to become a registered member.
