Health psychologists are essential in clinical settings, where they conduct clinical interviews and behavioral evaluations. They can also participate in interventions with individuals or groups, for example, in programs to help people reduce stress, stop smoking, and avoid sedentary behavior. Health psychology careers may include research, clinical, or administrative work. Research involves investigating the psychological and social factors that contribute to health and illness. Clinical work may include helping patients manage chronic diseases, cope with stress, and adopt healthier behaviors.
Health psychology is a subfield of psychology that specifically focuses on how physical, social, cultural, mental, and emotional factors affect a person's health and health-related behaviors. Students who concentrate on health psychology as part of earning an online master's degree in psychology delve into specific topics that prepare them for success in this increasingly important field. 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 clinics of hospitals. Professionals examine how psychological processes and behavior affect physical health and how they affect psychological well-being.
Health psychology is a branch within the field of psychology that focuses on how social, psychological, and biological factors combine to influence human health. Because health psychology isn't as well known as other areas of psychology, people interested in this field want to know where a degree in health psychology can take them. Clinical psychology is the application of psychological knowledge and skills, research and intervention techniques to health and illness, particularly as it relates to mental health. A career in health psychology involves working with several health-related topics, including managing chronic diseases, promoting health and preventing diseases, managing pain, stress and coping, and the psychological impact of medical treatments. Specific positions in health psychology include that of wellness consultant, behavior analyst, program director, research coordinator, addiction counselor and professor of health psychology.
While psychology has been concerned with health for a long time, health psychology as a differentiated field is relatively young. Psychological psychology is a specialty in the field of psychology in which professionals help individuals, such 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. Rehabilitation psychology is a clinical specialty applied to professional psychology that deals with the treatment and science of chronic and disabling health conditions. 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.
