Careers in Health Psychology

Quick Links to Subsections on this Page
Introduction	Education
Brief History	Employment
Important Terms	Learning More
Subfields	Outlook
A Typical Day	Summary
Pros and Cons	Acknowledgments

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Introduction

HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY focuses upon how biological, psychological, and social factors affect health and illness. It is a fairly new field because society has become more conscious of being healthy -- whether it pertains to the food we eat, the way our bodies look, or how we feel. Because of this, psychologists developed health psychology. Many health psychologists perform on the best ways to promote healthy living and prevent disease and/or how people react psychologically when they are diagnosed with an illness. Health psychologists are also interested in patients' personality or attitude to see if it has a positive or negative effect on their health.

Health Psychology has become so involved in physical health and illness that medical centers have become important employers of psychology majors today. Health psychologists study patients' coping strategies, adjustment to their illness, and how they view their quality of life. The main focus today is why people do certain things knowing that it can harm them in the end (e.g., why teenagers or adults smoke when they know it causes cancer or even death).

A Brief History

This branch of psychology has only flourished fairly recently (i.e., the last 10-15 years) because of the importance of exercising and healthy eating. For the past one hundred years it was assumed that health and illness were biomedical issues. It was thought that a person's genetic makeup caused them to be ill or sick. Health was just considered to be the absence of disease. When medical research improved -- such as with modern surgical techniques and the use of medications, and immunizations -- it reduced death rates and helped to prevent many once life-threatening diseases. But, the chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, lung diseases, and complications from substance abuse, continued to rise in the second half of the twentieth century.

It eventually became clear that many chronic illnesses could have been prevented or at least managed better through modifications in behavior. This is when interest in health psychology started to multiply. It was found that approximately 350,000 heart attack deaths could be prevented each year through the cessation of smoking alone. Other controllable behaviors, such as lack of exercise and poor diet, have also been found to contribute to the onset of chronic diseases. Health psychologists have found that not only behavior has an impact on disease, but also attitudes and social factors. These factors combined to form the biopsychosocial model which guides the work of many health psychologists today.

Important Terms and Definitions

*Some Important Terms in Health Psychology*
	Biopsychosocial Model	This model guides the work of health psychologists. It postulates that health and illness are guided by a combination of biological factors, social factors, and psychological factors.
	Psychological Inhibition	This is the process when a person conceals personal problems and negative emotions.
	Dispositional Optimism	This refers to an overall optimistic state in which one generally expects the future to be good. Health psychologists believe this is linked to a quicker recovery from illness.
	Explanatory Style	This refers to the tendency to explain events in certain ways. One who explains him/herself in a positive style generally exhibits better health habits.
	Alternative Medicine	When traditional medicine cannot cure an illness, alternative medicine can be used (e.g., acupuncture, meditation).

Some Interesting Subfields

There are five major aspects to health psychology, in which each contribute to the overall existence of health psychology. Health psychology contributes to our understanding of health and illness through patients' adjustment to serious illnesses, their health beliefs, which influences their behavior, their mind and body connection, and finally the psychosocial factors that can reinforce healthy behaviors and prevent negative ones.

*Some Interesting Subfields Within Health Psychology*
	Mind-Body Connection	This subfield deals with the importance of peoples' adjustment following the diagnosis of a disease, death, or injury.
	Psychological Adjustment	Psychological states, such as depression and anxiety, can alter immune function and other biological processes, leading to poor health practice and diminished use of health care.
	Preventing Disease	Health psychologists promote health and hope that in return it will prevent disease. There are many chronic illnesses that can be prevented.
	Optimism	An optimistic attitude and related behaviors are linked to better reports of physical health and faster recovery from illness.
	Social Support	Health psychologists have extensively studied the positive relationships between social support, mental health, and physical health.

A Typical Day Practicing Health Psychology

The day typically starts at 8:00 a.m. The health psychologist has an appointment in 2 hours with a newly diagnosed cancer patient. The cancer patient is a young women who is having a difficult time accepting her illness. She has an extremely negative attitude and feels as though there is no hope for a future. The health psychologist needs to help adjust the cancer patient's attitude so she has a more positive outlook on her future. Statistics show that a better attitude can produce a faster rate of recovery as well as better problem-solving and coping strategies. The cancer patient needs to recognize that she is ill, but still be alive enough in her mind to fight the cancer.

Pros and Cons of a Career in Health Psychology

There are both potentially rewarding and frustrating aspects to working in health psychology that need to be carefully considered before pursuing a career in the field:

*Some Potential Attractions of Careers in Health Psychology*
	Helping Others	It can be extremely rewarding when helping others cope with certain illnesses. A health psychologist can actually save a person's life.
	Promote Health	By promoting health, one is educating people on how to take the best care of themselves. Health psychologists are thus reducing peoples' risk of illness.
	Job Opportunities	Job opportunities are expected to increase for those in the health field because of the enormous popularity of the field and the growing geriatric population in the coming decades.
	Challenging	It can be very challenging when working with people that have extremely negative attitudes.
	Team Environment	Health psychologists often work together with nurses, doctors, researchers, and other psychologists.

*Some Potential Drawbacks of Careers in Health Psychology*
	Burnout Rate	It can be extremely frustrating to try to help patients when they do not want to be helped.
	Low Pay	The salary may not compensate for the amount of work required.
	Intense Schooling	A doctorate degree includes 5 to 7 years of study, including a dissertation.
	Dealing with Illnesses	Working every day with ill people can be upsetting, especially if one becomes emotionally attached to terminally ill patients.

Education and Training for Careers in Health Psychology

NEEDED SKILLS, ABILITIES, and KNOWLEDGE: For health psychology, it is very important to be able to work well with others. Those aspiring to work directly with patient care must be emotionally stable, mature, and able to deal effectively with people. The ability to lead and inspire others is an excellent trait to have as a health psychologist.

OPTIONS AND PAY RANGES WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE: A bachelor's degree in psychology qualifies a person to assist psychologists and other professionals in community mental health centers, vocational rehabilitation offices, and correctional programs. This person may also work as a research or administrative assistant. Some work as technicians in related fields such as marketing research. Without additional training, opportunities in the field are rather limited. Most undergraduate psychology majors (around 75%) end up with careers in related disciplines rather than directly in psychology. The average salary for psychologists with a bachelor's degree about $19,700 (1999 data). Those graduates with superior academic records could possibly begin as about $24,200.

OPTIONS AND PAY RANGES WITH A MASTER'S DEGREE: To obtain a master's degree, students need to attend at least 2 years of a full-time graduate study program. Requirements usually include practical experience in an applied setting and a master's thesis based on an original research project. Master degree holders may find jobs as psychological assistants in the community mental health field, which often requires direct supervision by a licensed psychologist. Others may find jobs involving research, data collection, and analysis in various companies or schools. The average salary for graduates with master's degree and 1 year of internship is about $29,600 (1999 data).

*Some Terminal Master's Degree Programs for Pursuing a Career in Health Psychology*
	Psychology at Villanova University	This program services the needs of students unsure of their goals, of individuals wanting a more gradual transition between undergraduate and Ph.D. level work, and for those seeking a terminal Master's degree.
	Psychology at University of Wisconsin	The specialty in health psychology offers training in areas such as research and theories relevant to health promotion, stress and its management, and management of pain.
	Health Psychology at University of Bath	This London-based program promotes knowledge about the ways in which health psychology research may be designed and conducted.

OPTIONS AND PAY RANGES WITH A DOCTORAL DEGREE: A doctoral degree is generally required for employment as a licensed health psychologist. A doctoral degree usually requires 5 to 7 years of graduate study program and a dissertation of original research. Opportunities for people holding doctorates with an emphasis in health psychology are generally good. After several years of experience, 40% of psychologists enter private practice or set up their own research or consulting firm. Annual earnings for doctorate degrees and 1 year internship start at around $35,800 (1999 data). Someone with lots of experience could earn as high as $42,900 to start. Beginning salaries are slightly higher in selected areas in the country; also those in their own private practice are especially higher.

*Some Doctoral Programs for Pursuing a Career in Health Psychology*
	Health Psychology at California School of Psychology	This Ph.D. program in Health Psychology includes the study of health promotion, disease prevention, and management for patients with chronic illnesses or disorders.
	Psychology at the University of Massachusetts	Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, a division of the Department of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, is dedicated to teaching, research ,and service health promotion and disease prevention.
	Health Psychology at the University of Texas	This newer Health Psychology specialty is integrated with the study of social and clinical psychology.

Employment Resources for Health Psychology

The following links help to familiarize psychology majors or people already in the health psychology field with career information, upcoming job postings, or new developments and trends.

*Some Resources for Exploring Careers and Career Prospects in Health Psychology*
	Health Psychology Web Site	The Health Psychology web site was designed to familiarize one with APA's Division 38 and provide access to other valuable health psychology resources available on the internet.
	U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	The Department of Health and Human Services is the U. S. government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans. This site provides information about employment opportunities.
	APA	This web site contains subpages displaying classified ads by state.
	Psych Careers	Within this site, one can add a resume into a searchable database.

Learning More About Health Psychology

The Internet allows one to learn more about new careers quite easily. There are many helpful web sites that pertain to health psychology as well as ones that explain the field to newcomers.

*Some General Resources for Learning More about Health Psychology*
	World Health Organization	Since its creation in 1948, the World Health Organization has contributed to major accomplishments resulting in a healthier world.
	Health Psychology Web Site	The Health Psychology web site was designed to familiarize one with APA's Division 38 and provide access to other valuable health psychology resources available on the Internet.
	Healthpsych	This site presents research, viewpoints, and practical suggestions about the practice of Health Psychology in medical and rehabilitation settings.

Outlook

Employment in psychology is expected to grow about as fast as average for all occupations through 2008. Employment in health care will grow the fastest in outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment clinics. Numerous job opportunities will also arise in schools, public and private social service agencies, and management consulting services. Companies will use psychologists’ expertise in survey design, analysis, and research to provide marketing evaluation and statistical analysis. The increase in employee assistance programs, which offer employees help with personal problems, should also spur job growth.

Master’s degree holders may find jobs as psychological assistants in the community mental health field, which often requires direct supervision by a licensed psychologist. Still others may find jobs involving research and data collection and analysis in universities, government, or private companies.

Opportunities for people holding doctorates from leading universities in areas with an applied emphasis on health should have particularly good prospects. Psychologists with extensive training in quantitative research methods and computer science may have a competitive edge over applicants without this background.

Very few opportunities directly related to psychology will exist for bachelor’s degree holders. Some may find jobs as assistants in rehabilitation centers, or in other jobs involving data collection and analysis.

Summary

In conclusion, health psychology is growing career area. In the last 10 to 15 years, an emphasis on health has become extremely important for many people. Health psychologists are interested in ways to promote health and prevent disease, which is why medical centers are the major employers of health psychologists. Some topics they research include (1) why people often fail to take important disease preventive measures, and (2) what effect personality has on health.

Acknowledgments

This page was created by Janette Kuhlberg as a project for a Senior Seminar in Psychology (PSY400) class taught by Dr. Arvid J. Bloom at West Chester University in Spring 2000.