How A Health Psychologist Can Help You Work Toward Wellness
Though we often think of physical and mental health as separate, scientists are increasingly learning that they’re intertwined in a variety of ways. Those who study the relationships between thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and bodily wellness are known as health psychologists. Their insights and assistance may be helpful for people who are trying to break unhealthy habits or are experiencing physical symptoms that spring from emotional turmoil. Here, we’ll explore how health psychologists learn and practice their discipline as well as how to tell when you might benefit from their assistance.
What is health psychology?
Health psychologists usually have advanced degrees in psychology with a focus on topics related to health, illness, and recovery. They may practice independently, offering health-related coaching and counseling, or operate within medical institutions to help with challenges such as pain management or medication adherence. A health psychologist may also conduct research into the way the mind influences bodily wellness and vice versa.
Big-picture questions health psychologists examine
A health psychologist might be concerned with a variety of questions about the interplay between physical and mental health, including the following.
What motivates people to make healthy choices?
Many serious health problems may be caused at least in part by unhealthy habits. For example:
- Not eating enough nutrient-dense foods and/or eating processed foods too often can contribute to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease
- Smoking cigarettes is the biggest known risk factor for lung cancer
- Lack of physical exercise may increase the risk of stroke and dementia
- Lack of physical exercise and harmful alcohol use are known risk factors for depression
Although many of these associations have come to be common knowledge, many people engage in such habits nevertheless—and health psychologists want to understand why that is. That’s why they often study the driving factors behind unhealthy choices or design and test interventions to motivate wellness-friendly behaviors.
How do psychological factors affect physical health symptoms?
Another area of study within health psychology is how mental and emotional stress can contribute to physical illnesses. For example, some people develop physiological symptoms due to psychological strain, a type of condition known as a psychosomatic or psychogenic disorder. Common manifestations include:
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Pain
- High blood pressure
- Nausea or diarrhea
Even in cases where a person’s symptoms may have a physical cause, they can sometimes be affected by mental factors. For instance, some studies have suggested that optimism may reduce perceived pain from physical illness while pessimism may increase it. Even major health outcomes such as survival of metastatic cancer may be influenced by psychological factors such as depression. Uncovering these kinds of connections is a common goal in health psychology.
How can people maintain mental health in the face of illness?
Just as psychological difficulties may decrease physical well-being, bodily illness or injury can challenge an individual’s mental health. For example, research suggests that the risk of psychological disorders like depression may be substantially greater in people who have experienced life-threatening diseases. Recovering from or adapting to physical injuries can bring similar risks.
Some health psychology researchers look for ways to help patients manage their mental health more effectively during treatment for major medical problems. As noted above, such practices may help improve their overall disease prognosis as well as their quality of life and sense of well-being.
Pursuing a career in health psychology
Are you interested in becoming a health psychologist? Here’s a brief overview of the path you’ll likely need to take to get there.
Undergraduate education
The process of becoming a health psychologist starts with education. As the American Psychological Association notes, most careers in this specialty require a doctoral-level degree. That said, those with bachelor’s degrees may still be able to offer health coaching services or assist with research, while master’s degree holders can find jobs in fields like addiction counseling, health education, and public health administration.
Undergraduate degree programs specific to health psychology are rare. Most aspiring health psychologists simply pursue a bachelor’s in psychology and then focus on health and wellness psychology at the graduate level. Or, some schools might offer an undergraduate concentration in health psychology or health studies. If yours doesn’t, you can still choose relevant courses to help you prepare for your specialty by exploring topics like:
- Cognitive psychology
- Psychoeducation
- Learning and memory
- Behavioral psychology
- Community health
- Abnormal psychology
- Psychology of motivation and decision-making
- Developmental psychology
Graduate research studies
After completing your undergraduate education, you can pursue a master’s degree, a doctoral degree, or both. Getting one of these advanced degrees is generally non-negotiable if you hope to be a licensed health psychologist. Depending on your career plan, it’s often helpful to obtain a Ph.D. or Psy.D. A Ph.D. is typically better suited to those who want to stick to research, while those who aim to practice clinical health psychology may prefer the more treatment-focused Psy.D. program.
Keeping your long-term interests in mind while applying to graduate schools is usually a good idea. A particular institution, program, or professor might prepare you particularly well for certain specialties within health psychology.
Finding work as a health psychologist
After completing your graduate program, you may opt for an academic psychology role such as a researcher or lecturer, or you might pursue clinical licensure. Obtaining your doctoral degree isn’t enough to practice as a psychologist; all US states also require you to complete a certain number of hours of clinical work under the supervision of a licensed practitioner. Most have additional requirements too, such as exams.
Note that obtaining a license to practice in your state could be useful even if your focus is mostly academic. Investigators conducting clinical psychology research will need to be licensed if they want to provide treatment in the studies they’re conducting. If you can’t practice in your state, you’ll have to partner with a licensed specialist to perform clinical research.
Upon completion of all relevant degree and licensure requirements, you can seek a long-term role in your field. This may be easier if you’ve laid the groundwork during your school years by researching possible openings and networking with professionals in the field.
There is a wide variety of possible roles you could choose from in this sector, especially if you have a doctoral degree and a clinical license. Some health psychologists work for large hospital systems or open their own practices to offer health-related counseling. Others work for nonprofits, government agencies, or community health organizations to help care for individuals with complex health challenges. Those who prefer a more academic track may end up assisting or leading research teams to investigate the psychosocial factors that help determine health and wellness.
When should you seek help from a health psychologist?
Many health psychologists work in clinical practice offering direct assistance with the psychological aspects of health and illness. Here are a few scenarios in which you might benefit from working with this type of specialist:
- You’d like support in quitting a harmful addiction such as smoking or alcohol use disorder
- You’re having difficulty adopting positive habits like exercising or eating nutritious foods regularly
- You’re experiencing bodily symptoms such as chronic fatigue or non-specific pain that don’t have an apparent physical cause
- You’re engaging in physical therapy or recovering from an illness, but feelings like frustration, pessimism, or apathy are hampering your progress
- You’d like to learn more constructive ways to manage stress
- You’re finding it difficult to stick to a prescribed course of treatment such as a medication regimen or physician-recommended eating patterns
- You’re having trouble psychologically adjusting to a chronic illness or permanent injury
- You have a long-term medical condition and want to improve your pain-management skills
If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7.
Other healthcare professionals such as your primary care doctor may be able to assist with some of these needs. However, a clinical health psychologist can offer focused, evidence-based assistance so you can take charge of your physical and mental well-being.
Public health and finding a health psychologist
You have several options if you’re hoping to locate a psychologist who can help you with health-related challenges.
Get a referral
One simple and often effective approach is to request a referral from your primary care doctor or specialist. They should be familiar with the specific challenges you’re facing and may be able to recommend a licensed practitioner with relevant experience.
Go through a public health or government organization
Community health organizations or local government agencies might also be able to put you in touch with a knowledgeable health psychologist. For those who practice a faith tradition, clergy members can sometimes also be valuable resources. They may be especially likely to have relationships with psychologists who can assist with things like addiction recovery, coping with severe illness, or stress and anger management.
Search a directory
Some non-profit groups and public health organizations maintain directories of care providers that allow you to search for professionals with particular specialties. Examples include:
Get therapy online
Online therapy platforms can also be useful for connecting with a treatment provider you feel comfortable with, especially if the options for in-person practitioners in your immediate area are limited. Many of these platforms can match you with a licensed mental health professional based on your individual preferences to help ensure that you find someone who feels like a good fit.
Web-based health psychology therapies are a relatively new form of treatment, but they’re often shown to be effective for purposes like managing health-related anxiety and motivating positive behavioral change. For example, findings from one clinical trial suggest that participants receiving online cognitive behavioral therapy treatment achieved a substantial reduction in binge eating symptoms as well as a drop in associated depression. Online treatment may be a useful option for those who could benefit from health psychology interventions.
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