What is Health Psychology?
Health psychology is defined as “a field of psychology dealing with the emotional and cognitive factors that contribute to, help to maintain, or result from disease, illness, or injury.” Put simply, health psychology uses the interaction of the body and the mind to help people feel better and enjoy optimal wellness across the lifespan.

What is a Health Psychologist?
A health psychologist is a licensed psychologist who is trained to provide traditional psychological treatment for emotional and mental conditions but who also has specialized training and experience in working with individuals who have medical issues. It is not necessary that someone have an emotional or mental condition or a medical condition to benefit from working with a health psychologist. Many people find it helpful to see a psychologist on a regular basis to prevent the build up of emotional distress rather than waiting to react to distress that has accumulated over time. Mental health and physical health are interrelated and cannot be separated. Taking care of yourself emotionally is one part of caring for your overall health.

What Type of Work Does a Health Psychologist Do?
Health psychologists help people with a wide variety of issues and work with child, adolescent, adult and geriatric populations. Common areas that are addressed include:

• Pain
• Cognitive Changes (Memory)
• Depression
• Grief and Loss
• Anxiety or “Stress”
• Trauma
• Coping
• Anger and Frustration
• Body Image
• Eating and Appetite
• Addictions
• Adjustment to Life Changes
• Coping with Chronic Illness
• Relationship Problems
• Behavioral Problems
• Parenting
• Health and Wellness

Health psychologists also provide a variety of psychological evaluations and assessments such as:

• Gastric Bypass Pre-Surgical Evaluations
• Morphine Pump Pre-Surgical Evaluations
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Evaluations
• Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Delay Evaluations
• Learning Disorder Evaluations
• Disability Evaluations
• Court Evaluations
• Organ Transplant Evaluations