Training the clinical psychology student in behavioral medicine.

The recent growth of the field of behavioral medicine is associated with an increasing interest in training issues. Research and clinical training are discussed, with a focus on what is transportable from traditional clinical psychology training, what needs to be added, and what needs to be subtracted. An example of how these issues can be handled within the context of a general clinical training program is provided. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An update on medical psychology and behavioral medicine.

Recent definitional developments have required a reevaluation of the term "medical psychology," expecially as it relates to the newly emerging interdisciplinary field of behavioral medicine. It is proposed that medical psychology should now most logically be considered as only one of many contributing specialties within the larger discipline of psychology that, along with other disciplines, converge to form behavioral medicine. A schematic representation of these relationships is proposed with special emphasis placed on the content areas (knowledge and techniques) through which the various disciplines interface. Recent organizational developments aimed at providing psychologists with more structured forums for political representation and ideal sharing are also discussed. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology in clinical health psychology: The impact of specialty perspective.

Not all clinical health psychologists are trained as clinical psychologists. A significant minority is trained and identifies as counseling psychologists. As a field, it is important to understand how the specialty-specific values, training context, scholarship, and parameters of practice of counseling psychology contribute to clinical health psychology. In this article, we (a) identify the core values and training context of counseling psychology, (b) review the scholarly history of clinical health psychology by counseling psychologists, (c) present the parameters of practice of clinical health psychology as identified from the extant counseling psychology literature, and (d) examine American Psychological Association membership status to investigate joint membership in the Division of Health Psychology and the Society of Counseling Psychology. Conclusions indicate that (a) an identifiable set of core values guides the training of counseling psychologists, (b) scholarly literature by counseling psychologists has contributed to the growth and development of clinical health psychology, and (c) parameters of practice reflect the specialty-specific perspective of counseling psychology. As professional psychology continues to grow as a health care profession, clinical health psychology will benefit from the knowledge, values, attitudes, competencies, and practice parameters of counseling psychology, and counseling psychology will benefit from recognizing what it brings to the practice of clinical health psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology.

"This paper is a proposal to establish counseling psychology as a functionally unique pattern of practice." Three hypotheses are proposed, one of which holds that "… counseling psychologists resemble industrial psychologists to a greater extent than they do psychotherapists." Eight points are made in summarizing "… a relatively unique pattern of function for the counseling psychologist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology, psychoeducation, and health psychology: A comment on Klippel and DeJoy.

J. A. Klippel and D. M. DeJoy (see record 1984-20998-001) identified avenues, including psychoeducation, by which counseling psychologists can contribute substantially to the area of health psychology. Counseling psychology's relation with the psychoeducational model is examined briefly in the present paper. In training counseling psychologists to be psychoeducators, 3 areas are of potential importance: (a) training in the foundations, principles, and concepts of psychoeducation; (b) training in the development, implementation, and evaluation of psychoeducational programs; and (c) training in effective instructional skills. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology, health psychology, and beyond: A reply to Klippel and DeJoy.

J. A. Klippel and D. M. DeJoy (see record 1984-20998-001) identified 3 areas of health psychology in which counseling psychology can make a contribution: communication-skills training, community health care, and consultation services. Using their proposal as a basis, the present author examines each of the areas in terms of several potential pitfalls that counseling psychologists may want to avoid. Three reminders for counseling psychologists desiring to work in this setting are to move beyond (1) process to define measurable outcomes, (2) subjective reports and focus on actual behavior change, and (3) catchphrases and focus on their roles as members of health-services teams. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Occupational health psychology: The convergence of health and clinical psychology with public health and preventive medicine in an organizational context.

Occupational health psychology (OHP) applies psychology in organizational settings for the improvement of work life, the protection and safety of workers, and the promotion of healthy work. This article has three sections, the first of which offers a historical and educational perspective on this emerging field, which actually dates to the turn of the past century in America. The second section reviews three dimensions in OHP: the work environment, the individual, and the work–family interface. Concepts within each dimension are discussed. The third section offers an intervention framework based on the public health notions of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral medicine, clinical health psychology, and cost offset.

The use of medical services is a function of several interacting psychological and social variables as well as a function of physical malfunction. The clinical significance of addressing patients' psychosocial issues has only occasionally been considered. However, the shift in health care economics toward health care maintenance is responsible for the increased interest in interventions in the domain of behavioral medicine and health psychology. Evidence is reviewed for 6 mechanistic pathways by which behavioral interventions can maximize clinical care and result in significant economic benefits. The rationale for further integration of behavioral and biomedicine interventions is also reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology and clinical psychology: Some preliminary comparative data.

Comments on L. F. Fitzgerald and S. H. Osipow's (see record 1986-25640-001) occupational analysis and statements regarding the lack of empirical bases to distinguish counseling psychologists from clinical psychologists by presenting findings from the present authors' own comparison of survey data from 716 counseling psychologists and 479 clinical psychologists. These data reveal several similarities and differences regarding counseling and clinical psychologists' theoretical orientations, occupational environments, amount of time devoted to specific professional and psychotherapeutic activities, and identification with a practitioner role. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology training directors: Responsibilities and benefits.

Reports the responses of 30 directors of accredited counseling psychology (CP) programs to a survey of (1) the duties and benefits of CP training directors, and the (2) duties and benefit differences for directors housed in schools/colleges of education vs departments of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology trainees' social justice interest and commitment.

Scholars within the field of counseling psychology have for some time now articulated eloquent and compelling calls for attending to social justice in the social sciences. To date, counseling psychologists have been at the forefront of addressing social justice issues in research, practice, and professional development. The present study advances empirical perspectives on social justice by testing the external validity of M. J. Miller et al.'s (2009) social-cognitive model of social justice interest and commitment in a sample of 229 doctoral trainees in counseling psychology. Present findings support the ability of the model to explain, in part, counseling psychology trainees' social justice interest and commitment. In addition, the present study provides novel findings that demonstrate the direct and indirect ways in which program training environment and personal moral imperative relate to social justice interest and commitment. Study limitations, future directions for research, and implications for training are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exercise in behavioral medicine.

Research on the preventive and rehabilitative applications of exercise and literature on exercise adherence from the past 10 yrs are briefly reviewed. Although there is now substantial evidence that a low level of physical activity is associated with decreased life expectancy for both men and women and contributes independently to the development of many prevalent chronic diseases, most adults and children lead sedentary lives. Recent intervention studies suggest exercise adherence can be improved in a variety of populations. Researchers in the next decade should continue to elaborate the population- and disease-specific effects of physical activity and exercise and give priority to the problem of exercise adherence, which limits the effectiveness of exercise interventions and remains a significant challenge to behavioral medicine. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Population and health psychology.

Responds to the conclusion by H. P. David (see record 1986-19757-001) that reproductive behavior is becoming an area of priority interest for health psychologists. It is indicated that far from warranting such a conclusion, David's presentation reflects a paucity of empirical evidence, considerable politicization, and a number of gratuitously assumed operating principles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment in health psychology.

Reviews recent developments in assessment in health psychology by considering theoretical and methodological contributions and surveying 25 measures commonly employed in research and treatment settings. The limitations of traditional approaches to assessment are outlined, and alternative measurement strategies derived from contemporary personality theory and stress and coping theory are discussed. Measures of psychological predictors and outcomes of health-related behaviors are reviewed, and examples of different methods of assessment (self-report, observer rating, and behavioral) are provided for each. The instruments are outlined in table form, describing the method of measurement, construct measured, response format, subscales, features and limitations, and examples of use in health-psychology research. (French abstract) (129 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology in Veterans Affairs medical centers: Perceptions of chiefs of psychology.

Counseling psychology (CP) has attempted to define itself in ways that accurately reflect the specialty, that do not limit its practitioners from working in their domains of competence, and that set it apart from clinical psychology. S. Cleveland (1980) considered the success of this self-definition in a survey on the perception of counseling psychologists by chiefs of psychology services in the Veterans Administration medical centers (VAMCs). He suggested that counseling psychologists were "defecting" to clinical positions in the VAMCs and that some negative bias existed toward CP by some VAMC chiefs. This survey attempts to determine whether the chiefs' attitudes have shifted as CP redefines itself. Results were similar to those found by Cleveland: Negative bias exists but has decreased. In addition, counseling psychologists in the VAMCs have found a variety of positions, expanding their role beyond previous narrow definitions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical health psychology: A health care specialty in professional psychology.

Clinical health psychology is a specialty recognized by both the American Board of Professional Psychology and the American Psychological Association. Clinical health psychology focuses on psychological and behavioral components of illness and health and promotes the understanding of psychology as a health profession. In this article the author reviews its definition, provides a brief overview of practice in the specialty, addresses its relevance for practitioners, and notes sample resources for further study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child health psychology.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 9(6) of Health Psychology (see record 2008-09119-001). The name of the author, Sharon Millstein, should be Susan Millstein.] The term child health psychology refers to the field of research on the behavioral aspects of children's health and illness. At this time we need to continue the work of the child health psychology special interest group and to draw into the Division of Health Psychology a much larger number of developmental psychologists, who need to be informed about the relevance of their scientific training to child health issues. We call the Division's attention and that of granting agencies such as the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the following high-priority child health research issues: adherence to pediatric medical regimens; child health promotion; family influences on child and adolescent health and disease; and stress and coping in childhood illness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent health psychology.

In this article, a biopsychosocial model of adolescent development is used as an organizing framework for a review of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention research with adolescent populations. During adolescence many critical health behaviors emerge, affecting future disease outcomes in adulthood. In addition, most of the predominant causes of morbidity and mortality in adolescence are unique to this period of development, indicating that health-focused interventions must be tailored specifically to adolescents. Moreover, it is during adolescence that lifelong patterns of self-management of and adjustment to chronic health conditions are established. Thus, an increased focus on adolescence in health psychology research is important both to improve the health of adolescents per se and to optimize health trajectories into adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling psychology: Why?

Psychologists who chose the counseling specialty in its early days are concerned about a change of focus that seems to be occurring today. Originally, counseling psychology was concerned with helping individuals to understand themselves, make important choices, and plan their lives. It is now closer to clinical psychology and helps individuals to recover from mental illnesses, change unsatisfactory habit patterns, or solve personal problems. The loss of the separate identity of counseling psychology leaves some important human needs unmet. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical training issues for behavioral psychology.

Discusses the implications, advantages, and disadvantages of 3 emphases in behavioral training—technique based, theory based, and scientific method based. The "technique" philosophy implies that students should receive direct instruction in techniques with proven effectiveness, that they should be enabled to determine the appropriateness of a technique for a particular client, and that they should become adept at evaluating research literature for documentation of treatment effectiveness. An emphasis on learning theory implies that students who are well trained in behavioral principles will be equipped to develop their own techniques. The goal of training in scientific methodology is to provide students with widely applicable, broadly based concepts for analyzing and treating clinical problems. (62 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)