The Register Report, Spring 2006: A Special Report on Developmental Challenges Diversity and Health Psychology in the Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension by: Linda Berg-Cross, Ph.D. Return to Table of Contents

Psychologists are trained to be an integral part of the health care system. The APA division of health psychology (38) boasts 3,023 members and affiliates (APA, 2005). There are more than 75 APA approved internships which have a major rotation in behavioral health with over 50% of the interns’ time devoted to health psychology activities, and more than 30 postdoctoral positions where students can receive advanced training in health psychology. The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) and the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology both recognize the specialty area of clinical health psychology. The Bureau of Health Services Training Programs funds clinical psychology programs within the same federal training programs used for medical schools. Both disciplines are seen as preparing professionals to reduce health disparities, promote health, and provide disease management. The future is clear for those wearing the proper lenses: we have gained admission to the health industry, and now we are expected to come up with disease prevention strategies, more effective methods for changing life styles, and more effective treatments for chronic illness.

While health psychology will dominate the 21st century of clinical practice, the field has been developing since the late 1970s. More than 30 years ago, Joe Matarazzo, Ph.D., shaped the role boundaries of the specialty with the following definition:

A clinical health psychologist applies, in professional practice, the specific educational, scientific, and professional contributions of the discipline of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of health; the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of illness, injury and disability; the identification of etiologic and diagnostic correlates of health, illness and related dysfunction, and the analysis and improvement of the health care system and health policy formation (1980, p 815).

If this sounds like a tall order, it is. Once we looked to the medical profession to prevent and heal; now we are called upon to do the same. We are assuming a critical role on the health team. Other health care professionals are slowly embracing the model that successful patient care requires the integration of traditional medicine and psychological practice. As experts in behavior, we have become the missing piece in holistic care.

Most of the professional media has focused on the role that health psychologists play in prescribing medications for mental health problems (Hall, 2005). The idea propelling prescription privileges for psychologists is that as we practice within our traditional competency domains treating issues like anger, anxiety, depression, cognitive confusion and distortions, we need to have access to pharmaceutical interventions that also treat these behavioral problems. As a profession, we do not want to outsource an aspect of client care that, with appropriate training, we can assess, implement and monitor with equal or greater competence than other health professionals. Just like the dentist who prescribes for tooth pain, and the nurse practitioner who prescribes for infections, so the psychologist should be able to prescribe for emotional/cognitive distress. continued

Page 1

Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13