Health psychologists use their knowledge of psychology and health to promote general well-being and to understand how people respond to health and illness. They can,
- help people deal with the psychological and emotional aspects of health and illness and support people who have chronic or life-limiting illness to adjust and move forward with their lives.
- support people to change their behaviour to improve their health. For example, they may help people to lose weight, stop smoking, or make lifestyle changes.
- use their skills to try to improve the healthcare system. For example, they may advise doctors about better ways to communicate with patients or help them think about why patients respond to diagnosis and treatment in certain ways.
Health Psychologists are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). As a minimum they will have completed an undergraduate degree in psychology, a master’s degree in health psychology (Stage 1) and doctoral-level training in Clinical or Health Psychology (Stage 2). Those that provide 1:1 work with clients should also have additional training in specific therapeutic approaches (i.e. CBT, ACT).
At the Cheshire Wellness Centre, we have Health Psychologists who specialise in supporting clients with chronic and/ or life limiting health conditions as well as those who support clients to make health-related behaviour changes.