Clinical Psychology

Health Psychology

Purpose

The Health Psychology concentration is designed to prepare students to work with health psychology populations in addition to their general training in clinical psychology. Health Psychology refers to the educational, scientific and professional contributions of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of physical health; the prevention and treatment of illness; the identification of the factors that contribute to illness and health; and the analysis and improvement of the healthcare system and health policy.

---

Considerations

• Graduates will be educated and trained in coursework and practicum training relating to the theory and practice of health psychology.
• Graduates will be prepared to pursue postdoctoral training and focused clinical activities with an advanced theoretical and clinical foundation.
• The concentration emphasizes the significance and value of integrating cultural, racial, gender, and sexual orientation factors into understanding and working with health psychology populations.

Course Requirements

The courses required for students in the concentration cover the scope of theory and practice of health psychology, including knowledge of medical conditions, assessment and treatment methods for working with a healthcare population, prevention, consultation, and techniques developed for working with medical conditions, such as hypnosis and biofeedback. These courses are integrated into the Health Psychology concentration curriculum using the elective
choices in the Psy.D in Clinical Psychology program.

Courses in the concentration curriculum are chosen to prepare students to learn theories, methods, and techniques that will equip them to function in the various capacities involved in the field of health psychology. The Health Psychology concentration requires the satisfactory completion of the Psy.D in Clinical Psychology program semester credit hour, Professionalization Group, Comprehensive Examination, five Clinical Competency tasks, and internship requirements listed under “Program Requirements” earlier in this section. Students in this concentration are required to fill the electives requirements portion of the program with the following courses:

Diversity and Professional Practice Elective Requirement— Students Take the Following

• PP7374 Assessment: Advanced Rorschach - 3 credits
• P7611 Health Psychology: Pain, Neurological Conditions and Rehabilitation - 3 credits
  
• PP7615 Health Psychology: Prevention, Stress, and Serious Illness - 3 credits
• Diversity and Professional Practice Elective Requirement - 6 credits

Advanced Intervention Elective Requirement — Students Choose One of the Following

• PP8050 Family and Couples Therapy - 3 credits
• PP8011 Advanced Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy - 3 credits
• PP8034 Advanced Experiential Psychotherapy - 3 credits
• PP8653 Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - 3 credits
• Advanced Intervention Elective Requirement - 3 credits                  

General Elective Requirement — Students Choose Two of the Following

• PP8651 Skills Laboratory in Health Psychology - 1.5 credits
• PP8652 Skills Laboratory in Health Psychology II - 1.5 credits
• PP8655 Skills Laboratory in Health Psychology III - 1.5 credits
• PP8673 Hypnotherapy - 1.5 credits
• PP8677 Mourning and Loss - 1.5 credits
• PP8751 Family Systems and Health - 1.5 credits
• PP8950 Special Topics: Transgender Health  - 1.5 credits
• PP8950 Special Topics: Spirituality and Health - 1.5 credits
• General Elective Requirement - 3 credits

Clinical Training:

Practicum and Practicum Seminar

supervised field experiences which involve health psychology: a Diagnostic Practicum and a Therapy Practicum. While the client population at these sites is typically medical, the range of experiences is quite varied. Populations that are treated include those with eating disorders, substance addiction, brain injury, clients needing physical rehabilitation. When possible, students in the concentration will take the Diagnostic and Therapy Practicum Seminars with a Health Psychology concentration faculty member.

Internships

If possible, students are expected to pursue an internship that involves some experience with
Health Psychology.

Clinical Research Project

Students in this concentration are encouraged to investigate a topic related to Health Psychology.

Core Faculty	Adjunct Faculty
Judith Flaxman, Ph. D., Coordinator Eliezer Schwartz, Ph.D.          Christopher Rector, Ph.D. Mirjam Quinn, Ph. D. David Van Dyke, Ph.D.  Andy Suth, Ph.D.	Rebecca Mueller .

***PLEASE CONTACT CONCENTRATION COORDINATOR at jflaxman@argosy.edu or 312-777-7685 with questions.