Health Psychology in Action

There is a remarkable diversity in the study and practice of health psychology today. As yet there is no resource that delineates this vibrant and growing field, nor the overarching principles and approaches that apply to it. This book does both, while showcasing, with individual stories from contributors, how health psychologists apply theory to real–world problems in practice. It details the challenges and opportunities that psychologists in non–mental health specialties face, and how they deal with them. Including contributions from academics and industry professionals, the book is structured with the Stage 2 competences for health psychologists in mind. It provides career advice, support for health professionals, and a resource for further research, as well as offering a much–needed benchmark by which to judge future health psychology professionals. This is the definitive guide to a complex and vital discipline.

About the Editors vii List of Contributors ix Preface xv Acknowledgements xix 1 Applying Health Psychology to Dentistry: ′People, Not Teeth′ 1 Sarah Baker 2 Promoting the Application of Health Psychology in Primary Health Care 17 Amy Baraniak 3 Health Psychology in the NHS: The Long andWinding Road . . . 28 Julian Bath 4 A Journey into Health Psychology and Beyond 40 Sheila Bonas 5 Health Psychology in Cyberspace 50 Neil Coulson 6 Working in Academia: A Different Kind of Practice, but Practice Nonetheless 58 Lorna Dodd 7 Shared Decision Making 69 Darren Flynn 8 Writing, Training, Teaching, Researching, Consulting, Quality Assurance and the Kitchen Sink 84 Mark Forshaw 9 What Are the Roles of a Health Psychologist in Clinical Practice? Defining Knowledge, Skills and Competencies 93 Claire Hallas 10 Health Psychology: The Missing Ingredient from Health and Safety? 105 Jenny Lunt 11 Keeping Up Appearances in Health Psychology 116 Timothy P. Moss 12 Social and Political Health Psychology in Action 128 Michael Murray 13 Tailoring Behavioural Support and Tailoring Health Psychology Careers 138 Felix Naughton 14 Working with Chronic Pain 150 Sue Peacock 15 Combining Practice and Academia as a Health Psychologist 161 Karen Rodham 16 Health Psychologists in Action – Working for the Pharmaceutical Industry 172 Katja R¨udell 17 The Rapid Growth of Health Psychology in Medical Schools and Clinical Practice 183 Harbinder Sandhu and Shilpa Patel 18 The Lived Experience of a Qualitative Health Psychologist 195 Rachel L. Shaw 19 Health Psychology in Sickle Cell and Other Long–Term Haematological Conditions 207 Veronica Joan Thomas 20 Afterword 221 Mark Forshaw and David Sheffield Index 225

Mark Forshaw is Deputy Director of the Centre for Health Psychology at Staffordshire University and recipient of the 2011 BPS Division of Health Psychology Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Advancement of Health Psychology. He has researched and published widely in health psychology, on subjects as diverse as menopause, complementary therapies, and hand–arm vibration syndrome. David Sheffield is the Associate Head of the Centre for Psychological Research at the University of Derby. Sheffield′s research expertise extends to stress and cardiovascular responses, and he has written interventions to improve wellbeing, pain perception and management, and mathematics anxiety.

“Overall, these stories are pleasingly positive and the contributors’ pride in their practice is as likely to be as much an encouragement to prospective practitioners as is the appeal of the diversity of health psychology itself.”  ( QMIP Bulletin , 1 October 2012)