Health Psychologist
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Background –
Health psychology is the study of health and illness through basic and clinical research. Professionals in the field use both biomedical information about health and psychological knowledge of health issues. Many health psychologists choose a research specialty such as women, minority health issues, or developmental growth. Daily duties of a health psychologist may include research about a particular topic, teaching undergraduate students, or working with individuals in a hospital or clinical setting.
What can I expect to make as a health psychologist? $75,230*
What classes at GVSU may help me in a career? Discuss with your advisor which courses among those on this list, along with other courses not listed here, would best serve your career goals.
- PSY 300 – Research Methods in Psychology
- PSY 310 – Behavior Modification
- PSY 330 – Behavioral Neuroscience
- PSY 366 – Perspectives on Aging
- PSY 367 – Health Psychology
- PSY 368 – Physical Disabilities
- PSY 400 – Advanced Research in Psychology
- PSY 432 – Psychopharmacology
What additional education is required? There are few Master’s programs across the United States but many professionals enter Doctoral programs after their Bachelor’s degree. To do research, your Ph.D. could be in Social, Clinical, or Health Psychology. However, to work with patients, you will need a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a Health specialization.
What skills are applicable to this career? Interpersonal communication, analytical skills, observational skills and patience are all important for a health psychologist to have. Problem-solving skills and confidentiality are also skills that a health psychologist would strive to have.
Employer Possibilities - Being employed in a clinical or hospital setting is possible for health psychologist. These psychologists generally work with individuals providing interventions, conducting interviews or behavioral assessments. If employed in a research capacity, psychologists are generally employed by universities, governmental agencies or private research centers. For more information - https://societyforhealthpsychology.org/
*Bls.gov (2016) for annual median salary for “psychologist”