Three universities to develop curriculum for occupational health psychology

Three universities, with the help of APA and the federal government, are about to develop psychology training programs that focus specifically on workplace health and safety.

Bowling Green State University, Kansas State University and the University of Minnesota have been awarded about $20,000 each to develop graduate-level curricula in Occupational Health Psychology (OHP). APA, with the help of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, is administering a five-year cooperative agreement to promote the discipline of occupational health psychology.

The APA and NIOSH began collaborating in 1990 to address the expanding health and psychosocial needs of American workers, says Heather Roberts-Fox, PhD, testing and assessment officer at APA and co-principal investigator for the grant program. The need for occupational health psychologists is growing as Americans work longer hours, handle more tasks and consequently face more job stress, she says. Job stress has a major impact on health and productivity at work, she adds.

Seventeen universities applied for the funding. Applicants were asked to describe:

? Their long-term plans for the development of the curriculum.

? Which students would be targeted.

? Their collaboration among faculty from various departments.

APA assembled an interdisciplinary group of advisers to decide what types of university-based activities would be funded. The advisers are experts in organizational behavior, clinical and counseling psychology, public health and industrial engineering. The advisers, along with APA and NIOSH staff, will monitor the program?s quality over the next year. Limited funding will be available for a second continuation year and will be distributed based on an evaluation of each funded program.