Health Psychology Promotes Wellness

For years, we’ve known about the dangers of smoking, and that we should eat less and move more. But in the end, what motivates us to put down the doughnut and hit the running trail or carefully follow a doctor’s instructions about medications and follow-up visits?

Health psychology explores those motivations in the pursuit of getting people to embrace health promotion and illness prevention. This specialty area examines how biological, social and psychological factors influence the choices we make about our health.

Health psychologists study the factors that allow people to be healthy, recover from an illness or cope with a chronic condition. They are experts in the intersection of health and behavior and are in demand as a part of integrated health care delivery teams — working with other doctors to provide whole-person health care.

The path to wellness is complex, and health psychologists know this. That is why they consider all the factors in a person’s life to get at what’s really driving certain behaviors.

Ever heard of emotional eating? Or psychosomatic illnesses? Linking people’s emotions to their behavior and its consequences is a key component of their work.

Health psychologists apply their expertise in many settings, including private practices, hospitals and primary care programs, universities, corporations, government agencies and specialty practices, such as oncology, pain management, rehabilitation and smoking cessation.

Helping people make choices that have a positive impact on their health — and the well-being of their families, the workforce and their communities is at the heart of this dynamic field.