
What implications does the changing healthcare system mean for our training programs?

What role do counseling psychologists play different from other Health Care
Professionals, especially clinical psychology?
 In other words, what is our value beyond other Health Care Professionals?


How could an emphasis on health strengthen counseling psychology’s position in colleges of education?
 Do you have some recommendations to help students become more competitive for healthrelated internships?
 Are there areas we can import from health psychology training councils?
 Can you discuss culturally-sensitive healthcare and how we can better align with it? For example, health care disparities, translation issues, better cooperation with the medical model?

The American healthcare system is in the process of reinventing itself

Can Counseling Psychology
Successfully Transition from a
Mental Health to a Health
Profession?

Practicing Psychology Must
Embrace this Paradigm Shift
For Psychology’s Survival
 For Quality Patient Care
 Medicine has accepted patient centered care and inter-professional practice and is training the next generation of physicians in that model
 Attends to all of the patient’s concerns

Increases access to quality treatment
 Reduces stigma
 If psychology does not embrace this paradigm shift, other mental health professionals will serve in this role on the health care teams of the future
 Increases patient satisfaction
 Reduces cost


"We recommend that CCPTP in conjunction with the
SCP Health Psychology section develop a blueprint to integrate health psychology into counseling psychology programs that includes curricula materials, strategies for developing behavioral health practicum training options, and increased attention to preparing students for internships with health psychology major and minor rotations. We believe the ramifications of the growing job market for psychologists within an integrated health care delivery system requires focused attention by counseling psychology educators"
From the APA CPY Handbook(2012) by Forrest and Campbell on
Emerging Trends in CPY education and training

Counseling Health Psychology:
The Time is Ripe
 Counseling psychology ’ s commitment to wellness and prevention, multiculturalism, social justice, career development are all in line with the changes to health care


Ongoing “ essential tension ” (Roberts, 2006) between broad and general (counseling psychology), and unique and specialized (health psychology).
 Not a unique Tension to counseling health psychology

•
Is CHP an emerging identity?
•
Widespread general interest in CHP
–
95% of TD reported students at least somewhat interested in CHP
–
1 out of 6 graduates pursuing CHP-related employment

Counseling Health Psychologists
 Clinical practice:
 14% employed in VA medical centers & 9% in general hospitals

Assessment, diagnostic and treatment roles in:
 Coronary heart disease

Pain management
 Neuropsychology
 Eating disorders
 Infertility
 Chronic disease

Cancer
 HIV/AIDS
 Research:
 68% of websites of APA counseling psychology programs report faculty involvement in health psychology

 Interest in HP within CP programs, yet minority offer structured HP curricula.

Revise counseling health psychology curriculum
 Need for practicum sites offering HP related experience

Secure and implement practice opportunities for students specific to health
 Need to identify research areas where counseling psychologists can make unique contributions
 Provide opportunities for conducting research with a health focus.

Challenges in Finding Appropriate
Health Psychology Practicum Sites
 Developmental competencies and finding appropriate placements

Financial constraints of the institutions

Lack of qualified supervisors

Three Strategies for Practicum
Site Development
 Utilizing the academic training clinic for beginninglevel skill development
 Partnering with community health-care organizations where health psychology services are lacking
 Collaborating with medical school colleagues within the university

Future Directions:
“ Tele stuff ” and Practicum Placement
 Tele-health
 Primary care tele-consultation

Primary care tele-supervision


Recognition of the role of Behavioral Risk Factors on Psychological and Physical Health

Growth in Technology
 Shift Towards Community or Population
Interventions 

Making changes in a large number of people, rather than large changes in a small number of people
(AMA, 2002)


Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (ACA)
 Continues to address “acute” “medical healthcare needs but underscores “system of care,” “holistic approaches,” and “patient centeredness”

Focus on Access to services, Patient safety, Health care quality and efficiency, and Quality Improvement 

Strengthening of the primary care workforce

Creates more opportunities for Interdisciplinary Care , but requires us to redesign our views of practice

New opportunities for psychologists in integrated care


Focuses on an Interdisciplinary Team clinical approach

Has not explicitly included psychologists or other mental health professionals – but behaviorist implied

Must provide screening for mental health, substance abuse and health behaviors
 Must have evidence based protocols


Use Competencies Cube as guide

Be aware of CRSPPP specialty definitions & taxonomy

Emphasis, Experience, Exposure

Consult with existing programs for help (BSU, VCU,
Miami, Denver)
 Adapt to your local setting

Council for clinical Health Psychology
Training Programs Mission
 The purpose of the CCHPTP is to promote the advancement of graduate and postgraduate education and training within the field of clinical health psychology.
 Consistent with this purpose, CCHPTP member programs shall strive to educate and train future clinical health psychologists to promote human welfare and to advance the growth of health psychology science and practice.
 CCHPTP espouses graduate and postdoctoral education and training that produces a clinical health psychologist capable of functioning as a scientific investigator and as a practitioner, consistent with the highest standards of clinical health psychology.
 MEMBERSHIP: http://community.wvu.edu/~ktl000/CCHPTP/membership.htm