interventions to maintain health and prevent illness (e.g. in promoting preventive health
behaviours). HPs also study psychological processes involved in causing and sustaining
illness (e.g. responses to stress that undermine psychological and physical well-being).
Again this work has direct relevance for interventions both at individual (e.g. stress
management) and organizational (e.g. job redesign) levels. In addition, HPs examine
processes relevant to the improvement of health-care systems, including understanding
the effects of interactions between health care professionals and their patients. This
work can have direct implications for the training of health professionals.
Research in health psychology tests basic psychological hypotheses in an applied
domain as well as addressing applied questions arising from health care practice. Yet
in both cases the results often have direct implications for policy and practice at
individual, group (e.g. peer and family), organizational, community and national levels.
Consequently, health psychology is not only a sub-discipline of the science of
psychology, it is also a profession that combines a rich research background of theories
and findings with a wide range of research-based practices. Postgraduate professional
training courses in HP are offered worldwide (see Michie and Abraham, 2004 for
comparisons between UK training and training offered in a range of other countries)
and professional HPs fulfil a variety of practice roles in the UK and elsewhere.
In the UK, National Occupational Standards have been developed for a variety of
professional roles including psychology. These standards identify the knowledge, skills
and levels of competent performance expected after qualification from training
programmes and so allow professionals and employers to match acquired skills or
competencies against job demands. The ‘key purpose statement’ from the National
Standards for Psychology is as follows:
[T]o develop, apply and evaluate psychological principles, knowledge, theories and
methods in an ethical and appropriate way (i.e. systematic, evidence-based and
reflective) in order to promote work-related issues. This includes the development,
well-being and effectiveness of organizations, groups and individuals for the
benefit of society.
(www.bps.org.uk/professional-
development/nos/nos_home.cfm)This overarching definition of professional practice in psychology is subdivided into
six ‘key roles’. Professional psychologists are expected to:
1 develop, implement and maintain personal and professional standards and ethical
practice;
2 apply psychological and related methods, concepts, models, theories and
knowledge derived from reproducible research findings;
3 research and develop new and existing psychological methods, concepts, models,
theories and instruments in psychology;
4 communicate psychological knowledge, principles, methods, needs and policy
requirement;
5 develop and train the application of psychological skills, knowledge, practices and
procedures; and
6 manage the provision of psychological systems, services and resources.
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