Health Psychology in Clinical Practice

Book excerpt: Health Psychology in Clinical Practice provides a collection of first-hand accounts from several of the most established and experienced clinically working Health Psychologists in the UK, explaining what they do, how they do it and why their work is important. In recent years, health psychologists have come into their own in being able to provide high-quality, evidence-based, clinical support for patients by utilising relevant therapies. Trainees and would-be clinical practitioners in the health psychology community are keen to learn more about this aspect of their craft, and this book provides a valuable source of information they can turn to – unlike the vast majority of literature on clinical practice in psychology, written by clinical psychologists, which is mostly of tangential relevance to a health psychologist. As a compilation, the first-hand accounts within Health Psychology in Clinical Practice provide a guide that will help define what clinical health psychology is and should be for a decade or more. This book is an essential resource as a crucial snapshot of practice in the discipline in the UK and will additionally support trainees and those seeking a career in health psychology centered on practice rather than research or teaching.