Section on Health Psychology – July 2016

The Health Psychology Section is dedicated to the science and practice of counseling psychology in health related contexts. Its general purpose is

• To support the role of counseling psychologists as active participants in the field of health psychology, disease prevention, health education, behavioral medicine, rehabilitation, and related areas and to provide a forum for individuals interested in health related areas to exchange ideas and network with one another.
• To promote and support the education and training of counseling psychologists who are interested in health related fields.

In line with the focus of the Section, we have planned several activities in health related areas for the American Psychological Association annual convention in Denver, Colorado. During the Division 17 Roundtable hour, the Section will host an exciting presentation on using nontraditional survey methodology in health psychology related research. Specifically, the presenters will discuss data analysis approaches that utilize a machine learning process to parse through social media postings to gather population level information on health interests and concerns. The presentation is entitled “The All Data Revolution: Moving Past Surveys to Study Health.” The presenters include: James Schlitt, Dana Cruikshank, Rob Goldstone, Mark Orr, and Kathryn Ziemer as the discussant. This meeting is planned for Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 12:00 pm in the Division 17 Hospitality Suite.

I am also pleased to announce that the Section will also be sponsoring an educational offering focused on integrative healthcare opportunities for counseling health psychologists. The presentation will include information on clinical, consultative, and research roles occurring and on the horizon. The presentation is entitled, “Population Health: Health Psychology in the New Healthcare Landscape.” The presentation is provided by Larra Petersen and occurs Friday, August 5, 2016 from 11-12 pm in the Division 17 Hospitality Suite.

In addition, the Section will also host the annual past Chairs and Booz Black Award Recipients breakfast on Friday, August 5, 2016 at 8:00 am; and the annual executive board business meeting on Friday, August 5, 2016 at 9:00 am, followed by an open board meeting at 10:00 am when the Section will honor our Student Research Award winner.  At one o’clock, on Friday, August 5, 2016 we will host a discussion on topics pertinent to health psychology for our students, interns, and fellows. All of the above activities will be hosted in the Division 17 Hospitality Suite.

Finally, the leadership and members of the Health Psychology Section worked hard to align with other colleagues interested in health to prepare presentations that highlight the Section mission. You can find a selection of posters occurring Thursday to Sunday from Trisha Raque-Bogdan, Mary Ann Hoffman, and Annette Kluck. The topics include a focus on mental health and well-being, women’s health, behavior change, vocational psychology, and education and training.  Please consult the program guide for locations and times. We are greatly looking forward to hearing the work of such a talented group! 

In addition to the robust APA Convention activities above, we continue to be involved in the Council of Clinical Health Psychology Training Programs (CCHPTP) with Donald Nicholas being on the CCHPTP board. This group is the APA affiliated training council for all programs offering training in health psychology. We are grateful for the efforts of Donald Nicholas, Ph.D. for his representation and advocacy in areas related to counseling health psychology at the Council of Clinical Health Psychology Training Programs. In closing, the Section continues to build upon our theme of new models of healthcare, including integrated health and interdisciplinary team based care. For more information about the Health Psychology Section, ongoing activities, or membership, please visit our website at http://www.apa.org/divisions/div17/sections/health/Home.html.

Larra Petersen-Lukenda, Ph.D.
Chair, Health Psychology Section
Nebraska Health Network
[email protected]