The Health Psychology Handbook

"It is sure to be an invaluable resource to scientist-practitioners during the education and training process as well as to those continuing their professional development . . . with this Handbook, we have a great resource to facilitate what is ready for translation from research to practice now. Our patients can benefit from these services now and we need a well-trained health care workforce to meet these needs."

--From the Foreword by Cynthia D. Belar, Ph.D. ABPP

The Health Psychology Handbook: Practical Issues for the Behavioral Medicine Specialist is a comprehensive yet practical volume that consolidates information needed by health psychologists working alongside other healthcare professionals. It facilitates the progression of the learner from the classroom to the clinical setting by focusing on the translation of science to practice using concrete examples.

The Handbook is divided into four major parts. Part I highlights practical issues faced by health psychologists in a medical setting (how to motivate patients, consultation-liaison, assessment and screening, brief psychotherapies, ethical issues, etc.). Part II concentrates on treating unhealthy behaviors (alcohol and nicotine use, noncompliance, overeating/obesity, physical inactivity, stress). Part III considers behavioral aspects of medical problems (pain management, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, sexual dysfunction, HIV/AIDS, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia). And Part IV takes up special issues relevant to practice and research in the field (minority issues, women's issues, working with geriatric populations, public health approaches to health psychology and behavioral medicine).

Besides considering health problems, the handbook also discusses professional issues, such as:

• Working with a multidisciplinary staff
• Conducting research
• Evaluating outcomes
• Practicing in public health settings

The Handbook will prove an invaluable resource for those already working in the field of health psychology as well as for those in training.

"The editors have developed an excellent sense of the needs of behavioral medicine practitioners . . . I found myself quite enthusiastic about the ability of the editors to conceptualize the problems of the practitioner and the ways to address them in this volume . . . The choice of authors is excellent."

--William Lovallo, University of Oklahoma & VA Medical Center 

"A handbook like this is a very valuable resource . . . The clinical focus is what is special about the Handbook."
--Lynn Kozlowski, Pennsylvania State University