What Is Health Psychology?
Health psychology is a specialty within psychology that focuses on the connection between our physical health, mental health, emotions, and behaviors. It recognizes that these aspects of our well-being are deeply interconnected and that addressing both mind and body often leads to better overall health.
Our thoughts, emotions, stress levels, relationships, and daily habits can all influence how we experience physical health. Likewise, living with a medical condition, chronic pain, or other health concern can have a profound impact on emotional well-being. Health psychology brings these pieces together to help people improve both their psychological and physical quality of life.
What Is a Clinical Health Psychologist?
A clinical health psychologist is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in understanding and treating the psychological and behavioral aspects of health and illness.
Like other clinical psychologists, clinical health psychologists provide evidence-based therapy and psychological assessment across a broad range of concerns. In addition, they receive specialized training in areas such as:
Coping with chronic illness or new medical diagnoses
Persistent pain and other chronic symptoms
Health anxiety and illness-related fears
Stress and its effects on physical health
Medical trauma and adjustment to health changes
Sleep and its interaction with other mental health concerns
Behavior change, including making changes to exercise, nutrition, medication adherence, and other healthy habits
Working collaboratively with physicians and other healthcare providers as part of a patient's overall care
How Is a Clinical Health Psychologist Different from a Therapist?
The word "therapist" is a broad term that refers to many different licensed mental health professionals, including psychologists, counselors, clinical social workers, and marriage and family therapists. All of these professionals can provide psychotherapy, but their education, training, and areas of specialization differ.
A clinical psychologist is a therapist who has earned a doctoral degree and completed extensive training in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health concerns.
A clinical health psychologist is a clinical psychologist who has additional specialized training and experience in the relationship between mental and physical health. This means they are equipped to help individuals not only with concerns such as anxiety, depression, OCD, and stress, but also with the emotional and behavioral challenges that often accompany medical conditions and lifestyle change.
Is Health Psychology Only for People with Medical Conditions?
Not at all! Many people seek health psychology services because they want support changing behaviors that affect their overall well-being—even if they don't have a medical diagnosis. This might include developing a more consistent exercise routine, improving sleep habits, reducing stress, increasing productivity, managing ADHD-related challenges, building healthier routines, or making lasting lifestyle changes.
Others come to therapy because they're navigating anxiety, relationship difficulties, life transitions, or other mental health concerns. While these may not seem directly related to physical health, our emotional and physical well-being constantly influence one another.
Whether your goal is improving your mental health, managing a chronic medical condition, or making sustainable changes to your daily habits, health psychology offers an evidence-based approach that considers the whole person—not just a diagnosis.
My Approach
My practice integrates evidence-based psychotherapy with principles of behavioral science and health psychology. Together, we'll work to understand the factors contributing to your current challenges, identify meaningful goals, and develop practical, sustainable strategies that fit your life.
Whether you're coping with anxiety, adjusting to a health condition, improving your relationship, working through life transitions, or working toward healthier habits, therapy can provide the tools and support to help you move forward with greater confidence and intention.
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