Clinical Health Psychology

Book excerpt: Innovative in approach and filling a gap in the current literature for mental health practice, Clinical Health Psychology: Integrating Medical Information for Improved Treatment Outcomes effectively marries research in medical science, neuropsychology, and clinical health psychology to provide cutting-edge, medically informed approaches to clinical health psychology treatment. Designed to help mental health professionals provide outstanding integrated care to their patients, the book helps readers understand medical terminology, as well as how medical conditions affect patients' cognitive and emotional status. The text convenes scholarly voices and contemporary research from a variety of experts within the disciplines of physiology, neurology, neuropsychology, psychology, and pharmacology. It addresses the impact of medical psychophysiology on the brain to help practitioners better optimize psychotherapy treatment options. Additionally, readers learn new ways to select and modify existing communication approaches and psychological treatments to meet patients' individual needs. The chapters are laid out by major systems in the body and address normal physiological function, key disruptions from major illnesses or injuries, and the emotional and cognitive impact of these disruptions. Clinical Health Psychology is an excellent resource for both future and practicing mental and physical health providers. Amy Wachholtz, Ph.D., M.Div., M.S. is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Colorado Denver, where she is the director of the clinical health psychology Ph.D. program. Her research and clinical interests focus on the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of medical disorders and the complexities of treating of co-morbid pain and opioid addiction in both acute pain and chronic pain situations. She enjoys teaching students from a wide variety of disciplines in classrooms, clinical situations, and research settings at the University of Colorado Denver and the University of Colorado Medical Center.