Health Psychology for Counselors

Catalog description

This course is designed to introduce mental health counseling students to theory, research, and evidence-based practice in health psychology, with a focus on health promotion and health behavior change. Students will learn about different medical disorders and health concerns and their impact on functional impairment, quality of life, and emotional well-being; the influence of personality, gender, cultural difference and social support on coping with acute and chronic illness; evidence-based interventions for specific health problems (e.g., insomnia, obesity, chronic pain); theoretical models and strategies for health behavior change (e.g., Prochaska and DiClemente's Stages of Change Model, Motivational Interviewing, behavioral goal setting); and ethnic disparities in health and illness. Content will be presented through lectures, discussion, video, experiential exercises, field activities, and reading and writing assignments.