Health Psychology Track | Clinical Psychology PsyD

The Health Psychology Track within the School of Graduate Psychology combines the academic, research, and clinical experiences necessary to prepare students for work as an allied health provider in healthcare settings and with medical patients. Working in medical settings requires additional training and experiences beyond the generalist training we already provide. Between 30 and 80 percent of primary care office visits are estimated to result from the complex interplay of psychological factors and medical issues. Functioning in an interdisciplinary setting requires facility with skills and populations that are both inclusive of and different from traditional psychology training. Through integrated coursework, research, and practicum experiences, Health Psychology Track students will be competitive for internship, prepared for their clinical trajectory, and able to function in a complex workplace.

Faculty areas of clinical and research specialization include but are not limited to the following:

  • patient-provider communication
  • tailored healthcare communications
  • mind-body interactions
  • perceptions of medical patients
  • psycho physiological disorders
  • psychological factors affecting medical conditions
  • work in interdisciplinary settings
  • pre-surgical psychological evaluations
  • pain assessment and treatment
  • biofeedback
  • gender and health
  • mindfulness with medical populations
  • behavioral medicine
  • rehabilitation psychology
  • primary care psychology

Faculty

Jennifer R. Antick, PhD - Lead

Curriculum

In addition to the regularly required courses within the general SGP curriculum, the following Track-specific courses are required (for full course descriptions see the University Catalog):

  • Brief Psychotherapies 
  • Health Psychology
  • Health Psychology Summer Seminar (4)
  • Psychological Assessment & Management of Chronic Pain
  • Other highly recommended courses

Clinical Training

Practicum I

Students complete their Practicum I training experience conducting intake assessments and psychotherapy during their 2nd year in the program.  This training takes place at the Pacific Psychology and Comprehensive Health Clinics (our in-house training clinics located in Hillsboro and Portland) where Health Track students are supervised by a Health Track faculty member.  Students work with clients with a wide range of presenting problems with an track on clients with health-related difficulties.

Practicum II

Students complete their Practicum II training experience during their 3rd year in the program at a community training site where they gain experience in assessment and/or psychotherapy within a healthcare setting. 

Advanced Practicum

During their 4th year in the program students continue their assessment and/or psychotherapy training within a healthcare community training site.  

Internship

During their 5th year in the program students complete Internship within a setting that offers a minimum of a health psychology major rotation. This requires a national application process through the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC; https://www.appic.org/Match/About-The-APPIC-Match). Students should expect to relocate during this year, as health psychology related sites are located all across the country.  Sites are listed in the APPIC directory (https://www.appic.org/Directory).

Research

Students complete empirical doctoral research projects that involve collection of original data or use of archival data for analysis. Research work begins in the 2nd year of training and should be completed prior to internship applications (fall of 4th year). In all cases, projects must be completed by the time the student starts Internship. The research must relate to health psychology, theory or practice. Research activity beyond the dissertation is expected, including presentations, attempts at publication, student-level participation in professional organizations and assisting other students and track faculty in their research efforts.

Resources

American Psychological Association Division 38:  Society for Health Psychology http://www.apa.org/about/division/div38.aspx