Counseling Psychology in Multidisciplinary Health Settings:

Abstract

Counseling psychologists have demonstrated a growing interest in the health field at a time when major changes are occurring in reimbursement and service delivery systems. In particular, the need for broad-based comprehensive treatments within cost-effective service delivery models has led to increased use of multidisciplinary staffing arrangements and increased completion among provider groups. In this article, the authors provide a historical overview of a multidisciplinary training component that has operated within a counseling psychology training program since 1979. Lessons learned from this experience are shared, and recommendations are made for the future training of counseling psychologists who seek health-related careers.

Houston, 2001

“…Still others were advocates for counseling psychologists to expand their work into new settings, such as nursing homes (Crose & Kixmiller, 1994), K-12 schools (Bernstein, Forrest, & Golston, 1994), or health settings (Alcorn & McPhearson, 1997;Altmaier, 1991).…”

Experiences of Early Career Counseling Psychologists Working in Integrated Health Care

“…As the focus of medical care shifted from the control of infectious diseases to the management of chronic health conditions, which are affected by people's lifestyle choices (e.g., smoking, exercise), scholars highlighted the opportunities for counseling psychologists in health care settings (Alcorn, 1991;Altmaier, 1991;Ford, 1985;Karademas, 2009). With its focus on shortterm interventions, strengths-based orientation, and commitment to diversity, counseling psychology can take advantage of the expanding opportunities for psychologists in medical and health care settings; however, the field has been slow to respond to these opportunities (Alcorn & McPhearson, 1997;Klipel & DeJoy, 1984;Tucker et al, 2007). This may be because of concerns with the traditional medical model and preference for traditional roles for psychologists (Alcorn & McPhearson, 1997).…”

“…With its focus on shortterm interventions, strengths-based orientation, and commitment to diversity, counseling psychology can take advantage of the expanding opportunities for psychologists in medical and health care settings; however, the field has been slow to respond to these opportunities (Alcorn & McPhearson, 1997;Klipel & DeJoy, 1984;Tucker et al, 2007). This may be because of concerns with the traditional medical model and preference for traditional roles for psychologists (Alcorn & McPhearson, 1997). Preparing counseling psychologists for medical and health care settings also requires specialized training beyond what many counseling psychology faculty possess (Alcorn & McPhearson, 1997;Danish, Forneris, & Wilder Schaaf, 2007;Ford, 1985).…”

“…This may be because of concerns with the traditional medical model and preference for traditional roles for psychologists (Alcorn & McPhearson, 1997). Preparing counseling psychologists for medical and health care settings also requires specialized training beyond what many counseling psychology faculty possess (Alcorn & McPhearson, 1997;Danish, Forneris, & Wilder Schaaf, 2007;Ford, 1985). This training might include being exposed to medical and physical aspects of health and disability (Klippel & DeJoy, 1984); specializing in specific interventions relevant to a particular need (Hollandsworth, 1985); developing an understanding of the intricacies of how medical settings work, including the potential role for psychologists in the context of physician-led treatment teams (Alcorn & McPhearson, 1997;Danish et al, 2007); and gaining knowledge of the many factors that contribute to health disparities (Tucker et al, 2007).…”

Quality of Life of Persons With Medical Illnesses: Counseling's Holistic Contribution

“…Counseling students who are considering careers in health care settings should be provided with curriculums that teach biological foundations, multicultural awareness, relationship and communication skills, training in brief therapy models, sensitivity to the medical treatment process and outcomes, and group process skills (Alcorn & McPhearson, 1997). Given the evidence that psychological factors affect the course of medical illness, research should be directed toward the "kinds of prevention interventions that enhance psychological resilience to medical illnesses and the extent that early and timely detection and treatment of psychiatric illness in the context of medical illness would improve outcome" (Stoudemire, 1995, p. 190).…”