Professionalisation of health psychology

Abstract

The route to the professionalisation of health psychology has had many roads. For those working within health psychology, and for others with an interest in it, professional events, publications, and training assist the advancement of the science and its translation into policy and practice. Professional networks can also strengthen the identity of health psychology, offering a home to those with an interest in the area. This chapter will discuss professional meetings, events, conferences, and networks of health psychology, alongside networks wider than health psychology that have evolved to facilitate interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary working and professionalisation. Key publications, including journals and newsletters, will be evaluated with an international lens on dissemination of health psychology. Training from professional societies and networks in relation to accredited routes in the field and continuing professional development (CPD) will be further discussed, and links to more formalised practice-based organisations such as the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) in the United Kingdom will be explored. The chapter will conclude with a discussion on the challenges to the professionalisation of health psychology, accompanied by potential solutions and examples of successes to date.