Mark Forshaw & David Sheffield 
Health Psychology in Action 

A definitive guide to the growing field of health psychology, which showcases contributions from academics and professionals working at the cutting edge of their discipline.

* Explores the field of modern health psychology, its latest developments, and how it fits into the contexts of modern healthcare, industry and academia

* Offers practical, real-world examples and applications for psychological theory in health care settings

* Provides a timely resource to support the new HPC registration of health and other psychologists

* Includes contributions from practitioners in a wide range of health care settings who share their own vivid personal experiences, as well as more general guidance to applying theory in practice

Table of Content

About the Editors vii

List of Contributors ix

Preface xv

Acknowledgements xix

1 Applying Health Psychology to Dentistry: ‘People, Not Teeth’
1

Sarah Baker

2 Promoting the Application of Health Psychology in Primary
Health Care 17

Amy Baraniak

3 Health Psychology in the NHS: The Long and Winding Road . . .
28

Julian Bath

4 A Journey into Health Psychology and Beyond 40

Sheila Bonas

5 Health Psychology in Cyberspace 50

Neil Coulson

6 Working in Academia: A Different Kind of Practice, but
Practice Nonetheless 58

Lorna Dodd

7 Shared Decision Making 69

Darren Flynn

8 Writing, Training, Teaching, Researching, Consulting, Quality
Assurance and the Kitchen Sink 84

Mark Forshaw

9 What Are the Roles of a Health Psychologist in Clinical
Practice? Defining Knowledge, Skills and Competencies 93

Claire Hallas

10 Health Psychology: The Missing Ingredient from Health and
Safety? 105

Jenny Lunt

11 Keeping Up Appearances in Health Psychology 116

Timothy P. Moss

12 Social and Political Health Psychology in Action 128

Michael Murray

13 Tailoring Behavioural Support and Tailoring Health Psychology
Careers 138

Felix Naughton

14 Working with Chronic Pain 150

Sue Peacock

15 Combining Practice and Academia as a Health Psychologist
161

Karen Rodham

16 Health Psychologists in Action – Working for the
Pharmaceutical Industry 172

Katja R¨udell

17 The Rapid Growth of Health Psychology in Medical Schools and
Clinical Practice 183

Harbinder Sandhu and Shilpa Patel

18 The Lived Experience of a Qualitative Health Psychologist
195

Rachel L. Shaw

19 Health Psychology in Sickle Cell and Other Long-Term
Haematological Conditions 207

Veronica Joan Thomas

20 Afterword 221

Mark Forshaw and David Sheffield

Index 225

About the author

Mark Forshaw is Deputy Director of the Centre for Health
Psychology at Staffordshire University and recipient of the 2011
BPS Division of Health Psychology Award for Outstanding
Contribution to the Advancement of Health Psychology. He has
researched and published widely in health psychology, on subjects
as diverse as menopause, complementary therapies, and hand-arm
vibration syndrome.

David Sheffield is the Associate Head of the Centre for
Psychological Research at the University of Derby. Sheffield’s
research expertise extends to stress and cardiovascular responses,
and he has written interventions to improve wellbeing, pain
perception and management, and mathematics anxiety.