Health psychologist

You'll work with patients, as well as their families, friends or carers, to help them understand their illness or condition and the impact it may have on their emotions, behaviour and overall wellbeing.

Health psychologists often work as part of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) alongside other healthcare professionals such as GPs, nurses, surgeons, dietitians and rehabilitation specialists, as well as clinical psychologists and other health psychologists.

You may support patients with a range of acute or chronic health conditions, including:

• serious illness, such as cancer, where major life adjustments are required
• cardiac rehabilitation
• respiratory conditions such as asthma or COPD
• conditions linked to poor diet and lack of exercise
• diabetes or other long-term conditions requiring ongoing management
• adjustment to injury, disability or long-term neurological conditions
• pain management
• smoking and vaping cessation
• vaccination uptake
• stress-related illnesses.

Responsibilities

As a health psychologist, you'll need to:

• identify behaviours that may damage your patients' health, for example, smoking, substance abuse, physical inactivity and poor diet, and support them to take preventative measures to manage these
• explore your patients' behaviour in relation to their health conditions to identify appropriate psychological interventions that can be used to support them
• develop interventions to address your patients' health beliefs and empower them to develop their own sense of control over their health issues
• encourage positive healthcare behaviours, in line with the most recent health advice, such as healthy eating, attending health checks, maintaining good hygiene and sleep hygiene, and regular exercise
• take a person-centred approach towards understanding the psychological impact of illness on patients, families and carers, and support them to manage this
• conduct psychological assessments of patients using interviews and psychometrics
• develop formulations to better understand, and help your patients to understand, their illness and its impact on their health
• design, conduct or contribute to research, and evaluate the effectiveness of psychological interventions and services
• provide information and advice to a range of individuals and organisations involved in public health, such as the NHS and local authorities, to improve best practice within the healthcare industry
• advise health professionals on how to improve their communication of sensitive and health-related information with their patients
• maintain accurate clinical records and prepare psychological reports in line with professional and legal requirements
• attend MDT meetings to discuss patient care.

With experience, you may also need to:

• train and mentor trainee psychologists
• provide clinical and professional supervision for trainees and less experienced psychologists
• manage a team including other psychologists, assistant psychologists and other health staff
• manage, audit and develop health psychology services
• share expert knowledge and advise individuals, or small groups of clients, on managing their health within a consultancy role.

See higher education lecturer for additional responsibilities if you're employed in an academic setting.

Salary

• Salaries for trainee health psychologists in the NHS start at £38,682 (Band 6) of the Agenda for Change - pay rates.
• Newly qualified health psychologists can earn between £47,810 and £54,710 (Band 7). With a few years' experience, salaries can rise to between £55,690 and £74,896 (Bands 8a and 8b).
• Consultant health psychologists typically earn between £76,965 and £105,337 (Bands 8c and 8d). Heads of psychology services may earn more.

NHS employees also receive a range of benefits, including a pension and access to schemes such as the NHS Blue Light Card. Salaries are higher in London and surrounding areas due to high-cost area supplements.

Research and lecturing posts at universities often follow academic and related staff pay scales. For more information, see the University and College Union (UCU).

Health psychologists working in private practice or consultancy, or those in senior or specialist roles, may earn higher salaries depending on their responsibilities, experience and workload.

Working hours

Health psychologists usually work a 37.5-hour week, although this may vary depending on the organisation you work for. Many employers offer flexible working arrangements, such as varied working hours and part-time work.

If you're self-employed, you may need to work some evenings or weekends to suit your clients' needs.

What to expect

• Supervision by more experienced colleagues is essential before qualifying as a health psychologist and remains an important part of professional practice throughout your career.
• There are opportunities to specialise in working with particular health conditions, such as oncology, haematology, chronic pain, chronic fatigue and eating disorders.
• The work can be challenging and emotionally demanding, but also rewarding, as it involves supporting people who may be distressed or adjusting to long-term illness.
• Jobs are available across the UK.
• Work is usually based in clinics, hospitals or community settings, and may involve some travel between sites, depending on your role and employer.

Qualifications

To practise as a health psychologist in the UK, you must be registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). This requires completing postgraduate training in health psychology.

To begin training, you'll normally need Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC). This is achieved by completing a British Psychological Society (BPS)-accredited psychology degree or conversion course. A full list of qualifying courses is available on the BPS website.

Postgraduate training is usually completed in two stages. Stage 1 involves completing a BPS-accredited Masters degree in health psychology. To get a place, you'll typically need a 2:1 or above, along with relevant experience such as paid work, volunteering or research.

Some courses may accept applicants with a 2:2 if they also hold a higher qualification, such as a research-based psychology Masters degree. Entry requirements vary, so check with individual providers.

Stage 2 focuses on developing professional practice under supervision. To progress, you'll usually need a merit or above at Masters level and further relevant experience. You'll also need employment in a suitable health-related role, such as a trainee health psychologist.

Stage 2 can be completed through either:

• a Doctorate in Health Psychology, approved by the HCPC and accredited by the BPS, or
• the BPS Qualification in Health Psychology Stage 2.

The Doctorate route involves completing a doctoral programme that includes the equivalent of two years' full-time supervised practice, covering the five key health psychology competencies. You'll usually need to arrange your own placement before starting the course. Course structure and assessment methods vary.

The QHP Stage 2 (independent practice) route requires at least two years' structured supervised practice (or part-time equivalent), submission of a professional portfolio, and an oral examination.

Both stage 2 routes lead to eligibility for:

• chartered membership of the BPS
• full membership of the BPS Division of Health Psychology
• entry to the HCPC register as a health psychologist.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• a good understanding of healthcare and public health, and where health psychology fits within these settings
• the ability to use psychological theory and research to understand and tackle health-related problems
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills for explaining health information clearly to patients, carers and healthcare teams
• good analytical and critical thinking skills, including working with research findings and data
• motivation and confidence to work independently, as well as take responsibility for your learning and development
• the ability to work well in a team and collaborate with professionals from different disciplines
• good time management and organisation skills to balance study, training and work commitments
• empathy, compassion and sensitivity when working with people experiencing health difficulties
• emotional resilience and self-awareness, particularly when dealing with complex or challenging situations
• an understanding of ethical practice and professional boundaries.

Work experience

Entry onto both stage 1 and stage 2 courses can be competitive, so getting some relevant work experience before applying is advisable. Think about the sort of work you'd like to do after qualifying and look for experience that will help you decide.

Relevant experience can be paid or voluntary and include roles where you support people with physical or mental health conditions or help individuals make positive lifestyle or behavioural changes. Work shadowing a chartered health psychologist can also help you gain insight into what the role is like in practice.

Experience in related healthcare roles, such as healthcare assistant, support worker, assistant psychologist or low-intensity therapist, can also be valuable. Paid or voluntary work in areas such as nursing, social work, care work, mental health services or services for people with disabilities is also useful. Always check with individual training providers about their specific requirements.

If you're considering a career in health psychology research, experience as a research assistant is relevant, and it's helpful to gain a balance of experience across academic and applied health settings.

Work experience opportunities may be available in:

• hospitals
• clinical and health centres
• community and public health settings
• health research units
• pharmacies
• public health departments.

At stage 2, trainees are usually expected to source their own two-year supervised practice placement, which you may need to secure before applying.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Health psychologists can work across the public and private sectors, higher education and the charity sector. Some hold joint appointments, for example between a university and a health service.

The NHS and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland (HSC) are the main employers of health psychologists.

Opportunities are available in a range of settings, including:

• NHS and private hospitals
• community health services, including general practice and local health centres
• public health teams within local authorities and Integrated Care Systems (ICSs)
• charities and voluntary sector organisations
• health research units and research organisations
• rehabilitation and specialist clinical services
• universities and higher education institutions.

Health psychologists may also work for health consultancies, supporting training, research or intervention skills, or choose to be self-employed within their own consultancy.

In universities, health psychologists often work in departments such as psychology, medicine, nursing, dentistry and pharmacy, combining teaching, research and supervision.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Jobs.ac.uk - academic and research jobs.
• Jobs in Psychology
• NHS Jobs (England and Wales)
• NHSScotland Jobs
• Jobs.hscni.net - Health and Social Care Northern Ireland Jobs.

Vacancies may also be advertised in the local and national press and on hospital, local authority and charity websites..

Professional development

Continuing professional development (CPD) is an integral part of your career and a requirement for HCPC registration and chartered membership of the BPS.

CPD should include a mixture of directed and self-directed activities, such as:

• post-qualification courses to develop your knowledge of different theoretical approaches
• professional supervision
• lecturing, teaching or giving presentations
• attending workshops or conferences
• conducting research and writing articles or papers
• mentoring, supervising or assessing trainees
• developing expertise with a particular client group.

You'll need to keep an up-to-date and accurate record of your professional development activities, showing how your CPD supports the quality of your practice and benefits patients and service users.

More information is available from the BPS Professional Development Centre.

Career prospects

There is a clear career structure for health psychologists working in the NHS. With a few years of post-qualification experience, you may have opportunities to progress into more senior roles, such as principal health psychologist.

As you advance, you'll develop your clinical, leadership and management skills. Roles such as consultant health psychologist usually require at least six years' post-qualification experience. Consultant posts may involve supporting multiple teams or services or focusing on a specific area of specialism.

Senior NHS roles typically include managing services and supervising trainee and less experienced health psychologists, alongside applied clinical work. While jobs are available across the UK, senior and specialist posts are fewer in number and can be competitive, particularly at consultant level.

It's also possible to pursue a career in academia. In the early stages, you're likely to focus on developing your teaching skills and building a research profile. University-based health psychologists may teach and supervise trainee health psychologists and other healthcare professionals. Career progression usually depends on maintaining an active research profile and taking on a range of academic responsibilities.

Health psychologists may also work in private practice, consultancy or public health, and some develop portfolio careers combining clinical, academic and advisory roles.