health psychologist

Encourage the adoption of healthy behaviours such as exercise, a healthy diet, oral hygiene, health checks and preventative medical screenings.

Provide useful information related to health care professions to ensure policy decisions are made in the benefit of communities.

Present research to policy makers, health care providers, and educators to encourage improvements in public health.

Provide health psychological expert opinions, reports and advice in regard to health related risk behaviour and its causes.

Provide strategies and support to healthcare users with social difficulties. Help them understanding others` verbal and non-verbal behaviour and actions. Support them in developing better self-confidence in social situations.

Ensure patients/clients are fully informed about the risks and benefits of proposed treatments so they can give informed consent, engaging patients/clients in the process of their care and treatment.

Employ cognitive behavioural treatment techniques for those whose treatment involves cognitive re-training, addressing dysfunctional emotions, maladaptive behaviours and cognitive processes and contents through a variety of systematic procedures.

Apply health psychological measures on persons of all ages and groups regarding health behavior, particularly with regard to health related risk behaviors such as diet, exercise, smoking, including advice in relation to the promotion and maintenance of health and the prevention of health risks, taking into account leisure and work.

Analyse the psychological impact of illness on individuals, close ones, and caregivers and use psychological interventions to promote self-management, helping patients cope with pain or illness, improve their quality of life and mitigate the effects of disability and handicap.

Interpret psychological tests in order to obtain information on patients' intelligence, achievements, interests, and personality.

Work in sessions with individuals or groups to deliver therapy in a controlled environment.

Use clinical reasoning techniques and clinical judgement when applying a range of appropriate assessment techniques, such as mental status assessment, diagnosis, dynamic formulation, and potential treatment planning.

Discern patterns in the emotions of individuals by using various tests in order to understand the causes of these emotions.

Assess patient`s behaviour and needs via observation and tailored interviews, administering and interpreting psychometric and idiosyncratic assessments.

Analyse persons and groups of persons using health psychological methods in relation to the various aspects of health behaviour and its causes.

Evaluate if healthcare users might potentially be a threat themselves or others, intervening to minimise the risk and implement prevention methods.

Contribute to the delivery of coordinated and continuous healthcare.

Compose an individualised treatment plan in collaboration with the individual, striving to match his or her needs, situation, and treatment goals to maximise the probability of therapeutic gain and considering any possible personal, social, and systemic barriers that might undermine treatment.

React accordingly when a healthcare user becomes hyper-manic, panicky, extremely distressed, agressive, violent, or suicidal, following appropriate training if working in contexts where patients go through extreme emotions regularly.

Follow agreed protocols and guidelines in support of healthcare practice which are provided by healthcare institutions, professional associations, or authorities and also scientific organisations.

Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.

Promote and respect diversity, and advocate for equal treatment of genders, ethnicities and minority groups in organisations in order to prevent discrimination and ensure inclusion and a positive environment.

Apply quality standards related to risk management, safety procedures, patients feedback, screening and medical devices in daily practice, as they are recognized by the national professional associations and authorities.

Comply with the regional and national health legislation which regulates relations between suppliers, payers, vendors of the healthcare industry and patients, and the delivery of healthcare services.

Make sure that healthcare users are being treated professionally, effectively and safe from harm, adapting techniques and procedures according to the person's needs, abilities or the prevailing conditions.

Cope with pressure and respond appropriately and in time to unexpected and rapidly changing situations in healthcare.

Plan, implement and evaluate health promotion activities and projects in different settings such as kindergarten and school, workplace and business, social living environment and primary health care, particularly in the context of projects.

Offer evidence-based advice on how to avoid ill health, educate and advise individuals and their carers on how to prevent ill health and/or be able to advise how to improve their environment and health conditions. Provide advice on the identification of risks leading to ill health and help to increase the patients' resilience by targeting prevention and early intervention strategies.

Provide evidence based strategies to promote healthy living, disease prevention and management.