Master in Health & Medical Psychology

Prof. Andrea Evers

Chair Health, Medical & Neuropsychology unit a.evers@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Dr. Veronica Janssen Assistant professor Health Psychology Medical psychologist LUMC VJanssen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Katja Cardol MSc Alumnus Health psychology

Health & Medical Psychology: a Brief Introduction

Who has heard of Louise Delage?

"Sometimes it seems like in this era, the more people stage their ideal life on social media, the more that serves to hide a not-so-ideal reality."

Helping People Help Themselves

Are you interested in…

•Empowerment: ‘what someone can do’

•Building bridges between science and clinical practice

•Preventing disease and promoting health

•Coping with chronic disease

•The interplay between body and mind

Characteristics Health and Medical Psychology •Focus on prevention, health and disease

•Interest in positive psychology and empowerment

•Mind – Body interaction

•Innovations in healthcare, education and research

•Interdisciplinary focus

•Clinical orientation

Health and Medical Psychology eHealth & self-

management

Stress & disease

Prevention & health promotion

Body & Mind

Focus on capacity & empowerment

Chronic disease

Health and Medical Psychology

Future of the health/ medical psychologist?

•Focus on themes with societal relevance

•Broad clinical, commercial and scientific orientation

•Experience has shown that all alumni find a job in their discipline

Perspectives health and medical

psychologists

1. Prevention and health promotion

2. Diagnosis and treatment (therapy)

3. Scientific research

4. Coaching, training

5. Healthcare policy and innovation n

Professional perspectives

Primary prevention & training

• Municipal and national health care organizations (e.g. Voorlichtingsburo

Voeding, Trimbos, Hersenstichting, Hartstichting, Astma Fonds, etc.)

• Companies

Research

• Universities and research institutes (TNO, Nivel, etc.)

Policy

• Local or federal government

• Developmental aid organizations (e.g WHO)

Professional perspectives

Health care

• Primary health care (adults, children)

• Private practice

• Secondary health care: GGZ, hospitals,

rehabilitation centers, medical centers

• Medical psychology department hospital

• Entry to post-graduate clinical training (e.g., GZ-opleiding)

• Coaching

MSc Program Health and Medical Psychology

• Mandatory courses 20 ec

• Electives 10 / 0 ec

• Internship 10 / 20 ec *

• Thesis 20 ec

• incl. Organisational, ethical & legal aspects of health care

• ‘Basis Aantekening Psychodiagnostiek’ (BAPD) may be possible

Topics of Health Psychology in Leiden

• Complex interplay neurobiological, psychological & social factors

• Prevention and changing lifestyles

• Coping with stress and impact on health

• Interventions focused on dealing with chronic illness

• Clinical health psychology skills

Health psychology programma (start Sept)September October November December January February March April May June

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Standard programme

BTS (5) CBI (5)

HPDP (5) PAICD (5)

Thesis (20) Internship (20)

Alternative programme with a 10 ect internship

Elective E-health (5)

BTS (5) CBI (5) Elective HPiP (5)

HPDP (5) PAICD (5) Internship (10)

Thesis (20)

Health and Medical Psychology Master programme

February March April May June July August September October November DecemberJanuary

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Mandatory courses

BTS (5) CBI (5) HPDP (5) PAICD (5)

Thesis (20)

Possible

Elective HPiP (5)

Internship (10)

Internship (20)

Health psychology Master programme (Start Feb)

Possible elective E-

health (5)

You are a health psychologist working for the government. You have been asked to develop a

prevention program for binge-drinking:

Imagine this….

Case Example: Binge drinking • Binge-drinking in adolescents is a huge problem

• The legal drinking age in the Netherlands has been raised to

18

• Adolescents now go on ‘drinking-holidays’ to Belgium (e.g.

Knokke)

• The government wants to develop an intervention program

to prevent binge-drinking holidays

How would you go about this ?

• 1x yearly

• 4 two-hour lectures:

recent insights into theory- and evidence-based health promotion

systematic approach to design and implementation of effective interventions

• 7 three-hour workgroups:

designing an intervention aimed at improving health.

implementing and evaluating part of the intervention in a real-life situation

(Healthy Faculty Days)

Health promotion & disease prevention

Health promotion & disease prevention

You are a medical psychologist working for a rehabilitation center.

You have been asked to:

Imagine this….

• Many patiens in rehabilitation suffer from (chronic) pain

• This interferes with treatment and affects quality of life

• The rehabilitation center has asked you to:

• Develop a routine screening system to detect these patients

• Develop an evidence-based intervention to treat these patients

Case Example: Pain Management

How would you go about this ?

Psychological assessment and interventions in chronic disease

• 1x yearly

• 7 two-hour lectures:

• epidemiology of, and psychosocial problems associated with a variety of chronic

diseases.

• disease-specific psychosocial intervention programs for quality of life and self-

management.

• 7 three-hour workgroups:

• Training in using different assessment instruments.

• Training in using specific intervention strategies in patients with chronic disease.

You are a medical psychologist working at the medical psychology department of a large hospital.

The following patient is referred to you:

Imagine this….

Case Study ‘Yasmin’

• 23-year old woman, suffers from Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 (DM)

• Iraqi refugee, residence permit, works as shopassistent

• Depressed mood, “bad” boyfriends, badly regulated DM

• Wants to take better care of herself and regulate her blood glucose

• Problem: frequently fails to show up for psychotherapy sessions

• Demands instant appointments and cries a lot during sessions

How would you help this patient?

Basic therapeutic skills

• 2x yearly

• 4 two-hour lectures:

• requirements that ensure that patients can benefit from a therapeutic relationship.

• 14 four-hour workgroups:

• training in basic therapeutic skills, such as building the psychotherapeutic relationship,

establishing rapport, handling resistance, reflective listening etc.

• Mini-therapy sessions

Case Study ‘George’

• 45-year old man, experienced a heart attack

• Married, two children, works as an airplane controller

• High levels of anxiety, in particular:

• Very scared of getting a heart attack

• Fear of confined spaces (buses, trains, lifts, tunnels, theatres, cinemas etc.)

• Fear of helicopter/meteorite crashes

• Avoids confined spaces and travelling by public transport

• Avoids physical exercise

• Would like to live a more anxiety-free life

How would you treat this patient using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

Cognitive-behavioral interventions

• 2x yearly

• 7 two-hour lectures:

• general aspects of cognitive-behavior therapy.

• specific interventions for different psychopathologies.

• 7 three-hour and 7 four-hour workgroups:

• training in basic cognitive-behavioral interventions, such as case formulation, exposure, cognitive

restructuring and relapse prevention.

• Mini-therapy sessions: applying these interventions as an apprentice therapist to one of

the fellow students.

Master research & thesis

• Thesis-information-meeting (October/February).

• A list of topics; you can indicate your topic of interest.

• Placement and contact with supervisor.

• There are two deadlines:

• handing in the research proposal (incl. oral presentation)

• the final date for the thesis (incl. poster presentation).

Internship

• Internship-info-meeting (October and February).

• Start (preferably) an internship after completion courses and thesis research activities.

• Finding a place: Find a setting that fulfills the criteria, check with the coordinator, apply,

determine tasks, get final permission from coordinator, sign contract, send contract to

coordinator.

• Clinical practice internship: 20 ec (including diagnosis and treatment of pts). For example:

• Medical psychology department hospital or rehabilitation center

• Practice or Research internship (10 ec) For example:

• GGD health promotion

• TNO research

• Trainers Course Communication Skills (10ec EL)and teach the 2nd year IBV course (10 ec Internship).

Electives

Doing the MSc in 1 year requires good planning, but is certainly feasible.

Electives if time allows it:

• List of electives in e-guide (from own & other specialisations).

• Electives from specialisations within psychology.

• Health Psychology in Practice is recommended.

• Innovations in eHealth care is recommended.

Post-master programs • Health care psychologist (e.g., GZ-opleiding)

• Specific therapy-training programs (e.g., Cognitive-behavioral therapy)

• PhD-study

• These are eligible for all students who have completed a Master in Clinical, Health, Child and Adolescent or Clinical Neuropsychology!

• Note: some additional requirements (e.g. re internship) and high competition!

Why would you choose Leiden MSc Health & Medical Psychology? • Only 1-year professional Master in NL where health promotion and coping with chronic illness are offered in combination

• Strong link theory –practice • International focus

• Small group (approx 50 students a year), close contacts, a lot of student-

staff interaction

• Keeping all options open: access to post-graduate training programs (e.g., GZ-opleiding, VGCt CGT opleiding etc.) if requirements are fulfilled

What is the Difference between Health & Medical Psychology and…???

Questions??

Prof. Andrea Evers a.evers@fsw.leidenuniv.nl Dr. Veronica Janssen vjanssen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl Dr. Chris Verhoeven verhoeven@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Please also take the opportunity to ask your personal question(s) in the ‘meet and greet’ and the information market after this session.