What is Health Psychology?
Dr. Danielle Koby, is a board certified Clinical Health Psychologist.
Health Psychology is a branch of clinical psychology that focuses on three main areas of life: biological, psychological, and social. This provides a more comprehensive and holistic lens for understanding and solving problems. Health Psychologists, therefore, use this model for the purposes of treatment planning and intervention design. This is also referred to as the Biopsychosocial model:
Biological – Your mind and body are inseparably intertwined. When your body is unwell, your mind responds accordingly. Health Psychologists pay attention to your medical status (medications, medical history, diagnoses, etc.), sleep, nutrition, and physical activity to help identify factors that interfere with your wellbeing.
Psychological – Your psychological world: thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. This also includes many of the symptoms that bring people to therapy, such as low motivation, fears and worries, and trauma. Health Psychologists are particularly interested in how these interact with your physical health and medical needs.
Social – Your relationships are an essential ingredient in a healthy lifestyle. This includes close connections, such as friends and family, as well as casual social connections such as at work, with your medical providers, and so forth. Health Psychologists identify how your relational life is helpful or unhelpful as you pursue your goals.
As you can imagine, there is a great deal of overlap between these three areas. People who feel depressed, for example, may have feelings of hopelessness, low physical energy, and feel socially isolated. Or, people who have a heart attack might feel a sense of grief or loss regarding their health. These overlap areas are best treated together, rather than separately.
Many therapists focus solely on your psychological wellbeing – symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and so forth – whereas Health Psychologists try to think and intervene more broadly. Additionally, Health Psychologists understand how issues in one area can lead to issues in another. If you have a serious medical condition, such as a heart attack, that may put you at increased risk of becoming depressed or anxious - even if the rest of your life seems stable.
Interested in meeting with a Health Psychologist? Contact us today to get connected.
What does it mean to be “board certified?”
Dr. Danielle Koby is board certified through the American Board of Professional Psychology (or ABPP). Beyond earning a doctorate degree and obtaining a license to practice clinical psychology, board certification requires rigorous additional training. In Dr. Koby’s case this including two additional years of supervised training in a hospital setting and a comprehensive exam process. The most recent data indicate that only 4% of practicing psychologists in the U.S. are board certified, including just 320 clinical health psychologists.
Board certification signifies that a clinician has proven themselves to be expertly specialized in one or more particular areas. In the case of Clinical Health Psychology, Dr. Koby has expert scientific knowledge of the inter-relationships among behavioral, emotional, cognitive, social, and biological components in health and disease.
What can Clinical Health Psychologists treat?
Clinical Health Psychologists can treat a wide range of issues, such as:
Depression and loss of motivation
Frequent worry and anxiety
Obsessiveness
Relationship problems
Grief and loss
Low self-esteem or self-worth
Suicidal thoughts
Anger issues
And more
Additionally, as the name implies, Clinical Health Psychologists are especially good with problems that have a health component:
Weight loss
Sleep issues and insomnia
Women’s health issues
Stress related to autoimmune disorders
Stress related to cardiovascular disease and heart attack
Stress related to having cancer
Stress related to major surgery
Seizures and panic attacks
And more
If you or a loved one are ready to give therapy a try, Behavioral Medicine Partners is here for you.
How is therapy with Behavioral Medicine Partners different?
All therapy services are provided by board certified Clinical Health Psychologist, Dr. Danielle Koby.
Dr. Koby is a highly supportive, compassionate clinician and expert on the intersection of physical and psychological health. Her practice focuses on helping clients overcome barriers to wellness through evidence-based practices and collaborative care. In addition to using Health Psychology in treatment, Dr. Koby utilizes techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and is a qualified teacher of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). All sessions are completely confidential and held in the comfort of our beautiful office at Clarus Center.
Contact us today to get started.