Purpose: To increase awareness among Ireland’s Health and Social Care sector of the possible applications of Health Psychology to, and find pathways toward better utilisation of Health Psychology in the sector.
Rationale: Despite establishment as a psychological discipline in 1978, Health Psychology, the study of psychological and behavioural processes in health, illness, and healthcare, remains poorly understood and under-utilised. Since the Psychological Society of Ireland Division of Health Psychology (PSI DHP) was founded over two decades ago, it’s membership has increased to 85 researchers and practitioners in 2023. However, Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) cannot advertise practice-based Health Psychology posts because a health psychologist cost code does not exist.
Description: A participatory workshop involving presentations, activities and structured discussions. Members of the national and international Health Psychology community will deliver presentations using applied examples to showcase to HSE and third sector stakeholders, the roles and added value of Health Psychology to organisations. Stakeholders will then workshop their service needs for Health Psychology and barriers and solutions to meeting those needs.
Audience: Health and social care sector organisational stakeholders wherein Health Psychology input could positively contribute, defined as managers of targeted HSE services (e.g. national clinical programmes) and of targeted third sector organisations (e.g. Barretstown and other charities serving communities with physical health needs).
Dissemination: Event outcomes: event report; conference presentation on learnings; barriers and solutions to health psychologist employment in Ireland; actions for the PSI DHP; and new working relationships between HSE and third sector organisations and the PSI DHP. Outcomes will be disseminated to the Health Psychology community (event report emailed to DHP members and published in the PSI magazine, and a presentation at the European Health Psychology Society Conference), the PSI DHP Committee (actions, barriers and solutions), and event participants (event report, actions and barriers and solutions emailed).