Dr. Mark Vogel is a clinical psychologist who specializes in Clinical Health Psychology.
What is a Health Psychologist?
Advances in research in the past 50 years have led to a new way of thinking about health and illness. This conceptualization, labeled the Biopsychosocial Model, views health and illness as the product of a combination of factors including biological characteristics (e.g., genetic predisposition), behavioral factors (e.g., lifestyle, stress, health beliefs), and social conditions (e.g., cultural influences, family relationships, social support). The biopsychosocial model is a way of looking at the mind and body of a patient as two important systems that are interlinked.
Psychologists who strive to understand how biological, behavioral, and social factors influence health and illness are called health psychologists. Clinical Health Psychologists also use of psychological principles to promote health and to prevent illness. The practice includes the techniques of education, behavioral change, and psychotherapy. These same priniples are also used in the teaching of physicians so as to increase doctor-patient communication skills.