Supporting people to live with and manage long-term physical health conditions

Working clinically as a Health Psychologist involves adopting approaches which are evidence-based and appropriately tailored to the individual and context, drawing on relevant research and theory. As such, Health Psychologists involved in direct patient care must develop and maintain a broad set of knowledge, skills and competencies, applying these across a range of roles, environments and areas of specialism. This chapter provides a personal account of the author’s experience as a Health Psychologist specialising in improving care and support for people with long-term physical health conditions, considering how patient care fits with other aspects of her role, including research, teaching, supervision, consultancy, service development, delivery and leadership. The factors that shape our work as Health Psychologists are also considered, including regulatory frameworks and contextual factors operating at organisational, regional, national and global levels. Opportunities and challenges for Health Psychologists involved in direct patient care are discussed, together with suggested future directions for Health Psychology practice.