This course provides a general introduction to the theoretical basis and practical approach to issues pertaining to the psychology of health. It therefore follows two different paths in order to explain and to explore human health issues in identifying and applying methods effective in enhancing the general and individual quality of life.
On the one hand, the main concepts of Health Psychology will be introduced and connected to the question of how healthy or unhealthy Austrians in European and in international comparison live; we will also ask which specific health issues can be promoted by public health policies. The symptoms and interventions concerning specific health behaviors and illness experiences will form the core of the course.
On the other hand, students will be given an overview of communication models and counseling guidelines before undertaking a short practical training in communication skills to learn how to explore, counsel and intervene effectively while respecting and improving patients’ health/y resources.
The course includes a visit to the Vienna General Hospital for the demonstration of live patient interviewing, the Child Protection Organization „die möwe“ for a Viennese agency counseling parents and their children, and a workshop to demonstrate biofeedback-methods.
Prerequisites:
Students should have taken at least one introductory course in psychology.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Explain the main theoretical concepts of health psychology and communication
Distinguish between health promotion policies and health promoting treatment methods
Identify the symptoms and intervention programs of specific health issues (de-habituation of smoking, psycho-oncology etc.)
Understand various pathways through which cultural surrounding, cognitions and behaviors influence health and illness
Follow guidelines of best practice communication
Interact effectively and sensitively with people of diverse health status
Critically self-reflect communicative abilities
Method of presentation:
Lectures, video-demonstrations, self-assessment-scales and role-play, discussions, oral presentations, live patient-interviews, online-resources and excursions
Required work and form of assessment:
Participation in discussions (10%) and role play (20%); oral presentation in class on a weekly topic (20%); written paper on reflection of specific health issue (20%); written paper on analysis of a self-conducted conversation (role-play) (30%).
content:
Week 1
Introduction to the field of Health Psychology and the presentation of its main concepts, such as the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of health and the model of salutogenesis by Antonovsky; lecture, readings, self-assessment and test interpretation.
Readings:
Marks D.F. et al. (2011). Health Psychology: Theory, Research and Practice. Sage Publications Ltd, Part 1, pp 1-39.
Antonovsky, A. (1996). “The salutogenic model as a theory to guide health promotion.” In Health Promotion International, Vol 11, Issue 1, pp 11-18.
Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence (SOC) scale - self-assessment and analysis
Lindström, B and Eriksson M. (2007).”Contextualizing salutogenesis and Antonovsky in public health development.” Health Promotion International, Vol 21, Issue 3, 238-244.
Becker, C. M., Glascoff, M. A., & Felts, W. M. (2010). “Salutogenesis 30 Years Later: Where do we go from here?” InternationalElectronic Journal of Health Education 13, 25-32.
Week 2
The students will learn about public health policies in Austria in international comparison (lecture), measurements and statistics of health status in different countries, and how to acquire and compare available data (lecture and oral presentations).
Week 3
The general knowledge of health issues will be the basis for further readings on special psychological health problems and their treatment, such as unhealthy eating habits, sexuality, violent communication and behavior, addictive behavior (smoking) and chronic diseases (e.g. cancer).
Readings:
Sassi, F. (2010). Obesity and the Economics of Prevention: Fit not Fat. OECD
Holland, J., Lewis, S. (2001). The human side of Cancer. Living with Hope, Coping with Uncertainty. Harper Collins. Chaper 2 and 3, pp 13-39
Marks D.F. et al. (2011). Health Psychology: Theory, Research and Practice. Sage Publications Ltd, Part 2, pp 113-140 and 189-216
Workshop on methods in biofeedback-training
Week 4
The model of different levels of preventions will be introduced and help to distinguish between diverse approaches to preventive and treatment methods in Health Psychology such as psychoeducation, counseling, preventive target group oriented programs, etc. Furthermore the most important communication theories and practical guidelines of communication skills will be taught.
Readings:
Nelson-Jones R. (2005). Practical Counselling & Helping Skills: Text and Activities for the Lifeskills Counselling Model. Sage Publications Ltd, Chapter
Perry W. (2008). Basic Counseling Techniques:: A Beginning Therapist's Tool Kit
Chapter 1, pp 17-33
Week 5 and Week 6
In small groups students will learn to analyze their communicative habits and, in guided role plays, they will practice the skills on how to conduct different professional conversations within patient-practitioner-relations (exploration, breaking bad news, difficult conversations, etc.). A Viennese model of counseling in cases of child protection will be introduced and discussed during the excursion to „die möwe“.
We will concentrate on practical exercises to gain communication skills, mainly through role play. We will also work with video recording and video analysis as well as show professional best practice examples and film clips (examples of “in treatment”) for demonstration.
Excursion to Vienna General Hospital (AKH) – live patient interviews
Excursion to Child Protection Organization „die möwe“
Required readings:
Textbooks
Marks D.F. et al. (2011). Health Psychology: Theory, Research and Practice. Sage Publications Ltd
This textbook was chosen with non-psychologically trained students in mind. It covers a broad array of issues related to health psychology and is also a leader in the field of treatment methods in health psychology.
Selected chapters to read:
Nelson-Jones R. (2005). Practical Counselling & Helping Skills: Text and Activities for the Lifeskills Counselling Model. Sage Publications Ltd
Perry W. (2008). Basic Counseling Techniques: A Beginning Therapist's Tool Kit
Further articles and book chapters will be assigned in advance for the following week; some of them are available online (e.g. EOCD-studies).
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Maga phil. Hedwig Wölfl was born 1969 in Graz; she studied at Vienna University where she earned - after a year abroad on a Fulbright Scholarship at UCLA - her MSc at the Vienna Faculty for Psychology. For 10 years she worked as a Clinical and Health Psychologist in hospitals, focusing on Psycho-oncology. Since 2001 she has been teaching Communication Skills, Health Promotion, Psychosomatics and related issues at the Vienna University and the Medical University Vienna. She is currently heads the largest Austrian Child Protection Organization „die möwe“ as Professional Manager and in addition maintains a small psychoanalytical practice.
Health Psychology And Communication Skills
This course provides a general introduction to the theoretical basis and practical approach to issues pertaining to the psychology of health. It therefore follows two different paths in order to explain and to explore human health issues in identifying and applying methods effective in enhancing the general and individual quality of life.
On the one hand, the main concepts of Health Psychology will be introduced and connected to the question of how healthy or unhealthy Austrians in European and in international comparison live; we will also ask which specific health issues can be promoted by public health policies. The symptoms and interventions concerning specific health behaviors and illness experiences will form the core of the course.
On the other hand, students will be given an overview of communication models and counseling guidelines before undertaking a short practical training in communication skills to learn how to explore, counsel and intervene effectively while respecting and improving patients’ health/y resources.
The course includes a visit to the Vienna General Hospital for the demonstration of live patient interviewing, the Child Protection Organization „die möwe“ for a Viennese agency counseling parents and their children, and a workshop to demonstrate biofeedback-methods.
Students should have taken at least one introductory course in psychology.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Lectures, video-demonstrations, self-assessment-scales and role-play, discussions, oral presentations, live patient-interviews, online-resources and excursions
Participation in discussions (10%) and role play (20%); oral presentation in class on a weekly topic (20%); written paper on reflection of specific health issue (20%); written paper on analysis of a self-conducted conversation (role-play) (30%).
Week 1
Introduction to the field of Health Psychology and the presentation of its main concepts, such as the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of health and the model of salutogenesis by Antonovsky; lecture, readings, self-assessment and test interpretation.
Readings:
Week 2
The students will learn about public health policies in Austria in international comparison (lecture), measurements and statistics of health status in different countries, and how to acquire and compare available data (lecture and oral presentations).
Readings:
Week 3
The general knowledge of health issues will be the basis for further readings on special psychological health problems and their treatment, such as unhealthy eating habits, sexuality, violent communication and behavior, addictive behavior (smoking) and chronic diseases (e.g. cancer).
Readings:
Workshop on methods in biofeedback-training
Week 4
The model of different levels of preventions will be introduced and help to distinguish between diverse approaches to preventive and treatment methods in Health Psychology such as psychoeducation, counseling, preventive target group oriented programs, etc. Furthermore the most important communication theories and practical guidelines of communication skills will be taught.
Readings:
Week 5 and Week 6
In small groups students will learn to analyze their communicative habits and, in guided role plays, they will practice the skills on how to conduct different professional conversations within patient-practitioner-relations (exploration, breaking bad news, difficult conversations, etc.). A Viennese model of counseling in cases of child protection will be introduced and discussed during the excursion to „die möwe“.
We will concentrate on practical exercises to gain communication skills, mainly through role play. We will also work with video recording and video analysis as well as show professional best practice examples and film clips (examples of “in treatment”) for demonstration.
Textbooks
This textbook was chosen with non-psychologically trained students in mind. It covers a broad array of issues related to health psychology and is also a leader in the field of treatment methods in health psychology.
Selected chapters to read:
Further articles and book chapters will be assigned in advance for the following week; some of them are available online (e.g. EOCD-studies).
Maga phil. Hedwig Wölfl was born 1969 in Graz; she studied at Vienna University where she earned - after a year abroad on a Fulbright Scholarship at UCLA - her MSc at the Vienna Faculty for Psychology. For 10 years she worked as a Clinical and Health Psychologist in hospitals, focusing on Psycho-oncology. Since 2001 she has been teaching Communication Skills, Health Promotion, Psychosomatics and related issues at the Vienna University and the Medical University Vienna. She is currently heads the largest Austrian Child Protection Organization „die möwe“ as Professional Manager and in addition maintains a small psychoanalytical practice.