Complementary Medicine and Health Psychology
About this ebook
The authors draw on their wealth of experience as health psychologists to explore the relationship between health psychology and CAM and look at how an understanding of one can be used to inform the other.
Through an open-minded but rigorous approach to CAM, the authors identify where psychology can help to answer some crucial questions, such as why CAM sometimes appears to work, why sometimes it does not, and why some people are drawn to it and others not.
Key topics covered include:
While CAM has often been dismissed out of hand by scientists, the authors maintain that it deserves attention as a psychological phenomenon alone, regardless of the actual efficacy as understood by existing research.
This book's insightful observations on contemporary meanings of health and illness and the future of CAM and health psychology make it important reading for all psychologists and health professionals.
About the author
Anna van Wersch is Professor of Psychology at the University of Teesside and directs the MSc in Health Psychology. Author of many research publications, she has been involved in health psychology training for a number of years through the BPS Division of Health Psychology Training and Admissions Committees.
Mark Forshaw is a Principal Lecturer at Staffordshire University, a Chartered Health Psychologist, an expert on health psychology training, an established author, and he sits on the Registration Authority of the Science Council. He has specific departmental responsibilities for enterprise, and trains others how to conduct consultancy.
Tina Cartwright is a Chartered Health Psychologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster. Her research focuses on people’s perceptions of health and illness, experiences of conventional and complementary health care, and interventions to improve well-being.
