About the DHP
Below are a list of aims and objectives for Division of Health Psychology as agreed by the Annual General Meeting, September 2000
AIMS
1. To study scientifically the psychological processes of health, illness and health care
2. To apply psychology to:
a) the promotion and maintenance of health
b) the analysis and improvement of the health care system and health policy formation
c) the prevention of illness and disability and the enhancement of outcomes of those who are ill or disabled
3. To develop professional skills in research, consultancy and teaching/training
OBJECTIVES
Developing Health Psychology
1. To develop and evaluate education in health psychology
2. To facilitate the development of research in health psychology
3. To develop professional roles, career structure and employment possibilities for health psychologists
4. To increase the membership of the Division.
Applying Health Psychology
5. To promote the application of health psychology in the domains of health and social care
6. To promote the development of effective, psychologically informed interventions that enhance health-related behaviour
7. To contribute to the framing of relevant public health agendas, strategies and targets
8. To work more closely with policy-making bodies eg. Department of Health, Health Development Agency, the Health Education Board of Scotland, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, research funding bodies in the UK
9. To promote involvement with local community bodies and user groups (eg Health Action Zones, regional development teams and local implementation groups)
10. To teach and train others who have an impact on health.
WHO IS WHO IN THE DHP COMMITTEE
The Division of Health Psychology committee is directly elected by the membership of the Division to represent the views of its membership to the British Psychological Society, and to the wider community. It is responsible for developing and setting policies for the continuing profesional development and validation of health psychology, and organises public events and Divisional conferences, discussion documents and liaises with external agencies as and when required.
Here is a handy guide to show you who's who in the DHP for the period 2007-2008. Some roles are related to the Society, and others are essential for the progress of the professional activities of the Division.
Chair - Martin Hagger - The Chair is the most public face of the Division. This person chairs the DHP Committee and is frequently asked to respond to requests from the Society for information, views and to find representatives for outside bodies. Many documents come from Government and the Society and these are passed to us for comment. The Chair is also our spokesperson for Representative Council, and is Chair of the Scientific and Professional Practice Committee (see below).
Deputy Chair - Daryl O'Connor and Chair Elect - Stan Newman - The post of Chair is particularly demanding and we decided that for continuity we would have a three year rotation. The previous year’s Chair becomes Deputy Chair for a year, deputising when the Chair is unavailable and providing support. The following year’s Chair is the Chair Elect, and can shadow the activities in the preceding year.
Honorary Secretary - Mellissa Wallace - The Secretary organises committee meetings and the AGM, and together with the Chairs, organises responses to the Society. Support also comes from the main Society office for communications with the committee members. The secretary also has to facilitate communication between the Society and the Committee members. We all use e-mail and plenty of these fly around the country!
Honorary Treasurer - Katie Robb (Whilst Katie is on Maternity Leave, this role is being covered by Vicky Senior) The Treasurer is responsible for the accounts, arranges payment of expenses, checks monthly statements and prepares the annual accounts for the AGM. The Treasurer keeps the DHP in budget and advises on financial policy.
National Conference Organiser (NCO) - Jo Hart This is a remunerated appointment for two years, with one additional year shadowing the present NCO. The NCO gives continuity for the annual conferences, and co-chairs the Conference committee which includes the local organiser and the Chair of the Scientific Committee. The NCO oversees the plans for the venue, accommodation, scientific programme as well as, of course, the social activities. Reports are made back to the DHP committee.
Chair of Workforce Planning Sub-Committee - Sasha Cain This committee is concerned with issues related to the commissioning of funding for postgraduate training in Health Psychology and the development of Health Psychology as applied practice in the National Health Service.
Chair of Scientific & Professional Practice Sub-Committee - Martin Hagger - This committee is concerned with research and professional practice issues. The Chair represents the DHP on the BPS Research Board and Professional Practice Board. The Chair is also a member of the Scientific Committee for the Annual conference. There are several subcommittees that feed into this overarching committee, these are: Research Sub-committee, Continuing Professional Development Sub-committee, and the Workforce Planning Sub-committee.
Chair of Training Committee - Mark Forshaw This has been a highly significant job since we have moved to Chartered Health Psychologist status. Apart from the wider agenda of current developments in training and employment, the Chair of the Trainng Committee convenes regular meetings of the committee and is pro-active in policy development. The Chair is also a member of the Membership and Professional Training Board and the Board of Assessors in Health Psychology.
Chair of Membership Sub-Committee -Andy Keen represents the Division of Health Psychology on the BPS Admissions Committee. The Chair of the Membership Committee works, together with Anna van Wersch to advise the BPS Admissions Committee on applications for Division of Health Psychology membership.
The Publicity & Liaison Sub-Committee is chaired by Di Harcourt. This sub-committee considers, proposes, initiates and co-ordinates activities aimed at informing people of the work of the DHP and its committee. The central aim has been "to increase the membership of the Division and to promote the application of health psychology within the domains of health and social care" (see DHP strategic plan). In addition to the work being done by the main committee, this committee attempts to raise the profile of the DHP, and health psychology per se via several different routes. This includes: improving the management of the Annual Conference media coverage, holding public engagement events, distributing our "What is Health Psychology?" leaflet, and responding to consultation documents from a range of health related agencies (e.g. Department of Health, National Institute for Clinical Excellence) on behalf of the BPS.
Chair of CPD Sub-Committee - Emily Buckley With the onset of the requirement to complete Continuing Professional Development (CPD) logs from 2004/5, and the development of statutory registration with the Health Professions Council, CPD becomes an important part of the Division's activities. The main role of the committee will be to assess a sample of logs and provide training and support on CPD via a range of mechanisms, including a programme of CPD workshops. The chair of this committee is also the DHP representative on the BPS CPD sub-committee. Watch this space!
Website Manager - Orla Dunn's role is to develop and maintain this website, reporting recent DHP news, and keeping it updated with the latest developments within the DHP. She liaises with the other members of the committee to ensure that the public is regularly informed about recent events and developments. If you have any news on relevant conferences, workshops, events, health psychology posts and studentships to post on the website, please contact her. The website manager is a member of the Publicity and Liaison Sub-Committee.
Co-ordinating Editor of Health Psychology Update - Acting Editor Kerri McPherson - Health Psychology Update (HPU) is the bright yellow volume published four times per year by the DHP that has useful information on DHP activities and news of current health psychology issues. It aims to keep members of the division up to date with developments in health psychology by publishing a wide range of articles including empirical work, research in brief articles, book reviews, and conference reports. For more details, see the Health Psychology Update webpage.
DHP:Scotland Representative - Joyce Willock who represents and reflects the views of the Scottish branch in order to understand the common problems and the different solutions that may be possible. To encourage greater understanding and collaboration and to promote health psychology across the UK.
Postgraduate Representatives - Jilly Martin and Laura Ashley.These two representatives are members of the Postgraduate Sub-Committee and represent issues relating to Health Psychology postgraduates (Laura Ashley), and specifically Stage 2 trainees (Jilly Martin). See DHP for Postgraduate Students web page for more details of the Postgraduate Sub-Committee.
There are also representatives on the DHP committee from the Division of Clinical Psychology, the Division of Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Clinical Health Psychology and the SGEP. We also have representatives on the Boards of the Society (MPTB, PAB, SAB) who report back to the DHP committee and respond to any initiatives from the committee.
All these good people on the committee provide a written one page summary of their year’s activities which are presented at the AGM. This is the opportunity to ask more about what they have been doing on your behalf. If you want to know any more contact us, and we can put you in touch with the current incumbent and there may well be even more activities in the future.
STRATEGIC PLAN - PROGRESS REPORT
& CHAIR'S REPORT
DHP Committee meeting notes can be accessed below:
Meeting on 26th January, 2005
Meeting on 22nd April, 2005