Potential Space in Hospitals: Insight From a Health Psychologist

Objective: Humanization is a challenge for the future of healthcare. Architecture may play a major role in designing spaces that enhance communication and help the patient to maintain mental health during physical illness. Health psychologists struggle to find adequate space for taking care of their patients. There is an urgent need to better define how relational space, defined here as potential, can be guaranteed in everyday hospital psychological consultations. Background: The author relates to his work as a health psychologist and psychotherapist in a consultation-liaison psychiatry (CLP) service operating in a general hospital in Lugano (Switzerland). Methods: An autoethnographic method is applied through calling on childhood memories on architecture and analyzing insights regarding the healthcare space in everyday work as a psychologist. Photographs and drawings are employed as evocative material. Results: Autoethnographical data show that building interiors can be a metaphor for an inner dimension. Spaces can be perceived as depersonalized in hospital. Through psychoanalytical theory, it is argued that space becomes ideal for CLP if it can ensure the continuity of the patient’s self during hospitalization. Proximity, confidentiality, and privacy are healthcare design requirements to be considered for favoring potential space and psychological intervention. Conclusion: Fostering potential space represents an outstanding challenge for the hospital of tomorrow in order to humanize healthcare spaces and promote a person-centered approach.

HEALTH PSYCHOLOGIST: OCCUPATION

Психология здоровья является новым самостоятельным научным направлением и занимает одну из приоритетных позиций в решении общегосударственной задачи по развитию и воспитанию здоровой нации. На данный момент наблюдается несоответствие между накопленной базой научных знаний о здоровье и отсутствием квалифицированных специалистов - психологов здоровья, на которых будет возлагаться ответственность за их практическую реализацию. В соответствии с концепцией жизненного пути профессиональные задачи психолога здоровья по его психологическому обеспечению распределены на всех этапах бытия и должны включать биопсихосоциальные изменения человека. Представления авторов базируются на концепции здоровой личности, основные положения которой были впервые сформулированы в отечественной науке известными психиатрами и психологами С.С. Корсаковым, И.А. Сикорским, В.М. Бехтеревым, а также западными представителями гуманистической психологии А. Адлером, К. Роджерсом, А. Маслоу, К. Хорни, Г. Олпортом, Э. Фроммом. Логичным продолжением данной парадигмы является постановка вопроса о том, решение каких задач должна предусматривать профессиональная компетенция психологов здоровья. The psychology of health is a new independent scientific direction and occupies one of the priority positions in solving the national task of developing and educating a healthy nation. At the moment, there is a mismatch between the accumulated base of scientific knowledge about health and the lack of qualified specialists - health psychologists who will be held responsible for their practical implementation. In accordance with the concept of a life path, the professional tasks of a health psychologist in psychological support of health are distributed at all stages of life and should include human biopsychosocial changes. The representations of the authors are based on the concept of a healthy personality, the main provisions of which were first formulated in Russian science by famous psychiatrists and psychologists S.S. Korsakov, I.A. Sikorsky, V.M. Bekhterev, as well as Western representatives of humanistic psychology A. Adler, C. Rogers, A. Maslow, C. Horney, G. Allport, E. Fromm. A logical continuation of this paradigm is the question of what kind of tasks should be addressed by the professional competence of health psychologists.

Aproximaciones a la profesionalización del psicólogo de la salud.// Approaches to the professionalization of the health psychologist.

El artículo ofrece un panorama general sobre la profesionalización del psicólogo que se desempeña en instituciones de salud, respondiendo los interrogantes: ¿qué es?, ¿cómo se ha conceptualizado? y ¿por qué hablar de profesionalización del psicólogo de la salud? El trabajo responde a una investigación de análisis documental, la cual, en sentido general, se utilizó para definir la profesionalización del psicólogo de la salud y delimitar sus alcances dentro de la producción académica. Primero se justifica el estudio del tema, describiendo las opiniones de diferentes autores. A continuación, se aproxima el proceso de gestión de la profesionalización del Psicólogo de la salud, y se realizan propuestas específicas que contribuyan a esa gestión. Las consideraciones finales retoman la discusión sobre su valor para la práctica del psicólogo en el sector de la salud. AbstractThe article offers a general panorama on the professionalization of the psychologist who works in health institutions, answering the questions: what is it? How is it conceptualized? and why talk about the professionalization of the health psychologist?. The work responds to a documentary analysis research, which, in general sense, it was used to define the professionalization of the health psychologist and to define its reaches within the academic production. First, the study of the topic is justified, describing the opinions of different authors. Next, the management process of the professionalization of the Health Psychologist is approached, and specific proposals are made that contribute to that management. The final considerations resume the discussion about its value for the practice of the psychologist in the health sector.

A journey in the field of health: From social psychology to multi-disciplinarity

“Health psychology” is a newer sub-discipline whose research methodologies, theories, and practices were borrowed from diverse areas of psychology. It appeared later in France than in the United States or United Kingdom. In 1966, I adopted a perspective between anthropology and psycho-sociology of medicine. I never have self-identified as a “Health Psychologist”, continuing to work outside of disciplinary boundary constraints, but studied health questions moving first from psychology (and anthropology), through social psychology to sociology. By the 1980s, I adopted an even broader multi-disciplinary approach to health, as the HIV/AIDS epidemic urgently challenged health researchers/practitioners, in France and worldwide.

THE PEDAGOGICAL COMPONENT OF THE HEALTH PSYCHOLOGIST COMPETENCE

Pedagogical competence is an important integral component of health psychologist competence. The development of this component is implemented during two study courses in the Riga Stradiņš University, providing possibility for master programme „Health psychology” students to elaborate and pilot informal educational programs, trying to select and structure health psychology materials in accordance with the principles and requirements of pedagogy. The article analyze and evaluate the development of some transversal competencies and future skills of health psychologist’ during the practice, as well as to work out the recommendations for optimal practice organization in a professional environment. The article, based on students’ survey and results of the students’ developed informal educational programs analysis, show the process and the issues, which are important for educational programs elaboration and pedagogical competence development.