Psychology of Health and Wellbeing

The psychology of health and wellbeing, or health psychology, is a sub-specialty area of psychology focused on the connection between physical health, emotional wellbeing, and behavior. Rather than separating “mental” and “physical” health, health psychologists understand them as deeply interconnected.

Several psychologists at Atlanta CBT have this sub-specialty and recognize how we think, cope, relate, and make daily choices directly influence our overall health and functioning, as do chronic illnesses and pain. These psychologists are Dr. Beth Hammons, Dr. Julia Buch Wamstad, Dr. Leah Farrell-Carnahan, and Dr. Christina Goodwin. When you read our bios, you will see we consider the connection between physical health, emotional wellbeing, and behavior in our work, whether focused specifically on treating anxiety, OCD, or another psychological problem or if working alongside a client who is engaged in therapy focused on a more obviously health-related journey. 

Health psychologists at Atlanta CBT are collaborative, practical, and skills-focused. We help clients:

  • Understand the relationship between thoughts, behaviors, emotions, and physiology
  • Reduce avoidance, reassurance-seeking, and unhelpful coping patterns
  • Learn to advocate for themselves in the healthcare system (e.g., planning how to talk with healthcare teams about your care)
  • Treat insomnia using CBT for insomnia
  • Build sustainable routines around exercise, nutrition, and restorative sleep
  • Adjust to medical diagnoses, chronic pain, or chronic illness 
  • Address health anxiety, including persistent worry about medical symptoms, fear of serious illness, or difficulty tolerating uncertainty about health. Health anxiety can be deeply distressing and disruptive. Evidence-based treatment helps individuals reduce reassurance-seeking, decrease avoidance, and build greater tolerance for uncertainty so that health concerns no longer dominate daily life.
  • Explore and change health-related behaviors, including substance use
  • Take meaningful, values-based action

Our goal is not simply to help you feel better, but to help you function better — physically and emotionally — and live with psychological flexibility in alignment with what matters most.

Inquire here about our services.