GUIDELINES FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PRACTICE IN HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEMS
INTRODUCTION
Psychologists practice in an increasingly diverse range of health care delivery systems (HCDS). This diversification is due to widening recognition of psychology as a health profession (Belar, 2002; Brown, Freeman, Brown, Belar, Hersch, & Hornyak, 2002), of the unique skills of psychologists, and of the value of psychological services for health and wellbeing. It is also due to rapidly evolving systems in which health care is being delivered (American Psychological Association (APA), 2009).
At the same time, psychologists’ roles within these settings are expanding, and multidisciplinary collaboration within health care is becoming commonplace. The following guidelines are intended to assist psychologists, other health care providers, administrators in health care delivery systems, and the public to conceptualize the roles and responsibilities of psychologists in these diverse contexts.
