Addressing health in psychotherapy from a community wellness framework: Introduction to the special section

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Health concerns are prevalent in the general population and psychotherapy clients.
• Existing health psychology research often overlooks therapeutic processes, focusing primarily on outcomes.
• There's a need for integrated approaches to address health within psychotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Community Wellness Model (CWM) as a framework for addressing health in psychotherapy.
• To highlight research on identifying health issues within psychotherapy.
• To present a special section focusing on psychotherapy for specific health conditions and populations.

Main Methods:

• The article serves as an introduction to a special section comprising nine articles.
• It reviews the prevalence of health concerns in diverse populations.
• It synthesizes current research gaps in health psychology interventions within therapy.

Main Results:

• The Community Wellness Model (CWM) is proposed as a comprehensive framework.
• The special section is divided into two parts: understanding health in psychotherapy and specific applications.
• The article identifies key areas for future research and practice.

Conclusions:

• Psychotherapy practitioners and researchers can utilize the CWM to integrate health considerations.
• Addressing health within therapy requires attention to personal, relational, and collective well-being.
• Further research is needed to refine and apply the CWM in clinical practice.