The KSU Graduate Certificate Program in Occupational Health Psychology

In June of 2000, Kansas State University authorized the Department of Psychology to offer a new Certificate Program in the field of Occupational Health Psychology (OHP).  The development of this program was supported by a grant from the American Psychological Association with funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.  A definition of OHP, the courses required for the certificate and faculty members associated with OHP are provided below. Click here to go to the Kansas State University Division of Continuing Education OHP website for details on the program, enrolling at KSU, applying to the certificate program, and enrolling in an OHP course http://www.dce.ksu.edu/occupationalhealthpsych/

What is Occupational Health Psychology?

The emerging field of Occupational Health Psychology (OHP) emphasizes the role of psychology in research and practice aimed at the prevention of occupational stress, illness, and injury. The field covers a wide range of topics including organizational risk factors for stress, illness, and injury at work. OHP concerns the application of psychology to improve the quality of work life, and to protecting and promoting the safety, health and wellbeing of workers. The notion of health "protection" refers to both work site interventions designed to reduce health/injury hazards and worker education/counseling designed to promote healthy lifestyles and work behaviors. OHP is especially concerned with the dramatic transformation of work and employment that has been underway in industrial economies since the 1980s (e.g., flexible employment and production processes), and how changing organizational structures and processes are influencing the health and wellbeing of workers and their families.

Courses required for the certificate

The four courses described below have been designed to provide comprehensive instruction in all aspects of Occupational Health Psychology. They include the theoretical foundations for this specialty, as well as research methods and practical applications. The courses are offered in the sequence indicated, one each semester, allowing students to complete the program in four semesters.

I. PSYCH 840 – Pro-Seminar in Occupational Health (3 credit Hrs) - An entry-level first year graduate course, this class offers a survey of the prototypical physical, psychosocial and emotional problems associated with work in professional, industrial, and governmental settings. Interdisciplinary approaches to such problems are emphasized and students are encouraged to apply their own experiences in work situations.

II. PSYCH 841 – Seminar in Occupational Behaviors (3 credit Hrs.) - A second year graduate class that explores organizational issues and intervention strategies for dealing with occupational health problems. Specific content focuses on the general principles of effective intervention, including health assessment techniques, management-worker communications, and the implementation of health maintenance and improvement programs. Representative case studies are reviewed in class sessions.

III. PSYCH 807 – Research Methods in Occupational Health Psychology (3 credit Hrs.) - This course is designed to provide a review of standard social science research methods. A set of supplemental research articles, and links to relevant web pages will be used to illustrate problems in the field of OHP. Topics included are: logic and ethics of social research; finding and reading research reports; measurement; research design and internal validity; types of measures; survey methods; quasi-experimentation designs; correlational methods; qualitative research; cross-sectional and longitudinal research; and interpretation and applied research.

IV. PSYCH 842 – Practicum in Occupational Health Psychology (3 credit Hrs) - A second, third or fourth year graduate course, the practicum is designed to provide practical experience with occupational health problems. Students are assigned to observe and evaluate local work sites which may include university facilities, manufacturing firms, a medium sized hospital, nursing homes, the city-county police force, the fire department, the public school system, and a nearby army base. They are required to identify salient health problems, as well as develop proposals for the implementation of programs to address these problems. A committee composed of collaborating faculty supervises this work, serving as consultants for the students.

Faculty associated with or supporting the certificate program

Richard G. Best, Ph.D., 2003 - Dr. Best is an industrial and organizational psychologist and health services investigator for the Veterans Health Administration. In his work in health services research, he has conducted numerous applied research projects targeting systems factors in organizational and individual conditions that precipitate affective outcomes, such as job burnout and job satisfaction.

Laura Brannon, Ph.D., 1993 - Dr. Brannon is conducting an ongoing program of research concerning the development of effective communications for the distribution of information relevant to health practices. Her work has been published in leading professional journals and is under consideration for funding by the National Institutes of Health.

Amy Conner, Ph.D., 2005 - Dr. Conner has a broad interest in changing negative health behaviors. Her dissertation research investigated methods to reduce undergraduate binge drinking behavior, and she has published research on changing behaviors that put individuals at increased risk of AIDS transmission. In addition, she has a specific interest in Occupational Health Psychology (OHP). She earned OHP certification in 2003, and has conducted and presented research on techniques the reduce job burnout.

Ronald Downey, Ph.D., 1971 - Dr. Downey has primary expertise in quantitative methods, questionnaire design, and survey analysis, and has published many papers in these areas. He also has worked as a personnel management consultant in private industry, and conducted research on food preferences and job stress and burnout.

Clive Fullagar, Ph.D., 1986 - Dr. Fullagar (Program Director), has published extensively on labor-management relations, trade union issues, and socialization practices in the workplace. He has had substantial experience as a consultant to local government and private industry, and his most cogent expertise concerns the health implications of workplace socialization practices.

Terry Gaylord, Ph.D., 2003 - Dr. Gaylord is currently a Manager on the Organizational Development team at Payless ShoeSource focusing on organizational surveys and selections. Prior to joining Payless, he worked as an internal consultant for BellSouth Corporation and spent time with the Army Research Institute conducting research on leadership development. His additional research interests lie within the areas of job stress and burnout and personality.

Michael Tagler, Ph.D., 2003 - Dr. Tagler teaches courses in social psychology, applied social psychology, industrial-organization psychology, statistics, and research methods. His research interests centers on real-world social problems such as prejudice, inequality, and stress.

SUPPORT FACULTY

Fred B. Newton, Ph.D., 1972 - Dr. Newton is Director of Counseling Services, author of many diverse articles on counseling psychology, and has taught a variety of graduate courses in this field. His primary expertise involves problem solving, stress coping, and group intervention strategies in the workplace. He has also served as a consultant to business and government organizations on projects concerning wellness and institutional change.

Leon Rappoport, Ph.D., 1963 - Dr. Rappoport (Associate Program Director), has been teaching classes in health psychology for the past 15 years. He has published extensively in the personality-social area, including problems related to stress, and has recently been author or co-author of several articles on food preferences.

Arthur J. Rathbun, Ph.D. Candidate - Mr. Rathbun is a practicing counselor specializing in stress management and career planning issues, and has experience in marital and divorce counseling. He provides expertise on how such problems can impact health in the workplace.

O. John Selfridge, Ph.D., 1996 - Dr. Selfridge has a master’s degree in city planning and a Ph.D. in epidemiology and public health. He has been active in energy and environmental health consulting issues since 1975. He teaches courses related to health and safety concerns of buildings.

Director of the Program is Ronald G. Downey, Ph.D. 1971.

He may be reached at Kansas State University, Department of Psychology, Bluemont Hall 472, Manhattan, KS. 66506. Tel. 785-532-5475; e-mail to downey@ksu.edu.

This statement is a modified version from the NIOSH web site on Occupational Health Psychology (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ohp.html).