AVAILABILITY: Steve Lazarre is available to speak individually with each student to
ensure adequate understanding of course requirements and to offer assistance and suggestions.
The best times to call are Monday - Friday, 1:00 PM-11:00 PM (Pacific Time) or these same times
on the weekends.
Steve Lazarre has been an intern therapist for over five years providing therapy for individuals,
couples, and families in various non-profit mental health clinics and the Family Services Center
at the former Marine Corp Air Station El Toro. He is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in
psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy. His masters degree is from National
University and is in counseling psychology. His bachelor's degree is from CSU Fullerton in
psychology with a minor in sociology. He is a graduate student affiliate of the American
Psychological Association, a pre-licensed member of the California Association of Marriage and
Family Therapists, and a student member of the Orange County Psychological Association.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Health Psychology (CH550) is an eight week online course that presents an
overview of biological, psychological, and social aspects as related to health
promotion, health compromising and enhancing behaviors, stress management,
coping strategies, patient-provider relations, utilization of health services, pain
management, and coping with disease. A breakdown of these dimensions will be
examined to provide for a more effective conscious control for improving overall
mental and physical health. In addition, there is an examination of the role of
addictions, as well as a discussion about the complexity and challenges that
await health psychology in the future.
TOPICS
I. The Biological, Behavioral, and Environmental Dimensions
II. Health Skills Behaviors, Health Promotion, and Health Enhancing and Compromising Behaviors
III. Stress and Coping
IV. Addictions
V. Health Knowledge, Education, and Health Provider Relations
VI. Pain Management, Chronic, and Terminal Illness
VII. Future Challenges for Health Psychology
VIII. The Complexity of the Practice of Health Psychology and the Search for the Best Solutions
COURSE OBJECTIVES
I. The Biological, Behavioral, and Environmental Dimensions
To understand an interactivity between the biological, behavioral, and the environmental
dimensions.
To examine treatment considerations that will create the best potential for positive change
when interacting with an integrated model
To be able to identify and effectively map out the various biological, behavioral, and
environmental dimensions within a given situation.
II. Health Skills Behaviors, Health Promotion, and Health Enhancing and Compromising Behaviors
To understand the importance and implications of health behaviors
To utilize strategies to change health behaviors
To be able to discuss health enhancing behaviors
III. Stress and Coping
To understand the human relationship with stress
To have knowledge about negative impacts of stress
To explore coping and management of stress
IV. Addictions
To be able to identify the biological, behavioral, and environmental dimensions of
addictions
To describe preventative skills and interventions
To identify reasons why people engage in addictions
V. Health Knowledge, Education, and Health Provider Relations
To understand the perceptions and utilization of health care services
To explore the influences on interpreting symptoms and threats
To describe the processes of health adjustments to disease or illness
VI. Pain Management, Chronic, and Terminal Illness
To be able to describe psychological factors associated with pain and disease management
To explore the options for healthy pain management
To find ways to enhance the positive aspects of chronic and terminal illness
VII. Future Challenges for Health Psychology
To be able to identify future barriers to health care and healthy behaviors
To identify changing trends and proposed solutions
To construct treatment, prevention, and health promotion for issue of the future
VIII. The Complexity of the Practice of Health Psychology and the Search for the Best Solutions
To identify racial, cultural, and ethnic complexities that impact Health Psychology
To be familiar with several ways to implement success
To describe the dangers of politics and social economic class in the practice of health
psychology
