Clinical Health Psychology: Interdisciplinary Care for Somatic and Sexual Health

Clinical health psychology is a specialty within the field of clinical psychology that focuses on how health is impacted by psychological, social, cultural and biological factors, and more specifically how psychological factors influence physical illness and human behaviors related to health. Clinical health psychology can focus on:

Psychological issues that arise following the onset of a physical injury, disease, or disability.
Somatic symptoms that occur with a psychological condition. For example, migraines or pain associated with anxiety.
Managing or treating psychophysiological symptoms. For example, headaches or digestive issues.
Managing or treating physical symptoms or conditions with behavioral interventions. For example, managing stress in individuals with cardiovascular conditions.
Somatic symptoms associated with biological functioning. For example, muscle or joint pain, or chronic fatigue.
Organic (biological) disease that has associated psychological features. For example, HIV infection.
Managing or treating the psychological impact of medical procedures that cause stress. For example, infertility treatment.
Providing education or treatment for the behavioral risks of medical problems. For example, weight issues or smoking.

One of the distinctive features of clinical health psychology is the biopsychosocial approach and interdisciplinary lens through which symptoms are conceptualized and treated. Unlike counseling or clinical psychology which may focus primarily on the relational, emotional, or psychological components of mental health or traditional medicine which may focus on symptoms via specific medical speciality, clinical health psychology considers a multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary approach.

While the field is broad, at Kimberly Keiser & Associates, research in clinical health psychology informs clinical practice to treat symptoms of posttraumatic stress and PTSD, somatic illness, and sexual dysfunction. With a foundation in interdisciplinary practice, many individuals with somatic symptoms and sexual dysfunctions also see physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, or a variety of other specialized healthcare providers ranging from family practice, urology, urogynecology, endocrinology, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, to oncology.

Kimberly started her work as a sex therapist. Patient reports and narratives informed and motivated further evolution in Kimberly’s training to become a trauma therapist and becoming trained in EMDR, given that the majority of patients seeking sex therapy services also have a history of traumatic experiences, specifically childhood abuse and/or neglect. In a quest to understand how childhood abuse and neglect relate to posttraumatic stress on sexual functioning and physical health, Kimberly has continued to evolve and expand in utilizing clinical theory and interventions that treat a wide range of somatic symptoms.

Kimberly is one of South Dakota’s only AASECT-certified sex therapists. All therapists at Kimberly Keiser & Associates have over a decade of clinical experience providing general mental healthcare and hold advanced training and credentialing in couples and trauma and somatic therapies. This unique combination of approaches offers true interdisciplinary care for complex mind-body symptoms and disorders.

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