Max Yasuo Shimizu
Affiliation: International Christian University, College of Liberal Arts
3-10-2 Osawa Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8585 Japan
E-mail: syasuo@icu.ac.jp
Together with the establishment of the Japanese Association of Health Psychology (JAHP) in 1988, health psychology has been recognized as an academic field for more than two decades in Japan. The numerous academic initiatives and activities organized by JAHP is indicative of health psychology’s status as a growing field in Japan.
Although EHPS is primarily a Europe-based society, JAHP seeks to extend its international networks with other health psychology associations, and is as such highly keen to collaborate and communicate with health psychology researchers in Europe so as to bridge knowledge between the east and the west.
National Associations:
The Japanese Association of Health Psychology (JAHP) is the national organisation of health psychology in Japan. Founded in 1988, JAHP has 2,654 registered members (as of March 2012). The Japanese Journal of Health Psychology (kenkoshinrigakukenkyu), JAHP’s flagship journal, publishes biannually in both Japanese and English. Other publications include Health Psychologist (JAHP’s official bulletin), the Dictionary of Health Psychology for Japanese users and a series on the basics of health psychology (kenkoshinrigakukisosiriizu).
JAHP hosts the Japanese Health Psychology Conference that is held every year. In addition to activities related to the spurring of high quality in and application of health psychology, JAHP also strives towards the professionalization of health psychologists and increase of communication between its members.
Link to webpage: http://jahp.wdc-jp.com/english/index.html
Link to JAHP’s publications: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jahp
Education, training and professionalisation:
JAHP implements an annual qualification examination for health psychologists. Holders of this qualification are recognised as health psychologists in Japan. Three levels (beginner, middle and advanced) are offered as part of this qualification examination.
At the graduate level, three universities in Japan offer a Master of Science degree programme in Health Psychology; namely Bunka Gakuen University, J.F.Oberlin University and Osaka University of Human Sciences.
Research:
Apart from the Japanese Journal of Health Psychology, JAHP also provides financial support to research groups that are selected by a committee annually.
I am a Professor in Clinical Health Psychology at the Department of Psychology, University of Crete, Greece. For more than a decade, I served as the Head of the Counselling Center for Students at the University of Crete. In addition, I served as Head of the Department of Psychology, University of Crete for two years. I currently collaborate with the University of Crete Medical School, and the Faculty of Nursing and the Dental School at the University of Athens, and I am actively involved in the activities of local associations for the support of patients suffering from cancer. I have been a member of the European Health Psychology Society since 2002 and I was the Greek National Delegate for several years (2004 – 2010). Also, I have helped in the organization of seven EHPS conferences as a Scientific Program Track Chair or as a member of the Scientific Committee, and I was the Chair of the Organizing Committee and President of the 25th EHPS Conference in Crete. For the last two years, I served as a co-opted member of the EHPS Executive Committee (National Delegate Officer). This year, I was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Society. My research interests include patient adaptation to chronic illness, the role of stress and related factors in health and illness, individual differences in health, self-regulation and dyadic regulation. Currently, I am a member of the editorial board in seven international journals and an Assoc. Editor of Translational Behavior Medicine. As President-Elect, I plan to focus on the strengthening of the international impact of the EHPS, as well as on the enhancement of the collaboration with local national health psychology societies/organizations.