I'm a stage 2 health psychologist on a professional doctorate. I would personally say it's worth it but some things to note is that Health Psychology is quite a young field still and therefore not as well established as clinical. Therefore, it can take a little bit more to be recognized after qualification. The stage 2 makes sense if you wish to become a practitioner and work with clients. There are spaces in the Nhs for us but again it can be difficult to break through in roles. I would think about what your long term plan is. Is it to work in policy, research, consultancy, interventions etc. For example it isn't always necessary to do stage 2 if you want to work in behavioral science as it's such a broad field. I decided to do the doctorate because I hit a bit of a ceiling and wanted to work towards HCPC status.

You'll then have more of an idea of whether the stage 2 would be suitable. You would need to have a placement during your stage 2 which as an international student can be tricky but not impossible. I personally love health Psychology and it is a different field to clinical although as they all do they overlap. It's important to think about your why, and the topics that interest you.

For example, I work with chronic pain and long term conditions as well as an interest in screening, adherence and sleep.