Community Psychology

Not all psychologists believe that therapy (whatever the form) is the best intervention for psychological problems.

One alternative – Community Psychology

Community Psychology is the application of psychological principles to:

A. The understanding of individual and social problems

B. The prevention of psychological dysfunction

C. The creation of lasting social change

Various community psychologists emphasize different characteristics in their definition of the field. – However:

Common premise: human behavior develops out of interactions between people and all aspects of their environment – physical, social, political and economic

Thus: efforts to alleviate individual and social problems must entail changes in both environmental settings and individual competencies

Rappaport (1977) referred to this emphasis on person-environmental interactions as the ecological perspective:

“an orientation emphasizing relationships among persons and their social and physical environment (and implying) that there are neither inadequate persons nor inadequate environments, but rather the fit between persons and environments may be in relative accord or discord.”

History of Community Psychology 1. The advent of Clinical Psychology 2. Mental Hygiene Movement

Clifford Beers National Committee for Mental Hygiene

Preferred to promote health rather than combat illness – efforts to “inoculate” people against mental illness

3. Child Guidance Movement – 1920’s 4. The world wars

History of Community Psychology More recently: 1950’s and 1960’s: accelerated development

& formal birth of the field in the mid-1960’s

Two sets of developments were crucial, one in psychology, and one outside

Within Psychology

1. Disenchantment with a clinical psychology that was dominated by intrapsychic models of psychopathology

2. Skepticism about the effects of psychotherapy (e.g., Eysenck), along with the reliability and validity of diagnoses

3. Prophesies of personnel shortages, given the prevalent 1 – 1 style of delivery of mental health services

4. Dissatisfaction with the training models and role expectations for clinical psychologists

Outside of Psychology

1. Social and political activism of the ’60’s

2. Legislative Changes• Mental Health Study Act of 1955• Community Mental Health Centers Act (1963)

“Comprehensive Care”

Intended to include 10 types of services:

Essential (required for centers seeking federal funding):1. inpatient care2. outpatient treatment for children and adolescents3. 24-hour emergency services4. consultation services5. educational services

Desirable Services – important, but not required for funding:

1. diagnostic services 2. social and vocational rehabilitation 3. precare and aftercare services 4. training of mental health personnel 5. research and evaluation of program

effectiveness

1965 – funding for the Community MH Centers Act approved, with the expectation that funding would be shifted to the states, with additional funding provided by health insurers, fees, etc.