Community Psychology Practice Competencies Research Articles

A South African perspective on community psychology practice competencies.

The appropriateness of the paradigm underlying competency frameworks and their specific application in the list of definitions developed by a Task Group of Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) for US community psychologists need further consideration. This paper considers the technicist and behavioural roots of some of these concepts, illustrating tensions when applying them to community psychology. It then proposes a competency perspective from the global South. Drawing from focus group discussions with, and written reflections from, postgraduate Master's students in training as clinical and counselling psychologists, this paper builds inductively from the recorded data. Following a template analysis of the material, four integrating themes were evident. The distinctive nature of community psychology is highlighted through the themes: relational foundations, activity evolution, self-management and the awareness and influences of processes. Proposals for an alternative framework ("RASP") are based on its emergence from the applications of learning to practice, emphasising community-based principles. The importance of reflection as the basis for the learning is highlighted. The imperatives to foreground social justice and to enable reflexive thinking on action are discussed, along with concepts based on Humanist and Social Constructivist paradigms, to lead to more interactive and inclusive processes in work on competencies.

Learning Community Psychology Practice Competencies: Student Pathways through the Applied Community Psychology Specialization

Learning Community Psychology Practice Competencies: Student Pathways through the Applied Community Psychology Specialization

The Application of the Community Psychology Practice Competencies for Community Consulting Practice in the U.S.

The Application of the Community Psychology Practice Competencies for Community Consulting Practice in the U.S.

Integrating the 18 Community Psychology Practice Competencies into Doctoral Education

Integrating the 18 Community Psychology Practice Competencies into Doctoral Education

Community Psychology Practice Competencies: Some perspectives from the UK

Within global north spaces, the outcomes-based approach to programme delivery in higher education and the focus on accountability in professional training has increasingly led to calls for competency frameworks to be developed. However, the paradigm underpinning competencies as applied in higher education needs further examination. This paper aims to consider the technicist roots of the concept and the translation of derivatives of behavioral economics to critical community psychology. We distinguish competences from competency, noting the potential risks of a fragmentary approach and the mismatch between individually-based assessments and the participatory and egalitarian principles espoused by community psychology. Drawing from discussions and workshops with postgraduate students and community psychologists in the UK during early 2015, the contributions and distinctive nature of community psychology training in comparison with other disciplines will be highlighted. Proposals for alternative frameworks will be explored, emphasising the need for these to incorporate flexibility and diversity, and to be more holistic (rather than atomistic, as lists of competencies often are); with emphases on community-based rather than individualised principles and values. Consideration will also be given to capabilities that relate both to functions and to freedoms, and to more process-oriented qualities to enable ongoing development. The imperatives to foreground social justice and to enable reflexive thinking and action will be emphasised, leading to interactive and inclusive processes.

Infusing Community Psychology Practice Competencies into Doctoral Training

Infusing Community Psychology Practice Competencies into Doctoral Training

Challenges and Strategies in Promoting Empowering Academic Settings for Learning Community Psychology Practice Competencies

Challenges and Strategies in Promoting Empowering Academic Settings for Learning Community Psychology Practice Competencies

The Application of Community Psychology Practice Competencies to Reduce Health Disparities

This article demonstrates the application of community psychology practice competencies to health disparities reduction. It begins with a discussion of changes and evolution of the maternal child health field over nearly three decades, then describes implications for community psychology practice and the application of practice competencies.

A Learning Journey II: Learned Course Maps as a Basis to Explore How Students Learned Community Psychology Practice Competencies in a Community Coalition Building Course

This paper presents an illustrative case study of how students learned community psychology practice competencies. Utilizing course mapping, focus groups, and reflective writing, students and faculty coded, analyzed and interpreted student data to better understand learning activities and processes which contributed to learning community psychology practice competencies in a coalition building course. A community coalition simulation and group work related to the final project emerged as two student learning activities that were found by students to contribute meaningfully to their learning three community psychology practice competencies: (1) Ecological perspectives, (2) community partnership and inclusion and (3) collaboration and coalition development. The instructor’s modeling community psychology practice competency skills was also reported by students to facilitate their learning.

A Learning Journey I: Curriculum Mapping as a Tool to Assess and Integrate Community Psychology Practice Competencies in Graduate Education Programs

Curriculum mapping is introduced as a practical tool for community psychology graduate and professional education programs to assess how their curriculum addresses community psychology practice competencies and to further develop their program. Using the Applied Community Psychology Specialization as an illustrative case study, a six-step process for mapping curriculum to community psychology practice competencies is described. Implications for academic program development and limitations to the curriculum mapping process are discussed.

Community Psychology Practice Competencies in Egypt: Challenges and Opportunities

The Society for Community Research and Action’s proposed competencies for community psychology practice are examined within the Egyptian context, specifically from the perspective of a Master’s program at The American University in Cairo. While this program integrates most of the competencies into the curriculum, thesis, and internship opportunities, the emphasis on various competencies may differ from programs in the United States because the program is situated within a different cultural and political climate. Many contextual factors impact competency training, including the current state of development work in Egypt, political considerations with implications for safety, the lack of a clear public policy process, and language as well as cultural differences. Sources of exposure, expertise, and experience for graduate students are discussed in regard to the five overarching competencies: foundational principles, community program development, community and organizational capacity-building, community and social change, and community research. The benefit of examining the competencies from an international perspective is also discussed. Keywords: community psychology, competencies, Egypt Within the field of community psychology, and in particular within the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA), there has been a growing body of literature aimed at establishing a set of competencies for community psychology training programs (Meissen & Hakim, 2011; Sarkisian & Jimenez, 2011; Thomas, Neill, & Robertson, 1997; Wolfe, 2011). The rationale for establishing these competencies includes creating concrete expectations of what skills will be learned in a particular program, educating communities about community psychology as a profession, and defining community psychology as a field (Berkowitz, 2009; Bond, Hostetler, Tran, & Haynes, 2012; Dziadkowicz & Jimenez, 2009; Stark, 2012; Wolff, 2009). While there has been some discussion regarding the applicability of community psychology competencies across international settings, specifically in Australia and New Zealand (Australian Psychological Society, 2010; University of Waikato School of Psychology, 2012), there is little information available on the appropriateness of these competencies for community psychology practice in other parts of the world. As faculty members at the American University in Both authors are Americans. At the time of this writing, the first author had lived in Egypt for three years and the second author for one year. Cairo (AUC), a private university in Egypt, we are in a unique position to contribute to this discussion of competencies. In this paper, we address the applicability of the proposed competencies to practice in Egypt. Additionally, we describe how we tried to build these competencies into our newly formed Master of Arts program in community psychology. There are many similarities between our program and those in the U.S. However, due to cultural differences and a changing political situation, we face unique challenges in terms of the freedom that we have to practice various competencies, and the relevance of particular competencies to the present context. By sharing our experience, we hope to contribute to the understanding of how these competencies are practiced in diverse contexts. Community Psychology in Egypt In Egypt, psychology is an underdeveloped and frequently misunderstood discipline (Mohamed, 2012), and community psychology is essentially unknown. The people who work in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based 3 Founded in 1919, AUC boasts as “the region’s premier English-language university” (see http://www.aucegypt.edu/about/Pages/defaul t.aspx). In 2012, AUC’s student population was 6,652, including both undergraduate and graduate students. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice Volume 4, Issue 4 December 2013

Community Psychology Practice Competencies in Undergraduate and Graduate Programs in Italy

Community Psychology Practice Competencies in Undergraduate and Graduate Programs in Italy

Are Our Competencies Revealing Our Weaknesses? A Critique of Community Psychology Practice Competencies

Are Our Competencies Revealing Our Weaknesses? A Critique of Community Psychology Practice Competencies