For many, understanding community psychology as a field of work is the first step towards a rewarding and fulfilling career. This article unpacks the purpose and focuses of community psychology as well as the roles that community psychologists play.
Community psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on the betterment of individuals within the context of their community. It’s interested in how environmental and social factors interact and influence people’s mental health and wellbeing. In doing this, community psychologists promote positive change through social action and community-based interventions. For example, addressing systemic issues such as inequality, housing, education and violence so as to improve the quality of life for individuals within a specific community.
What is Community Psychology?
Unlike traditional psychology, which often concentrates on the individual, community psychology emphasises the broader social context and collective wellbeing. It blends elements from psychology, sociology and public health to address systemic issues and promote social change through empowerment. This makes it a dynamic and interdisciplinary field with a focus on both individual and community wellbeing. Practically, community psychology looks at individuals within their social context. It does this with the intention of formulating then implementing community-based interventions and practices that will address systemic issues.
4 Key Principles of Community Psychology
- Empowerment of individuals and communities so that they can gain control over their lives.
- Promotion of Social Justice to address systemic issues such as inequalities and marginalisation.
- Collaboration with community members to research challenges and develop interventions.
- Prevention through implementation of proactive community strategies that address needs and foreseeable issues.
The Role of Community Psychologists
Community psychologists work in diverse settings, including non-profit organisations, public health agencies and academic institutions. Within each setting they work at understanding the interplay between individuals and their social environment. The result is that their roles can vary, however there are still five general focuses of community psychologists that emerge across different settings.
1. Research, Evaluation and Advocacy
Community psychologists engage communities in collaborative research so as to identify needs and factors that impact a community’s wellbeing. The research undertaken by community psychologists usually involves community-participatory methods. This approach helps to foster community ownership of future interventions and thereby improves their success rate and sustainability. Once an issue has been identified, they evaluate various intervention strategies and advocate for the best one to be implemented.
2. Program Development and Evaluation
The programs that community psychologists develop are designed to improve a community’s health and wellbeing. Once implemented they monitor and evaluate a program’s effectiveness, and if need be, make adjustments to improve its success rate. Some of the focal areas of community psychology are mental health, social support, substance abuse and education. This means that a program could take place at a school, lead to the formation of family support groups and community empowerment enterprises.
3. Consultation and Training
Community psychologists aim to improve the wellbeing of individuals by understanding the influencing factors within their social environment. Practically this means that they need to provide consultative services and create training opportunities to community members. For example, run mental health workshops and train community leaders on conflict resolution methods. As part of the consultative process, community psychologists collect information which can assist with advocating for social justice.
4. Community Organisation and Advocacy
An important community psychologist role is one of advocating for a community so as to address systemic inequalities and correct marginalisation. This is done by working alongside community members to foster collective action and build resilience. For example, facilitating community meetings, encouraging civic engagement and garnishing local government support for community initiatives.
5. Empowerment and Promotion of Social Justice
The driving purpose of a community psychologists work is to ensure that a community can thrive. This is done by assisting community members to access resources and opportunities. To accomplish this a community psychologist needs to promote social justice. Social justice requires a community to be able to access necessary resources. Thereafter, once this is accomplished, resources need to be made fairly and equitably available to all community members. The result is that community psychologists often have to also empower marginalised populations.
Community Psychology in South Africa
Community psychologists integrate research with action which means that their interventions aren’t based on a blanket approach. Rather they seek to first understand a community’s distinct issues and formulate solutions based on addressing them. In doing so the quality of life for individuals and their communities is more likely to be improved upon. This is important within the South African context, because vulnerable communities usually have especially complex and varied systemic issues.
How to Study or Pursue a Career in Community Psychology
Understanding community psychology is essential for anyone looking to make a difference at both the individual and collective levels. Community psychologists catalyse social changes that lead to the creation of opportunities for community members. This means that community psychologists in South Africa positively impact people’s lives through their work to create healthier and more equitable communities.
A great step to being part of positively impacting someone’s life is to study a course in Social Work and Community Development at SACAP. There are numerous qualifications to choose from which will enable you to pursue a fulfilling career that promotes social change, empowerment and socio-economic development. Courses are nationally accredited and internationally recognised. Contact an admissions officer to discuss which qualification best suits your career aspirations or enrol online today.
FAQ:
1. How does community psychology differ from traditional psychology?
Community psychology focuses on the interplay between individuals and their social environment. It seeks to address social and environmental factors that impact the wellbeing within a community and thereby assist individuals. In contrast, traditional psychology tends be focused on diagnosing and treating the individual.
2. What are the core values of community psychology?
Community psychology has 4 core values; empowerment, social justice, collaboration and prevention.
3. Why are community psychologists important?
Community psychologists are important because they seek to understand community issues then advocate directly relevant strategies to address them. They assist in catalysing systemic change so as to create healthier, more equitable communities that thrive.
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