Education in Community Psychology

A useful guide on education in the field of community research and action, Education in Community Psychology explores curriculum issues regarding coursework, field training, the status of research, and the need for promoting a multidisciplinary perspective. For your easy reference, it gives you a thorough overview of the kinds of undergraduate and graduate courses available and of freestanding and interdisciplinary graduate programs in both North America and New Zealand. For your convenience, it also covers the types of knowledge and skills taught in these courses and programs, the professional roles open to community graduates, how programs can work with community organizations, and the steps and issues you should consider when planning a community psychology course or program.

From this book’s helpful pages, you will discover why interdisciplinary programs hold the most promise for innovation in graduate education, as well as the greatest potential for developing community research and action into an interdisciplinary field. If you are interested in setting up a program that helps students develop a ‘systems perspective’in the way they approach problems and issues in the community, Education in Community Psychology will help you get started. To this end, you learn about:

• the issues and strategies in teaching community psychology to your students
• practical steps for developing your program
• how to secure viable field placements for your students
• how your community psychology program can train psychologists in nontraditional roles suited to address human and social problems
• the ecology of masters’programs
• selecting required readings
• trends in interdisciplinary training
• using social functions that include faculty, students, and community agencies to develop collaborative working relationships
• the change in APA guidelines
  
  Education in Community Psychology provides community psychology professors and graduate students, psychology undergraduates intending to go to graduate school, and educators in human development and social work with a practical overview of the field of community research and action, its values, ethics, theories, and methods. With its sample course outlines, recommendations for faculty planning, and insights on how to develop community psychology programs, you will be able to extend your skills beyond the classroom and into the community, where it counts.