Recently the APA Monitor (a publication of the American Psychological Association) featured a profile on Tom Wolff, a community psychologist practitioner. The article does a great job of highlighting how community psychologists work alongside community members to create better futures. It also stressed the importance of making sustainable systems-level changes, with an eye towards prevention and health promotion.
"We have to stop pouring all our efforts into bandaging up the wounded and really look at systems change," Wolff said. "That's really the field of community psychology."
The article is available to read here.
To find out more about Tom's work, visit: http://www.tomwolff.com/ or see his book new book "The Power of Collaborative Solutions"
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Empowerment Evaluation
I’m here in New Orleans, where the incredibly massive and information-packed Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association (AERA) is taking place. I had my eye out for topics that were relevant to community psychology, but thought I’d have to try a little harder to find some. As it turns out, the cross-linkages are everywhere, and I’ve been able to attend sessions on topics such as action research, mixed methods, and how to apply for federal grants.
But the highlight of the conference for me so far was a session on empowerment evaluation. This is a topic that is near and dear to the hearts of community psychologists, and I was fortunate to attend a session that featured David Fetterman, the man who literally wrote the book on the topic (or at least edited it). He was accompanied by a group from Canada who gave an inspiring example of empowerment evaluation in action as well as another speaker offering critiques. However, it was clear that Fetterman was the star of the show. The discussant leading the talk gave an intro to the session that, much like this intro, went on just a little too long, though I can’t really blame her since she was faced with the difficult task of trying to summarize a novel-length bio full of accomplishments.
Empowerment evaluation has transformative potential, whether it’s used by education researchers, community psychologists, or anyone else. As David said in the talk, it was “the right idea at the right time,” and has been adopted widely, though it is still invisible in some settings, and controversial in some others.
What is empowerment evaluation? Well, first let’s define evaluation. According to Wikipedia, evaluation is the “systematic determination of merit, worth, and significance of something or someone using criteria against a set of standards.” Program evaluation usually involves some kind of external assessment of outcomes or impact, though other factors such as program design or cost effectiveness may be measured. Evaluation is becoming increasingly important as funding agencies claim commitment to “evidence-based” practices. However, there are some significant challenges to traditional evaluation. Ideally, evaluation should not be used merely to determine whether some program has value or not, but as a tool that can help any program improve. Empowerment evaluation is far better suited to this task.
Fetterman introduced the empowerment evaluation session with a tongue-in-cheek remark about how it was exactly like traditional evaluation – just “turned upside down.” The short definition of empowerment evaluation is “the use of evaluation concepts, techniques, and findings to foster improvement and self-determination.” There’s an expanded definition in the newest book, but I think the key distinguishing word in this shortened definition is “SELF-determination.” In traditional evaluation, external evaluators act as experts who can objectively ascertain whether a program is successful. This can lead to distrust of the evaluator, especially if funding is at stake. Even more challenging is the problem of knowledge utilization – that is, does anyone actually use the information gathered in the evaluation? In empowerment evaluation, the evaluation is led by the program staff, and the evaluator acts as a “critical friend” or coach that assists them in conducting the evaluation, leaving them with increased capacity for self-evaluation. Some critique empowerment evaluation by saying that internal evaluations are bound to be biased. Fetterman counters that with his own examples, saying that when evaluation is truly used as a tool for continuous improvement, program staff are actually far more critical of themselves than outsiders would be – because they know exactly what is wrong with the program and they want to fix it. Not only are people more honest, but they are also far more likely to use the information gained in the evaluation to improve their program.
There’s a lot more to say about empowerment evaluation, but I’m just a noob in this area, and this post has been long enough, so here I’ll leave you with some of the many resources on the topic:
Empowerment Evaluation website: http://www.davidfetterman.com/empowermentevaluation.htm
Empowerment Evaluation blog: http://eevaluation.blogspot.com
Collaborative website: http://sites.google.com/site/cpeevaluationcenter/
Books & Publications: http://www.davidfetterman.com/books.htm
But the highlight of the conference for me so far was a session on empowerment evaluation. This is a topic that is near and dear to the hearts of community psychologists, and I was fortunate to attend a session that featured David Fetterman, the man who literally wrote the book on the topic (or at least edited it). He was accompanied by a group from Canada who gave an inspiring example of empowerment evaluation in action as well as another speaker offering critiques. However, it was clear that Fetterman was the star of the show. The discussant leading the talk gave an intro to the session that, much like this intro, went on just a little too long, though I can’t really blame her since she was faced with the difficult task of trying to summarize a novel-length bio full of accomplishments.
 |  |
Empowerment evaluation has transformative potential, whether it’s used by education researchers, community psychologists, or anyone else. As David said in the talk, it was “the right idea at the right time,” and has been adopted widely, though it is still invisible in some settings, and controversial in some others.
What is empowerment evaluation? Well, first let’s define evaluation. According to Wikipedia, evaluation is the “systematic determination of merit, worth, and significance of something or someone using criteria against a set of standards.” Program evaluation usually involves some kind of external assessment of outcomes or impact, though other factors such as program design or cost effectiveness may be measured. Evaluation is becoming increasingly important as funding agencies claim commitment to “evidence-based” practices. However, there are some significant challenges to traditional evaluation. Ideally, evaluation should not be used merely to determine whether some program has value or not, but as a tool that can help any program improve. Empowerment evaluation is far better suited to this task.
Fetterman introduced the empowerment evaluation session with a tongue-in-cheek remark about how it was exactly like traditional evaluation – just “turned upside down.” The short definition of empowerment evaluation is “the use of evaluation concepts, techniques, and findings to foster improvement and self-determination.” There’s an expanded definition in the newest book, but I think the key distinguishing word in this shortened definition is “SELF-determination.” In traditional evaluation, external evaluators act as experts who can objectively ascertain whether a program is successful. This can lead to distrust of the evaluator, especially if funding is at stake. Even more challenging is the problem of knowledge utilization – that is, does anyone actually use the information gathered in the evaluation? In empowerment evaluation, the evaluation is led by the program staff, and the evaluator acts as a “critical friend” or coach that assists them in conducting the evaluation, leaving them with increased capacity for self-evaluation. Some critique empowerment evaluation by saying that internal evaluations are bound to be biased. Fetterman counters that with his own examples, saying that when evaluation is truly used as a tool for continuous improvement, program staff are actually far more critical of themselves than outsiders would be – because they know exactly what is wrong with the program and they want to fix it. Not only are people more honest, but they are also far more likely to use the information gained in the evaluation to improve their program.
There’s a lot more to say about empowerment evaluation, but I’m just a noob in this area, and this post has been long enough, so here I’ll leave you with some of the many resources on the topic:
Empowerment Evaluation website: http://www.davidfetterman.com/empowermentevaluation.htm
Empowerment Evaluation blog: http://eevaluation.blogspot.com
Collaborative website: http://sites.google.com/site/cpeevaluationcenter/
Books & Publications: http://www.davidfetterman.com/books.htm
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Psychology of Climate Change: Introduction
‘Climate change’ is a phrase fraught with meaning. To scientists, it is the variation of weather patterns and ecological systems over a sustained and extended period of time due to anthropogenic activities. But that’s not all.
To Glenn Beck, climate change is a socialist conspiracy created for population control.
To President Mohammad Nasheed of the Maldives, climate change is a threat to the health, stability, human rights, and security of his country.
And therein lies the problem with the meaning of climate change—between Glenn Beck and President Nasheed there literally resides a world of difference in the way people understand the phrase.
Finucane (2009) argued that sound scientific understanding of climate change is at once essential and insufficient to implementing the responses necessary for human adaptation. We must advance the physical sciences of climate change, including climatology, meteorology, oceanography, and geology, but we must also advance the social sciences of climate change. Part of the reason for this comes from an urban planning perspective—as societies develop, they must develop in ways likely to sustain themselves into the next century; they must take climate changes into account. But another major reason for the involvement of social sciences is that climate change has no steadfast meaning to lay people around the world.
This is where Community Psychology comes in. If there is one thing we do well (and there are many things, actually), it’s getting at the importance of contextual factors. Climate change will affect people differently depending on which region they live in (physical topography), depending on which country they live in (political forces, global power, developed versus developing nation status), depending on which culture they belong to (decision hierarchies, relationship to land, religious beliefs, ascribed meaning to weather and climate changes), depending on their ethnicity (are they majority or minority in their country? Do they have status or power?), depending on their gender (status, power, freedom), and depending on their social class.
Furthermore, beyond the differential impacts of climate change, the ways in which people understand climate change is also different according to their context. Some people view climate change as a call to action to stop polluting, to develop green technologies. Some people view climate change as a serious (current) threat to their land, culture, and community. Some people do not believe that climate change is happening or will happen. Some people are willing to assist mitigation and adaptation efforts. Some people are willing to actively prevent mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Community Psychology has many opportunities to get involved in these and other social science facets of climate change. In my coming posts, I will discuss many of these issues in greater detail. Welcome to the Psychology of Climate Change.
----
Kati Corlew,
University of Hawai`i, Manoa
To Glenn Beck, climate change is a socialist conspiracy created for population control.
To President Mohammad Nasheed of the Maldives, climate change is a threat to the health, stability, human rights, and security of his country.
And therein lies the problem with the meaning of climate change—between Glenn Beck and President Nasheed there literally resides a world of difference in the way people understand the phrase.
Finucane (2009) argued that sound scientific understanding of climate change is at once essential and insufficient to implementing the responses necessary for human adaptation. We must advance the physical sciences of climate change, including climatology, meteorology, oceanography, and geology, but we must also advance the social sciences of climate change. Part of the reason for this comes from an urban planning perspective—as societies develop, they must develop in ways likely to sustain themselves into the next century; they must take climate changes into account. But another major reason for the involvement of social sciences is that climate change has no steadfast meaning to lay people around the world.
This is where Community Psychology comes in. If there is one thing we do well (and there are many things, actually), it’s getting at the importance of contextual factors. Climate change will affect people differently depending on which region they live in (physical topography), depending on which country they live in (political forces, global power, developed versus developing nation status), depending on which culture they belong to (decision hierarchies, relationship to land, religious beliefs, ascribed meaning to weather and climate changes), depending on their ethnicity (are they majority or minority in their country? Do they have status or power?), depending on their gender (status, power, freedom), and depending on their social class.
Furthermore, beyond the differential impacts of climate change, the ways in which people understand climate change is also different according to their context. Some people view climate change as a call to action to stop polluting, to develop green technologies. Some people view climate change as a serious (current) threat to their land, culture, and community. Some people do not believe that climate change is happening or will happen. Some people are willing to assist mitigation and adaptation efforts. Some people are willing to actively prevent mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Community Psychology has many opportunities to get involved in these and other social science facets of climate change. In my coming posts, I will discuss many of these issues in greater detail. Welcome to the Psychology of Climate Change.
----
Kati Corlew,
University of Hawai`i, Manoa
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Community Practitioner Spotlight: Shawn Bediako
“I am proud to be both a community psychologist and an applied social/health psychologist. I love the work I do and respect the colleagues and populations with whom I work. I hope that others can find the same type of fulfillment, zeal, and enthusiasm in their chosen career paths.”
Name: Shawn M. Bediako, Ph.D.
Titles: Assistant Professor of Psychology
Employer: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Affiliations: Association of Black Psychologists, American Psychological Association, Society of Behavioral Medicine, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Society for the Analysis of African American Public Health Issues, American Public Health Association and Emerging Scholars Interdisciplinary Network
Titles: Assistant Professor of Psychology
Employer: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Affiliations: Association of Black Psychologists, American Psychological Association, Society of Behavioral Medicine, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Society for the Analysis of African American Public Health Issues, American Public Health Association and Emerging Scholars Interdisciplinary Network
“Utilizing Education, Research and Practice to Inspire Change”
Dr. Shawn Bediako is a community psychologist practitioner who is engaged in both community psychology practice and education.
Dr. Bediako is an assistant professor in the Human Services Psychology program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He teaches community and applied social psychology and behavioral medicine and supervises students interested in these areas. His research focuses on adults’ psychosocial adjustment to sickle cell disease. More specifically, he examines how social perceptions about individuals with sickle cell disease are formed by laypeople and health professionals. Dr. Bediako, as a community psychologist, uses his research and advocacy to bring awareness to the need for comprehensive services for this population.
Dr. Bediako’s involvement in the community provides opportunities for him to utilize the skills and competencies gained during training. These skills include incorporating psychological and systems level theory into community projects, contributing to collaborative organizational decision-making, developing social marketing and working with stakeholder groups. For example, Dr. Bediako collaborated with an organization to design a media campaign in an effort to educate persons getting regular blood transfusions about iron overload. He also has worked with a group from a state health department to increase awareness of and knowledge about sickle cell disease and sick cell trait by helping develop its public health strategy. Dr. Bediako is actively involved with a number of empowerment groups that address issues such as manhood development, unemployment and dietary behavior.
Dr. Bediako’s training and personal experiences have played a very important role in his efforts to teach and practice community psychology. Dr. Bediako remembers how his father, a history/government teacher and minister, integrated social justice and empowerment into his ministry. He was exposed to the principles of community organizing and community psychology through church. Dr. Bediako earned his Master’s degree in Community Psychology from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, a that program emphasized the African-centered approach to systems theory as well as traditional theories and concepts. He was challenged to think about the application of these theories and concepts with respect to historical and cultural context. Dr. Bediako went on to earn his Doctorate in Social/Health Psychology from Stony Brook University. During graduate school, Dr. Bediako took advantage of a number of opportunities, such as, working with the Tallahassee Department of Health and the Center for Health Sciences at the University of Yaounde in Cameroon, which allowed him to utilize the skills learned in graduate school.
Dr. Bediako believes that it is important for budding community psychologists to immerse themselves in the field, connect with mentors and colleagues and identify their purpose for why they do the type of work that they do. For him, clarifying his purpose and asking himself the question, “Have I done something productive to help inspire change in somebody’s life?” keeps him motivated.
Dr. Bediako demonstrates his passion for community wellness by educating students about community psychology and applying community psychology concepts in the communities that he serves.
His entire profile is available on the SCRA website, by clicking here.
His entire profile is available on the SCRA website, by clicking here.
Keywords: community psychology practice, public health, sickle cell research, education, collaboration, African Americans, University of Maryland-Baltimore County
------
This profile was written by Kyrah Brown, from Wichita State University. It is part of a series of community psychology practitioner profiles. If you have a suggestion for future profiles, please email ComPsychPractice@gmail.com
------
This profile was written by Kyrah Brown, from Wichita State University. It is part of a series of community psychology practitioner profiles. If you have a suggestion for future profiles, please email ComPsychPractice@gmail.com
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Students, Spring is Around the Corner
No, the title of this blog post is not a cheap joke or teaser, it's the truth. Punxutawney fill guaranteed it earlier this morning. Spring is coming. Which not only gives me hope on this bitterly cold winter day, but it urges me to take the next step... summer is coming!
For students, summer offers the unique opportunity to do something different. Most of us have a brief window of time, around two months, but it's enough. I urge you to take that time and dedicate it to community practice.
Find a local organization to work with around your university, find a community psychologist practitioner (nationally) who is doing something you want to be doing and ask to help, find a summer internship opportunity and apply now. Summer, especially for those of us who envision that our community psychology careers will take place out in the community, is the perfect chance to prepare for that vision, and to use the information we've been cramming all semester.
At this point, summer might seem like a distant dream, but trust me, it's not. If you want to do something different, you need to start looking for that "something" now.
Here are some resources that might be useful in creating a summer experience. Please feel free to post your own summer plans, or resources you use, in the comments box below.
Resources:
For students, summer offers the unique opportunity to do something different. Most of us have a brief window of time, around two months, but it's enough. I urge you to take that time and dedicate it to community practice.
Find a local organization to work with around your university, find a community psychologist practitioner (nationally) who is doing something you want to be doing and ask to help, find a summer internship opportunity and apply now. Summer, especially for those of us who envision that our community psychology careers will take place out in the community, is the perfect chance to prepare for that vision, and to use the information we've been cramming all semester.
At this point, summer might seem like a distant dream, but trust me, it's not. If you want to do something different, you need to start looking for that "something" now.
Here are some resources that might be useful in creating a summer experience. Please feel free to post your own summer plans, or resources you use, in the comments box below.
Resources:
- The SCRA Community Psychology Practice Page Discussion Board
- Inquiries from students are welcome. Look for someone doing something that you want to be doing.
- The SCRA Listserv
- Keep an eye out for postings including summer fellowships or work experiences
- Your Local Community
- Lots of great opportunities exist; be willing to OFFER your services in exchange for the experience.
If you want to go broader than jobs specifically identified as "Community Psychology" jobs....
- US Government Student Internship Opportunities
- Idealist.org (International)
- Volunteers for Peace (International)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Killing Jobs and Winning the Future: The Psychology of Political Speech
Last week, the House passed the not-so-subtly titled “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law.” As a piece of legislation with absolutely no chance of making it through the Senate or past the President’s desk, it provided a purely symbolic purpose, and with its title, the creators made sure that the symbolic message was not lost on anyone. With Americans citing the economy and employment as their top concern, conservatives have been liberal in their use of the term “job-killing.” Different people may describe this use as linguistic framing, political rhetoric, or simple lying.
Regardless of one’s perspective, it underscores the importance of language in shaping and justifying policy and our larger social debates. In Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, Obama re-framed the attempt to repeal healthcare, nesting it in a larger narrative about how we must “win the future.” By focusing his speech on the future, Obama was able to easily paint a picture of GOP attempts to repeal
his signature legislative victory as a contrasting effort to move backward while the rest of the country wishes to move forward.
Image from guardian.co.uk. Click here to see Obama's "word cloud" compared to those of past presidents.
Though his key catchphrase shared an odd connection to right-wing media, the focus on the future was consistent with the major themes of his 2008 presidential campaign, which urged everyone to look past the distress of our current times with hope toward the future.
Community psychologists may not typically think of their efforts in terms of language or political speech, but in our effort to build a more equitable society, language is central. In an article titled “Globalization, Neo-Liberalism and Community Psychology” in a 2009 issue of the American Journal of Community Psychology devoted to politics, language is described as the central tool in community psychology. In this study, the authors investigated the increasing use of capitalist language emphasizing competition, free markets, and consumerism in Norway, supplanting language emphasizing social equity and support.
Language, the authors argued, provides the meeting ground between the individual and the macrosystem and the decreasing use of words that translate as “sharing” or “common” in the Norweigian language both signifies and furthers a shift away from a culture that promotes social cohesion to one that is based on individual self-interest. As a member of a country in which even progressive politicians accused of being communists use the language of individualism and competition, it is helpful to reflect on this language. While I am in support of looking toward the future, I’m not quite sure I want to “win” it. I’d rather have a future where everyone can share in its success.
Post by Gina Cardazone, University of Hawaii
Regardless of one’s perspective, it underscores the importance of language in shaping and justifying policy and our larger social debates. In Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, Obama re-framed the attempt to repeal healthcare, nesting it in a larger narrative about how we must “win the future.” By focusing his speech on the future, Obama was able to easily paint a picture of GOP attempts to repeal
his signature legislative victory as a contrasting effort to move backward while the rest of the country wishes to move forward.
Though his key catchphrase shared an odd connection to right-wing media, the focus on the future was consistent with the major themes of his 2008 presidential campaign, which urged everyone to look past the distress of our current times with hope toward the future.
Community psychologists may not typically think of their efforts in terms of language or political speech, but in our effort to build a more equitable society, language is central. In an article titled “Globalization, Neo-Liberalism and Community Psychology” in a 2009 issue of the American Journal of Community Psychology devoted to politics, language is described as the central tool in community psychology. In this study, the authors investigated the increasing use of capitalist language emphasizing competition, free markets, and consumerism in Norway, supplanting language emphasizing social equity and support.
Language, the authors argued, provides the meeting ground between the individual and the macrosystem and the decreasing use of words that translate as “sharing” or “common” in the Norweigian language both signifies and furthers a shift away from a culture that promotes social cohesion to one that is based on individual self-interest. As a member of a country in which even progressive politicians accused of being communists use the language of individualism and competition, it is helpful to reflect on this language. While I am in support of looking toward the future, I’m not quite sure I want to “win” it. I’d rather have a future where everyone can share in its success.
----------------
Post by Gina Cardazone, University of Hawaii
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Community Practicioner Spotlight: Katherine Tyndall
“Community psychology is the realistic lens through which we can view our community, analyze it, and then actually make changes that truly make a difference…. It is a part of who I am. Community psychology fits me like a glove…”
“ Wearing Many Hats to Promote Healthy Communities”
Name: Katherine (Kate) Tyndall, M.A.
Titles: (1) Adjunct faculty member (2) Mental Health Clinician (3) Small Business and Nonprofit Consultant (4) Addictions Specialist (5) Justice of the Peace
Employer: (1) University of Massachusetts at Lowell (2) Twin Consulting (self employed)
Affiliations: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), Massachusetts Licensed Additions Counselor, APA Behavioral Social Scientist Volunteer Program , Lowell Women’s Week, World AIDS Day
Titles: (1) Adjunct faculty member (2) Mental Health Clinician (3) Small Business and Nonprofit Consultant (4) Addictions Specialist (5) Justice of the Peace
Employer: (1) University of Massachusetts at Lowell (2) Twin Consulting (self employed)
Affiliations: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), Massachusetts Licensed Additions Counselor, APA Behavioral Social Scientist Volunteer Program , Lowell Women’s Week, World AIDS Day
“ Wearing Many Hats to Promote Healthy Communities”
Kate Tyndall is a community psychologist practitioner who is skillfully making a difference in the lives of people in her community. Kate wears many hats in her community. Interestingly, her work tends to ‘ebb and flow’ as demands present themselves.
Tyndall is the co-founder of the Greater Lowell Equality Alliance (GLEA), an organization grew out of the same-sex marriage equality movement in Massachusetts. This organization provides information, support and visibility for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in greater Lowell. Beginning with no resources and no office, this organization was sparked with a desire to help and improve the health of the LGBT community. Kate is also an adjunct faculty member in the Psychology department at the University of Massachusetts- Lowell. Kate’s approach to teaching stems from her experiences as a community psychologist practitioner, which is in part characterized by her appreciation for her students’ insight and wisdom.
Kate volunteers as a mental health clinician at the Greater Lowell Critical Incident Stress Management. She helps provide services to public safety workers (e.g., police officers, firefighters). As a member of the clinician team, she provides pre-incident education which addresses stress management and tools for dealing with post traumatic stress and assures the workers that the team will be there for them when need arises. Kate’s community psychology practice continues as she also serves as an addictions specialist, a small business and nonprofit consultant and a justice of the peace.
Kate’s practice work is certainly diverse and calls for skills she gained in graduate school. Kate earned her Master’s degree in Community Social Psychology at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Kate’s graduate training has enhanced her ability to examine social change through a systems perspective and to address issues on multiple levels in research. Her training has prepared her for community organizing, evaluating programs, grant writing, applying multiculturalism and designing prevention/intervention programs. One of the most important aspects of Kate’s graduate training was the opportunity to interact with and learn from her professors who were applying the guiding principles and values of community psychology in their community work. Kate remembers the impact of professors like Bill Berkowitz, Anne Mulvey and Meg Bond. Throughout graduate school, she was encouraged, guided and expected to pursue her primary interest, which was HIV/AIDS among women.
Kate’s strong desire to make a positive difference in her community, coupled with her training and experiences in community psychology, has impacted the lives of many people. She has demonstrated that the ability to wear many hats is certainly an advantage when working in communities. Read Katherine's full interview here.
Tyndall is the co-founder of the Greater Lowell Equality Alliance (GLEA), an organization grew out of the same-sex marriage equality movement in Massachusetts. This organization provides information, support and visibility for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in greater Lowell. Beginning with no resources and no office, this organization was sparked with a desire to help and improve the health of the LGBT community. Kate is also an adjunct faculty member in the Psychology department at the University of Massachusetts- Lowell. Kate’s approach to teaching stems from her experiences as a community psychologist practitioner, which is in part characterized by her appreciation for her students’ insight and wisdom.
Kate volunteers as a mental health clinician at the Greater Lowell Critical Incident Stress Management. She helps provide services to public safety workers (e.g., police officers, firefighters). As a member of the clinician team, she provides pre-incident education which addresses stress management and tools for dealing with post traumatic stress and assures the workers that the team will be there for them when need arises. Kate’s community psychology practice continues as she also serves as an addictions specialist, a small business and nonprofit consultant and a justice of the peace.
Kate’s practice work is certainly diverse and calls for skills she gained in graduate school. Kate earned her Master’s degree in Community Social Psychology at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Kate’s graduate training has enhanced her ability to examine social change through a systems perspective and to address issues on multiple levels in research. Her training has prepared her for community organizing, evaluating programs, grant writing, applying multiculturalism and designing prevention/intervention programs. One of the most important aspects of Kate’s graduate training was the opportunity to interact with and learn from her professors who were applying the guiding principles and values of community psychology in their community work. Kate remembers the impact of professors like Bill Berkowitz, Anne Mulvey and Meg Bond. Throughout graduate school, she was encouraged, guided and expected to pursue her primary interest, which was HIV/AIDS among women.
Kate’s strong desire to make a positive difference in her community, coupled with her training and experiences in community psychology, has impacted the lives of many people. She has demonstrated that the ability to wear many hats is certainly an advantage when working in communities. Read Katherine's full interview here.
------
This profile was written by Kyrah Brown, from Wichita State University. It is part of a series of community psychology practitioner profiles. If you have a suggestion for future profiles, please email ComPsychPractice@gmail.com
Katherine graduated from the Community Psychology Masters program at University of Massachusetts Lowell. Find out more about their graduate program here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)