Clinical Psychology

F

or well over 100 years, the helping professions

have sought to alleviate psychological prob-

lems by one form of therapy or another. Some

approaches have emphasized insight; others have

sought to change behavior more directly. Whatever

the differences in approaches, their basic common

focus has been on the individual who has already

developed psychological problems. By and large,

clinical psychology has been a psychology of the

individual.

At the theoretical level, therapists have long

accepted the idea that all behavior (pathological or

otherwise) is a joint product of situational and per-

sonal factors. Yet in their day-to-day therapeutic

efforts, the emphasis of clinicians was generally on

one-to-one therapy of some sort. The troubled indi-

vidual engaged the help of an expert, and by this act,

he or she submitted to the role of patient. The clini-

cian treated; the patient responded. However, given

the rate of mental health problems in the world

today, some have questioned whether this general

approach is a reasonable one. For them, a relatively

newer approach,community psychology, shows great

promise for addressing mental health problems.

PERSPECTIVES AND HISTORY

Let us begin by trying to identify exactly what

community psychology is. Then we can move

to the events that gave rise to the movement.

Table 16-1 presents a set of principles that charac-

terize community psychology, including assump-

tions regarding the causes of problems, the variety

of levels of analysis that can be used to define a

problem, where community psychology is practiced,

how services are planned, the emphasis on preven-

tion, and the willingness to“give psychology away”

by consulting with self-help programs and nonpsy-

chologists. We discuss each of these basic principles

at various points throughout this chapter.

The Community Psychology

Perspective

Community psychology has been described as an

approach to mental health that emphasizes the role

of environmental forces in creating and alleviating

T A B L E 16-1 Principles of Community Psychology

What“causes”problems?
Problems develop due to an interaction over time between the individual, social setting, and systems (e.g., organiza-
tions); these exert a mutual influence on each other.

How are problems defined?
Problems can be defined at many levels, but particular emphasis is placed on analysis at the level of the organization
and the community or neighborhood.

Where is community psychology practiced?
Community psychology is typically not practiced in clinics, but rather out in the field or in the social context of
interest.

How are services planned?
Rather than providing services only for those who seek help, community psychologists proactively assess the needs and
risks in a community.

What is the emphasis in community psychology interventions?
An emphasis is placed on prevention of problems rather than treatment of existing problems.

Who is qualified to intervene?
Attempts are made to share psychology with others via consultation; actual interventions are often carried out
through self-help programs or through trained nonpsychologists/nonprofessionals.

SOURCE: Adapted from Orford (1992), p. 4.

460 CHAPTER 16