centers has dwindled considerably, and few doctoral
programs dedicated specifically to the training of
the community-based perspective remain. Recent
legislation designed to promote a community-
based approach to mental health care may change
the prospects for this important field.KEY TERMSclient-centered case consultationAtypeof
mental health consultation that focuses on helping
to solve a current problem with a specific client.
community mental healthA movement arising
in the 1950s that viewed mental health problems as
emerging from failures in the social system. This
movement called for community control of mental
health services and strong focuses on prevention,
early detection, and the provision of services to
populations who had traditionally been underserved.
community psychologyApsychological
approach that emphasizes the role of environ-
mental forces in creating and alleviating problems.
Community psychology is preventive rather than
remedial in orientation. Furthermore, it attends to
the fit between the person and the environment
(rather than the inadequacies of either) and focuses
on identifying and developing the strengths and
resources of people and communities.
consultationThe act by which a person who
provides services to others (or oversees the
provision of services) enlists the help of an expert
for the purpose of improving these services.
consultee-centered administrative consulta-
tionA type of mental health consultation that
focuses on helping an administrator enhance his or
her skills so that he or she will be able to function
more effectively in the future.
consultee-centered case consultationAtype
of mental health consultation that focuses on
helping the consultee enhance the skills he or she
will need to deal effectively with future cases.
diversityDimensions along which individuals
differ. It is important to be aware of these
differences to better understand and to better serve
individuals.
ecological analysisThe examination of issues
and problems at different levels of the human
ecosystem, ranging from the individual to macro-
systems (e.g., cultures or societies).
empowermentProviding individuals with the
sense that they are in control of their own destinies
or enhancing existing feelings of control.
head start programsPrimary prevention,
early childhood programs designed to prepare
preschool children from disadvantaged back-
grounds for elementary school by focusing on
their basic learning skills, among other things.
indicated preventive interventionsPreventive
interventions that target people at high risk for
developing the disorder (as determined by the
presence of subthreshold symptoms or biological
markers indicating a predisposition for developing
the disorder).
paraprofessionalsPersonswithnoformal
clinical training who have been trained to assist
professional mental health workers. The use of
paraprofessionals has been growing in community
psychology and in the mental health field as
a whole, and the results of meta-analyses
suggestthatparaprofessionalsmaybeaseffective
(or in some cases even more effective) than
professionals.
preventionTheprinciplethat,inthelong
run, preventive activities will be more efficient
and effective than individual treatment admin-
istered after the onset of disease or problems.
primary preventionCorrecting negative condi-
tions before significant problems emerge as a
consequence of these conditions. The application
of this prevention model often necessitates a
degree of social change.COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 483