Drawing upon the wisdom of experts in the field, this reader-friendly volume explores both foundational competencies and the technical how-to skills needed for engaging in community psychology practice. Each chapter explores a core competency and its application in preventing or amending community problems and issues. With case examples throughout, this text offers a practical introduction to community outreach and intervention in community psychology.

Community Psychology Theory and Practice Jim Orford, University of Exeter, UK Community psychology is a comparatively new area within psychology. Its perspective is that people and their problems can only be understood by considering the social settings and systems of which they are part and with which they interact continuously over time. These include not only micro-systems of family, work and leisure groups, but also higher-order systems from neighbourhood to socio-cultural groups. Community psychology is also about using this understanding to improve people's well-being. It is an applied, practical subject as well as a theoretical one. Community Psychology: Theory and Practice breaks new ground. It is the first such book written by a British psychologist and, unlike previous texts on the subject, it combines material from Britain, the United States and elsewhere. It deals at length with topics such as power and powerlessness, qualitative and case-study research methods, and offers background theory--so important to a new subject--together with reports of research on many practical aspects in community psychology. The book will prove essential reading for practitioners and researchers either oriented towards community psychology or thinking of moving in that direction--this includes psychologists working in any one of a wide range of areas (clinical, educational, forensic, organisational, applied social, etc.); health care workers with an interest in public mental health and prevention; those working in community settings and serving groups such as the mentally ill and psychologically distressed; people with learning difficulties; older people; and people with addiction problems. It will also be a valuable addition to the literature for final year psychology undergraduates and their teachers. From a published review- '. Orford's book is written in a measured, cautious and scholarly style, does not exaggerate what community psychology has actually achieved so far, yet inspires with its vision of what community psychology could become. I used it as a core text for teaching a final year option on community psychology. The undergraduate group was wildly enthusiastic about the book. Indeed, the only complaint, raised equally energetically by the students, was that they had not been given access to such exciting material until the final year. The book is essential reading.' The Psychologist 1993

In this book the authors present additional personal and community narratives and extended examples to enliven their writing. They have also expanded their coverage of social policy research and advocacy, interdisciplinary perspectives on communities (e.g. the concept of social capital), and interventions to enhance neighborhood and community life. They portray community psychology as now more international, more attentive to human diversity, and more attuned to the nuances of social and cultural contexts than ever before. They provide narratives illustrating how ordinary citizens working together have transformed their communities and engaged in social change.

Community Psychology in Practice: An Oral History Through the Stories of Five Community Psychologists is a unique examination of how community psychology evolved through the years. Five highly respected community psychologists recount their personal histories telling how they went from academia to careers disseminating principles of community psychology. Newer members to the field of psychology can trace how these leaders came to pursue careers in community psychology. As these respected experts tell their own stories in accessible narrative form, the reader gains a clear understanding of how applied community psychology intertwines with history, context, social movements, and individual personalities is revealed. Each career story in Community Psychology in Practice: An Oral History Through the Stories of Five Community Psychologists illustrates how societal events such as wars, economic depressions, the civil rights movement, and discrimination shaped personal philosophies and ultimately lead to their decision to become applied community psychologists and practitioners. Each contributor was asked to discuss their stories from four experiential dimensions: personal, contextual, intellectual, and ideological. The various viewpoints reveal how each one’s ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and academic background affected how they experienced the history of community psychology. Three eminent scholars from the fields of community psychology, history, and business psychology discuss the narratives to provide further insight. The narrative studies in Community Psychology in Practice: An Oral History Through the Stories of Five Community Psychologists include: Anne Mulvey John Morgan Irma Serrano-Garcia Tom Wolff Carolyn Swift. Community Psychology in Practice: An Oral History Through the Stories of Five Community Psychologists is an encouraging, stimulating look at community psychology that is valuable to community psychologists, historians of psychology, researchers, industrial organization (IO) psychologists, educators, and students.

Drawing upon the wisdom of experts in the field, this reader-friendly volume of Community Psychology edited by Victoria Scott and Susan Wolfe explores both foundational competencies and the technical how-to skills needed for engaging in community psychology practice. Each chapter explores a core competency and its application in preventing or amending community problems and issues. With case examples throughout, this book offers a practical introduction to community outreach and intervention in community psychology.

"Community psychology is a comparatively new area within psychology. Its perspective is that people and their problems can only be understood by considering the social settings and systems of which they are part and with which they interact continuously over time. These include not only micro-systems of family, work and leisure groups, but also higher-order systems from neighbourhood to socio-cultural groups. Community psychology is also about using this understanding to improve people's well-being. It is an applied, practical subject as well as a theoretical one.. [this work] deals at length with topics such as power and powerlessness, qualitative and case-study research methods, and offers background theory ... together with reports of research on many practical aspects in community psychology"--Back cover

This visionary textbook is the third edition of a trusted and highly respected introduction to community psychology. The editors have focused on three contemporary social issues in order to illustrate key concepts throughout the book: climate change, affordable housing and homelessness, and immigration. Featuring a wide range of critical perspectives from international scholars and practitioners, Community Psychology encourages students to consider theories and methodologies in light of how they might be applied to different cultures and settings. It develops students' ability to think critically about the role of psychology in society, and about how the work of community psychologists can aid in the liberation of oppressed groups, promoting social justice and flourishing both for people and for our planet. This book is essential reading for students taking both undergraduate and graduate courses in community psychology and its related fields. New to this Edition: - New chapters on power and racism - Coverage of the latest research in the field, with numerous new concepts, theories, and references - An approach which takes three critical issues as illustrative examples throughout the book: immigration, affordable housing and homelessness, and climate change. Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/community-psychology-3e. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.