Community psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with person-environment interactions and the ways society impacts upon individual and community functioning. Community psychology focuses on social issues, social institutions, and other settings that influence individuals, groups, and organizations.

Community Psychology is about understanding people within their social worlds and using this understanding to improve people's well-being (Orford, 1992). Researchers systematically examine the ways individuals interact with other individuals, social groups, clubs, churches, schools, families, neighborhoods, and the larger culture and environment. It is an applied discipline where researchers examine various social issues including poverty, substance abuse, school failure, community development, risk and protective factors, empowerment, diversity, prevention, intervention, delinquency, high risk behaviors, aggression, violence, and many other topics.

Community Psychology is also a recognized division of the American Psychological Association and its members are represented by the Society for Community Research & Action (SCRA), division 27. SCRA serves various different disciplines that focus on community research and action. The division was founded on the idea that social systems and environmental influences are important foci for enhancing wellness.

Training in the field can be obtained in a variety of different ways on both the doctoral and master's degree levels. Many universities offer specific training in clinical-community psychology, an integration of the two backgrounds, or just community psychology. The field is becoming more globally recognized and various colleges and universities in Europe, Asia, Canada, Middle East, New Zealand, and Australia offer degrees in community psychology.

Training equips students with skills useful in coping with multifaceted problems facing communities. Students are also educated on how to conduct community research and intervention in a pluralistic society. Students become aware of the contemporary community needs and how both qualitative and quantitative techniques can be employed to address complex social problems. Students successfully find jobs in various applied settings as well as in the academia. For information on job possibilities check out the job board.

If you would like to learn more about this fascinating discipline, I suggest checking out the reading list or joining one of the many discussion lists. The reading list provides references to various periodicals, text books, and an alphabetical listing of various foci including prevention, intervention, diversity, empowerment, history and current issues, and methods.

What's the difference between Community Psychology and Sociology?

Community Psychology and Sociology definitely share common themes particularly around the study of macro systems. While Community Psychology shares Sociology's focus on macro influences on behavior, it goes beyond sociology's focus on description and theory with the application of an explicit value base that suggests change towards more equitable distribution of resources and social justice. Probably the most basic difference between the two fields is that Community Psychology has more of an interventionist orientation than does sociology.

What's the difference between Community Psychology and Social Work?

Social work and community psychology share common roots. In terms of concerns with social justice, multiculturalism, social welfare, etc. both fields share these common values. Community Psychology is much closer to social welfare in social work than clinical social work which is interested primarily on counseling focused on individual and family concerns. Although, Community Psychology focuses on individual and family domains, it also looks at schools, organizations, communities, and systems. In addition, Community Psychology has much more of research orientation than social work. Lastly clinical psychology is more treatment focused than community psychology.

What's the difference between Community Psychology and Public Health?

Both Public Health practitioners and Community Psychologists work in the community and often focus on prevention and intervention. Both fields are considered social and life sciences. The field of public health does a better job at looking at populations, while community psychology is better at looking at the systems involving the population. In the field of public health, there is currently a lack of appreciation of mental health variables. However, recently there has been a movement (and a need) in the field of public health to focus on mental health issues. Public health also utilizes a bureaucratized structure of public health practice -- HIV workers and STD workers with little communication between the two. Finally, public health has extensive roots in the field of medicine and Community Psycholgy has more of a behavioral focus.