Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice Volume 7, Issue 4 December 2016

Just What Community Psychologists Would Do: A Commentary on the Special issues

James H. Dalton

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, USA

Abstract The papers in these two Global Journal special issues focus on the 18 Community Psychology Practice Competencies proposed by the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) in 2012. In this commentary, I articulate some of my enjoyment in reading the articles in these special issues, share some thoughts on the history of the practice competencies, and propose some ideas for conversations that may be useful in their development over time. The SCRA practice competencies have been useful in opening conversations about how to articulate what community psychologists can do in working with community members, and about how to provide educational practices to prepare students for that work. These special issues build on the volume on community psychology practice edited by Scott and Wolfe (2015) and the earlier Global Journal special issue on international competencies (Wolfe, Scott, & Jimenez, 2013). The practice competencies can be useful only if we consider them to be inevitably incomplete descriptions of community psychology practices – practices that are inherently dynamic, contextual, and value- laden. They can be useful only if we continually re-examine and revise them, and adapt them as needed for work in specific contexts. “Just what community psychologists would community settings with students, in do.” That was often my thought as I read the planning and implementing curriculum papers to be published in these special issues changes, in comparing differing conceptions of the Global Journal of Community Psychology of practice competencies, or when Practice. What I mean is that these papers, articulating vigorous disagreement with the despite differences in context, aims, and tone, whole idea of the SCRA competencies, the struck me as exemplifying the distinctive authors wrote from a point of view that strengths, values and practices of our field. typifies community psychology values. Those Not that everyone pursued their work in multiple essences of community psychology identical ways, but that everyone responded are difficult to define succinctly, and perhaps to the contexts of their work in a way that go beyond words, but after you read these seemed to me to embody some essence of our papers, ask yourself if you feel as I do. field. Whether that work occurred in

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I felt this most vividly when I read papers that especially surveys of students and most evocatively presented participatory practitioners, is covered well in articles by work with community members and Gabe Kuperminc et al. and by Susan Wolfe students, often including students’ or and Anne Price, and others, in these special graduates’ voices – especially the papers by issues. I will give a personal account as I Dawn X. Henderson et. al., Victoria Scott, remember it. What is now the SCRA Practice Tabitha Underwood, Regina Day Langhout et Council originated the idea of practice al., Kelly Collins et al., and Huda Bayaa et al. I competencies, the original draft of the also felt it when I read about opportunities competencies, and the related SCRA Value for graduate students to learn practice skills Proposition. It was avowedly not an effort to in community settings, in planful and move toward accreditation of academic supervised ways, and in ways related to the programs or licensure of individuals in foundational values of our field – especially community psychology. That had been firmly the papers by Bernadette Sanchez et al., Gabe denied by the Division of Community Kuperminc et al., Greg Meissen et al., Gregor Psychology (now SCRA) in the 1980’s, and Sarkisian and Sylvie Taylor, Nuria Ciofalo et there has been no change in that position al. and Daniel Clifford et al. The extension of within SCRA. What the practice competencies the competencies approach to community were intended to do was to articulate the psychology research (Victoria Faust et al.) skills and approach of community immersed me again in the research side of psychologists (plural) in working with our identity. The practice competencies also communities, organizations and policy- fit well with the work of three community makers. We hoped and intended that this health coalitions in the paper by Jonathan would have two salutary effects: (a) to build Scaccia et al. The value of multidisciplinary the visibility of our field in society and in the and international perspectives emerged in employment market for graduates of our papers that compared the SCRA competencies programs; and (b) to strengthen the ties to other systems of defining competencies or between graduate education and the practice credentials for practice, in Italy, Canada, of community psychology. We did not claim Australia, Spain, Britain, and Europe that our field has a monopoly on these generally, and in social work and public competencies. As Wolfe and Price point out in health in the U.S. (in papers by Susan Wolfe their article in these special issues, they and Anne Webb Price, Donata Francescato overlap with the professions of social work and Bruna Zani, Isidro Maya Jariego, and and public health, and no doubt other fields. Jacqui Akhurst et al.). And I experienced one They also overlap with the skills of many key essence of our field when reading papers community members and leaders, learned critical of the SCRA competencies or their from lived experience. breadth of application (by Jacqui Akhurst et Although I was not a part of the origination of al.), or that suggested the need for the practice competencies, I became actively amendments, extensions, additions or involved as chair of the SCRA Council for revisions, in papers by Wolfe and Price, Educational Programs, which worked with Kuperminc et al., Francescato and Zani, Faust the Practice Council to draft and re-draft a list et al., and Langhout et al. of competencies and work for adoption of a Historical Notes about Practice final draft by the SCRA Executive Committee. Competencies That put me in the role of wordsmith and editor/keeper of the various revisions as they A note is in order here about the historical were agreed upon throughout the process of development of the SCRA competencies, and consulting with practitioners, students, my limited role in that. The published history,

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Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice Volume 7, Issue 4 December 2016 graduate programs, and finally the Executive competencies in context for students in Committee. One important outcome of this graduate programs. process was the delineation of the Second, these competencies, admittedly Foundational Principles at the beginning of decontextualized as concepts in a list, must be the list. Another important outcome, adapted and used in contextual ways. especially advocated by Jack Tebes in Community psychology practice must be Executive Committee, was developing a contextual and must also recognize how related set of competencies for community communities are dynamic and change over research; I am gratified to see this work time. There will always be bridging to be presented in the article by Victoria Faust et al. done between our field’s foundational values in these special issues. The practice and principles, the skills community competencies document, as approved by the psychologists use in our work, and the SCRA Executive Committee, was then realities of community practice. The list of published as a joint column of the Community SCRA competencies cannot, by themselves, Practitioner and the Education Connection completely bridge that distance. That’s a good columns in The Community Psychologist in thing; that leaves us room to grow, 2012; Susan Wolfe and I edited those two understand, and develop our understandings columns at the time, so we are often cited in of how best to partner and work with diverse references to that publication. Two important community members in diverse contexts, and parts of this history are the Global Journal room to disagree and learn about how to do special issue on international competencies that. Again, I am certain that this assumption edited by Susan Wolfe, Victoria Chien Scott, was there from the beginning, but we needed and Tiffany Jimenez (2013) and the volume to be clearer about that. edited by Victoria Scott and Susan Wolfe (2015), Community Psychology: Foundations Third, as we did emphasize, the definition of for Practice. these competencies for the field as a whole does not mean that every community There are a few things that, in looking back, psychologist must have expertise or even perhaps I and others might have stated more experience in all of them. Moreover, graduate clearly in our wordsmithing. These thoughts programs can choose which competencies suggest possible revisions for the future in they can best help their students develop, in practice competencies conceptions and their own contexts. I am happy to see, in documents. several articles about graduate education in One is that these competencies are designed these special issues, discussions in graduate to be examined, re-examined, adapted as programs about what constitutes the needed to local contexts, and revised in the emphases or “cornerstones” of their future. They comprise an “open-systems” programs, while at the same time making formative document, to be discussed and very useful efforts to help students make revised over time, as Collins et al. assert in empowering choices about their own skill their article in these special issues. (I wish I development, choosing from the entire list of had thought of those terms back when we competencies. were wordsmithing drafts for SCRA.) I am It is gratifying, in several articles, to read certain that this assumption was there from about uses of the practice competencies and the beginning, but we might have stated it value proposition in graduate program more clearly and often. And I am very happy curricula and practice. It is especially that many contributors to these special issues gratifying to see that those efforts involve advocated additional competencies to student voices and community partners. consider, or described methods of adapting

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Before I close these historical notes, I want to am not sure why. Policy work is an area of recognize the importance of Jim Kelly for our long-standing and growing activity within discussions about competencies for practice, SCRA. Not every graduate program or every at least in the U.S. From the early days (Kelly, community psychologist performs this work, 1970, 1971) to recently (Kelly, 2010), Jim has but several leading community psychologists advocated the importance of process, do, and sooner or later just about all of us interpersonal skills, an ecological perspective, engage in some kind of advocacy about policy and what he called the “spirit” of community at some level. It is an important activity with psychology. His manner as well as his its own skills to learn. I hope further writings embody these qualities. For me, discussions of practice competencies involve discussions of community psychology community psychologists writing about practice and the processes of community policy work. work always bring Jim to mind. Foundational Principles Thoughts on the Future of Practice Second, I think we need to more clearly and Competencies firmly separate the Foundational Principles Here I share some of my reflections about from the more skills-focused concepts that future conversations and changes to be form the rest of the list. (Kuperminc et al. consider in the SCRA practice competencies. suggest something similar; I recommend These are tentative suggestions, and I make reading their discussion of this.) The concept them with a sense of my own status and of Foundational Principles emerged during limitations. I have retired from teaching, and I the process of discussion and re-drafting, and was solely a teacher of undergraduates, not I think now that we did not firmly enough engaged in graduate education of future articulate that these are basic value-laden community psychologists for practice. I am principles, not just skills. Perhaps SCRA not currently involved in SCRA committees or should change the title of the list to Practice councils, and my own level of community Principles and Competencies. practice is limited to volunteer work with a Doing this would also require dealing team providing workshops for community somehow with a double meaning embodied agencies. I firmly think the future of the in the Foundational Principle of Sociocultural Practice Competencies concepts and practices and Cross-Cultural Competence. To me, in should be determined by practitioners, by retrospect, there are two concepts here. One students and faculty in educational programs, is something like Valuing Human Diversity, a in consultation with our community partners, value principle with social and emotional and through SCRA (see the Kuperminc et al. aspects, regarding cultural and other and Meissen et al. articles in these special differences within and between communities. issues for some ways to involve community Reflexivity and awareness of one’s own partners). With that said, while reading the privilege, position, and limitations of articles in these special issues, I have formed perspective and experience would fit here, I some thoughts about issues for these think, although perhaps these should be constituencies to consider. Use them as you included under Ethical, Reflective Practice or see fit. as an additional Foundational Principle. The Public Policy other meaning is something like Social- Cultural Competence: interpersonal skills in First, I find it unfortunate that there was little understanding differences, genuine listening attention in these papers to the competency to diverse views, communicating clearly one’s of Public Policy Analysis, Development and own perspectives and limitations, and Advocacy (see Table 1 of this commentary). I working respectfully and effectively with

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Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice Volume 7, Issue 4 December 2016 diverse persons and communities. One can Collins et al. proposed a dialectic of certainly privately value diversity but not competencies vs. context, arguing that while possess strong skills in these areas related to community psychology practice must be working with diverse populations. My contextual, consideration of SCRA’s suggestion is that Valuing Human Diversity, decontextualized list of competencies could or a similar term, be a foundational principle, be helpful. They illustrated this with a as stated in many SCRA documents already. description of a participatory approach to Social-Cultural Competence would then join a teaching and learning about practice later category of skills in the practice competencies in a graduate course, led by competencies list. A related issue involves Chris Keys. I highly recommend reading the how we define diversity: perhaps human Collins et al. article. diversity, perhaps cultural diversity, perhaps Another dialectic may emerge in these some more inclusive term. To me, that term conversations: whether to focus on general vs. should include a recognition of the influence specific conceptions of skills for practice. In of social-structural forces, not just cultural Isidro Maya Jariego’s article in these special ones. issues about competencies in the context of Kuperminc et al. suggest a further distinction, education and practice in Spain, he compared between core and specialized competencies. the SCRA competencies with the generic That might be a more difficult discussion, I concepts relating to quality of psychological imagine, although I am not the best judge. practice promulgated by the European Perhaps each student/practitioner and Federation of Psychological Associations graduate program would choose for (EuroPsy). Clearly they differ in level of themselves, in their own contexts, what are generality and intent. The EuroPsy concepts core vs. specialized competencies for them. are defined across all types of psychological Yet the Kuperminc et al. discussion of this practice (clinical, health, educational, originated with an important experience to organizational), and are designed partly with consider: in advisement with graduate accreditation and licensing in mind. The students, advisors found that the entire list of EuroPsy approach provides little guidance for 18 principles and competencies was students or professionals about the specific overwhelming for students, especially early knowledge, interpersonal skills, and in their graduate education. Prioritizing areas relational processes needed to assess and for the student’s focus in the coming year was understand communities, plan and challenging. Something similar can occur in implement community initiatives, and discussing community psychologists’ skills evaluate their effects. As a generic with community partners, employers, and professional guide, it is limited in articulating colleagues outside our field. Our attempt to value positions that might guide social and offer organizing categories in the current community action. The SCRA guidelines, in Practice Competencies was not sufficient; contrast, were developed to provide at least perhaps these need revisiting. some guidance to students, academic programs, and community psychologists in Dialectics and Conversations choosing what skills to develop in order to Inspired by the article by Kelly Collins et al. in work effectively with community members, these special issues, I began thinking about organizations, and policy-makers. They are conversations about practice competencies in intended to be consistent with the shared dialectical terms – as conversations with two values of community psychologists, and to opposing perspectives, each of value, and help initiate consideration of specific values, with room for synthesis, “both/and” issues, and dilemmas in specific contexts. reasoning, and recognition of paradoxes.

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However, Maya Jariego showed how the Kelly, J.G. (2010). More thoughts: On the spirit EuroPsy approach has sufficient latitude to be of community psychology. American Journal used to describe community psychology of Community Psychology, 45(3-4), 272-284. practice. Akhurst et al. did something similar Scott, V. & Wolfe, S. (Eds.). (2015). Community in comparing generic British standards for psychology: Foundations for practice. professional psychology with the SCRA Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. competencies. Perhaps it is worth discussing whether a revised SCRA competencies list Wolfe, S., Scott, V. C. & Jimenez, T. (Eds.). might focus on more general conceptions of (2013, December). Community psychology competencies (not in Foundational Principles, practice competencies: A global perspective. but in the rest of the list). This also dovetails Global Journal of Community Psychology with the Kuperminc et al. suggestion that we Practice. delineate core and specialized competencies, in addition to foundational principles. An advantage of more generic conceptions: there might be more room for contextual thinking about competencies, and for individual and program choices. A disadvantage: there would be less of an explicit bridge between foundational principles and what happens in community practice. Finally, the critique offered by Akhurst et al. raises two questions that we ought always to keep in mind: Who controls the use of these competencies? Who benefits from them? There are multiple answers to these questions. (One of my answers is that many students already seem to be benefiting from them.) Yet we need to keep reminding ourselves of these questions. I am happy to see that this formative process of questioning and deepening our shared conceptions continues, and the articles in these Special issues contribute to that growth. Practitioners, academics, students, and citizens all can inform future conceptions of these competencies.

References Kelly, J.G. (1970). Antidotes for arrogance: Training for community psychology. American Psychologist, 25, 524-531. Kelly, J.G. (1971). Qualities for the community psychologist. American Psychologist, 26, 897- 903.

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