Why Clinical Psychology Needs to Engage in Community‐Based Approaches to Mental Health

Abstract

The aim of this article is to advocate for clinical psychology to engage with community‐based approaches to mental health. This engagement will be challenging given community work is antithetical to the individualism that defines much of clinical psychology. It would also result in a direct challenge to the core tenets of our profession, including an emphasis on individualism, psychopathology, and expert‐driven intervention. We need clinical psychology, however, to decolonise itself to respond to the needs of Aboriginal communities and those from non‐Western collectivist cultures. We also need clinical psychology to consider the sociopolitics of human distress and lend itself to social action for complex problems. Specific examples of community‐based practices will be provided, focusing specifically on those that relate to mental health. Implication for the reform of research methodologies and classroom pedagogies will also be discussed.

Key words:

• community psychology
• critical psychology
• cultural responsiveness

Acknowledgements

This article is the result of a sabbatical spent in Chicago learning about community‐based approaches to mental health. We would like to acknowledge academic colleagues who welcomed me into their classrooms and lives. Each made direct contributions to this article: Professor Susan McMahon, DePaul University (Chicago), Associate Professor Michael Kral, Wayne State University (Detroit), Assistant Professor Brad Olsen, National Louis University (Chicago), Assistant Professor Tiffany Jiminez, National Louis University (Chicago). We would also like to thank many of the inspirational PhD. Students we met, each coming from their communities to learn, be transformed and give back.