Contributions of Canadian community psychology.

Abstract

The contributions of Canadian community psychologists to ethics, theory, methodology, research, and practise are highlighted in this article. Important debates about ethical issues in psychological research and practise have been advanced by Canadian community psychologists. Canadian community psychologists have also introduced theoretical perspectives (e.g., cognitive community psychology) that have provided an impetus for research and practise, and they have broadened the focus of research in community settings with contributions to participatory action research, program evaluation, and qualitative methods. A variety of substantive contributions have been made to the research literature, especially in the areas of community mental health, prevention, and social inclusion. Finally, Canadian community psychologists have contributed to practise in terms of policy, programs, and social interventions. The article concludes with a discussion of future potential areas of contribution for Canadian community psychology.

Catalysts and connections: The (brief) history of community psychology throughout the world.

“…The Francophone regions drew intellectually from applied social psychology, but still had an awareness of the development of community psychology in the United States (Davidson, 1981;Walsh, 1988). In 1986, a symposium on Canadian community psychology at the CPA conference focused on ways to promote cooperation between French-and English-speaking community psychologists in Canada (Walsh, 1988), and since then, efforts are still being made to try to connect these two regions of community psychologists (Nelson & Lavoie, 2010).…”

Forging Political Will from a Shared Vision: A Critical Social Justice Agenda Against Neoliberalism and Other Systems of Domination

“…Beyond instigating social reform at the community level and necessary changes at the academic institution level, some noteworthy CP work has been done to directly influence social policy and provincial legislation, explicitly to address certain social justice issues at a greater macrosocial scale (Pomeroy, Trainor, & Pape 2002;Sylvestre et al 2007 (Nelson & Lavoie 2010). Another example of efforts influencing social policy is the research work of community psychologists Marie-Helene Gagne and Claire Malo that was instrumental in the addition of the concept of "psychological violence" to the Quebec legislation on child maltreatment, and in the training of workers in child protection agencies across the province of Quebec (Nelson, Lavoie, & Mitchell 2007).…”

Community psychology: Accomplishments and challenges: Comment on the special section.

“…Those centers are well represented by the authors of papers in this issue. In their paper, Nelson and Lavoie (2010; from Wilfrid Laurier and Laval) give us an excellent overview of contributions made to community psychology by Canadians. Their spectrum ranges from Tefft to Pettifor to Prilleltensky and many others, with a fine-tuned appreciation of a variety of contributions to theory and research.…”