Professional practice out of the urban context: Defining Canadian rural psychology.

Abstract

There is an often unacknowledged difference between urban and rural practice in psychology which lacks clarity, in part, because of the lack of a common definition of rurality. Rural psychology in Canada presents complex and nuanced aspects of professional practice. The professional and social milieus of rural communities position the practising psychologist within a context that may differ vastly from urban settings. The rural context highlights the need to define this specific practice setting. This paper proposes a tentative definition of rural Canadian professional practice in psychology. This is meant to elucidate the distinct practice, training, and ethical considerations that may be the realities of the psychologists who are in professional practice in rural Canada. Rural professional practice is unique and Canadian training programs are urban-based. Training of future psychologists needs to acknowledge the unique features of rural practice to meet our obligations to students specifically and to rural Canadians generally. This is enhanced with a shared definition of rural professional practice in psychology.

Rural psychology and the COVID-19 pandemic: Highlighting strengths and future directions.

“…Generalist work typically involves provision of assessment and treatment services across the age-span for a wide range of clinical difficulties in diverse populations within areas of competency and without relative resources that urban based practitioners may have readily available. Rural and remote psychologists often respond to a wide variety of clinical presentations (Malone, 2011) while navigating ethical responsibilities (e.g., frequent overlapping relationships, confidentiality and privacy concerns, community pressure, generalist practice within areas of competency, and professional development concerns (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA], 2017; Malone & Dyck, 2011; Simpson & McDonald, 2017). Generalist practice, by nature, requires flexibility.…”

Support to Rural, Remote, and Northern Counsellors: The Unique Features Inherent to Video-Conferencing Technology

“…The literature suggests that those working as counsellors in Northern, rural, and remote communities are working in some of the most extreme and complex clinical environments (Malone, 2010(Malone, , 2011(Malone, , 2012Malone & Dyck, 2011;O'Neill et al, 2016). By their nature these communities are geographically remote and difficult to access which likely contributes to the felt sense of isolation (O'Neill, 2010) experienced in these professional contexts.…”

Educational Psychology in rural contexts: are we ready? Notes on the Chilean case

“…Lo que se observa actualmente es unadiversificación de la estructura productiva, una integración más funcional entre lo rural y lo urbano; y de manera creciente, un incremento en la demanda por las amenidades que ofrece el espacio rural, tanto para recreación como para residencia (Borsdorf& Hidalgo, 2009;Hargrove, 2007). Se evidencia, además, la transformación en los estilos de vida y valores tradicionalmente asociados con lo rural, principalmente por el desarrollo de las comunicaciones que acercan "lo moderno" al mundo rural (Echeverri & Ribero, 2002;Malone, 2011;Pérez, 2001). En el caso de Chile, el país es más rural de lo que se piensa (Castro, 2012).…”

“…Los psicólogos que trabajan en sectores rurales por tanto, deben reconocer las características únicas de la práctica en el contexto rural (Landini, 2012;Malone, 2011); sin embargo, para ello cuentan con escasa formación e información, a lo que se suma el ejercicio profesional en un contexto diverso y difícil de definir de forma única (Ascorra, 2012;Canales, 2005;San Miguel, 2005).…”