Community Service Learning

• Definition of Community Service Learning (CSL) is experiential education, combining community engagement with structured learning.

Distinction Between CSL and Social Work Field Education:

• CSL is less structured, supervised, and standardized compared to social work field education.
• Social work field placements have accreditation standards that CSL lacks.

Key Concepts of CSL:

• Reflection & Reciprocity involves structured self-reflection and mutual benefit between students and communities.
• Civic & Social Responsibility promotes social justice awareness and engagement.

Criticism of CSL:

• There is a potential to reinforce neo-liberal values by shifting responsibility for social services from the government to unpaid volunteers.
• A lack of ideological grounding can lead to reinforcing dominant societal norms rather than challenging inequality.

Integration with Social Work:

• Social work educators should help shape CSL programs to align with social justice goals.

Lundy (2007) - Service Learning and Psychology: Higher Test Scores and Increased Empathy

• The purpose of study examined whether service-learning projects in a psychology course improved academic performance and empathy.
• Study: Students involved in service-learning scored higher than those who completed a research paper or interview project.
• Only service-learning students showed significant growth in empathy, as measured using the Emotional Empathic Tendency Scale.
• Integrating hands-on experience with structured reflection enhances learning retention and empathy.
• Social responsibility involves students developing a greater understanding of others' emotions and perspectives.
• Criticism of service learning research includes methodological issues such as grading inconsistencies across different projects.

Race and Health - How Racism and Microaggressions Affect Health

• Ongoing discrimination leads to chronic stress, contributing to heart disease, depression, and other health issues.
• Microaggressions are subtle, everyday instances of discrimination that cause mental and physical harm.

Health Disparities:

• Trust Issues: Minorities report lower trust in doctors because of past discrimination.
• Reduced preventative care access occurs because discrimination leads to lower cancer screenings and adherence to medication.
• Coping mechanisms involve some people turning to substance use or unhealthy eating habits as a response to racism-related stress.

Solutions:

• Anti-racism training in healthcare.
• Community support programs to address discrimination.

Checklist of Developmental Assets for Youth

• A checklist of developmental assets for youth by Search Institute (2002)

External Assets (Support from others):

• Family support, positive role models, and safe environments.
• Internal Assets include integrity, responsibility, empathy, and positive identity.
• Commitment to learning involves engagement in school, homework, and learning for personal growth.
• Social values comprises community involvement, standing up for beliefs, and valuing diversity.

Definition of White Privilege:

• Unearned advantages that white individuals receive systemically in society.
• Privilege is often invisible to those who benefit from it.

Examples of White Privilege:

• Freedom from racial profiling in housing, employment, and law enforcement.
• Representation in media and curriculum.
• Easier access to resources and social mobility.

Key Takeaways:

• White individuals must acknowledge privilege to address systemic racism.
• Structural inequalities (not just individual prejudice) maintain racial disparities.

Nowell & Boyd (2010) - Psychological Sense of Community (PSOC) Theory

• Definition is feeling connected to a community and believing it meets one's psychological needs.

Traditional Model of PSOC (McMillan & Chavis, 1986):

• Membership comprises a sense of belonging
• Influence involves feeling like one matters in the community.
• Integration & Needs Fulfillment is when community meets personal needs.
• Shared emotional connection includes common experiences and bonds.

Alternative Model of PSOC:

• Sense of Community as Responsibility focuses on giving back to the community, not just receiving benefits.
• Applications include mental health benefits by reducing loneliness and increasing life satisfaction.
• • Other applications include civic engagement by motivating people to participate in local organizations and potential policy implications for strengthening community ties.

Chapter 1 Definitions

• Community Psychology applies an ecological model to examine how social settings, systems, and institutions affect individuals, groups, and organizations (Bond et al., 2017).
• It focuses on well-being at both community and individual levels through alternative interventions in collaboration with affected members (Kloos et al., 2011).
• Social justice is a guiding value, emphasizing equitable opportunities and well-being for all (Nelson & Prilleltensky, 2010).
• Definitions evolve based on the zeitgeist (spirit of the times) and ortgeist (spirit of place) (Rudkin, 2003; Kagan et al., 2011).

Mental Health and Social Movements

• Dorothea Dix (1800s) advocated humane treatment of the mentally ill, highlighting overcrowded and inhumane conditions in asylums.

• Jane Addams & Hull House (1890s) was a model for community-based social services focusing on education, child welfare, and advocacy.

• Sigmund Freud (late 1800s-early 1900s) reinforced an individual-level approach to mental illness by focusing on individual psychotherapy (psychoanalysis).

• National Mental Health Act (1946) addressed mental illness among returning WWII veterans, leading to increased federal funding for research and treatment.

• Deinstitutionalization (1950s-1960s) shifted from institutional care to community-based care due to psychotropic medication developments and cost concerns.

• Eysenck (1952) criticized psychotherapy's effectiveness, arguing that time alone improved mental health outcomes.

• Crisis intervention (Lindemann, 1950s) recognized the importance of early psychological and social support in preventing long-term issues.

• Action Research (Lewin, 1946) influenced community psychology's practical focus by applying social psychology to group dynamics and leadership.

• Social movements & policy changes such as New Deal (1930s): FDR's programs established government responsibility for social well-being

• Women in WWII (1940s) expanded women's roles in the workforce, challenging traditional gender norms.

• Brown v Board of Education (1954) ruled racial segregation in schools unconstitutional wherein research by Kenneth & Mamie Clark influenced the decision.

• Civil Rights Movement (1950s-1960s) focused on racial equality and voting rights, influencing psychology's role in social advocacy.

• Community Mental Health Centers Act (1963) proposed by JFK, aimed at local mental health support, prevention, and crisis intervention.

• War on Poverty (1964) LBJ's Great Society programs created Head Start, Medicare, Medicaid, and other social safety nets.

• Birth of Community Psychology: Swampscott Conference (1965) was organized by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

• It shifted psychology's focus from individual treatment to prevention and social change (Bennett et al., 1966) while advocating for ecological and systems perspectives in mental health interventions.

Ecological Perspective & Key Theories

• Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1977)
• Microsystem: Immediate environment which consists of family, school.
• Mesosystem: Interactions between microsystems such as family-school communication.
• Exosystem: External settings that indirectly affect the individual such as parent's workplace.
• Macrosystem: Cultural, political, and social values influencing lower levels.
• Chronosystem: Historical and personal life events affecting development.

Kelly's Ecological Principles (2003)

• Interdependence occurs when a change in one element affects others.
• Cycling of resources means the allocation of time, energy, and social resources influences outcomes.
• Adaptation means individuals and settings adjust to challenges.
• Succession means communities change over time; therefore, understanding history is crucial.

Person-Environment Fit (Pargament, 1986)

• Optimal adaptation occurs when individuals' characteristics align with environmental demands.
• Mismatch can lead to stress and maladjustment (Moos, 1973).

Types of Social Interventions

• Levels of Change (Watzlawick et al., 1974)
• First-Order Change modifies individuals to adapt to existing systems.
• Second-Order Change alters the system to better fit individuals.
• Third-order change transforms underlying cultural assumptions and structures.

Prevention & Promotion Models

• Primary Prevention prevents problems before they start such as early childhood programs.
• Secondary Prevention identifies and supports at-risk individuals before full problems develop.\
• Tertiary Prevention reduces harm for those already affected such as rehabilitation efforts.
• Universal Prevention (IOM Model) targets the general public
• Selective Prevention aims at high-risk groups.
• Indicated Prevention supports those showing early symptoms.

Core Concepts in Community Psychology

• Social Justice & Equity focuses on eliminating systemic inequalities that impact well-being (Vera & Speight, 2003).
• Procedural Justice consists of fair processes in decision-making.
• Distributive Justice consists of equitable resource allocation.

Empowerment (Rappaport, 1984; Zimmerman, 2000):

• Value: Individuals and communities have inherent strengths.

• Process: Building capacity for self-efficacy and control.

• Outcome: Increased sense of agency and social power.

• Collective-Efficacy (Bandura, 2000): Group belief in its power to bring change.

• Strengths-Based Approaches

• Jahoda (1958): Mental health is not just the absence of illness but the presence of strengths.

• Resilience (Masten, 2001): Individuals succeed despite adversity due to protective factors such as supportive relationships.

• Diversity & Cultural Competence

• ADDRESSING Framework (Hays, 2008) highlights multiple diversity factors of Age, Disability, Religion, Ethnicity, SES, and Sexuality.

• O'Donnell (2006) emphasizes cultural context in community interventions.

Social Change & Action Research

• Principles for effective social change, Engage diverse perspectives, Think systemically, Create conditions for change, Ensure effective implementation, Be adaptable, and Address social justice issues.
• Action Research (Lewin, 1946) is a Collaborative, iterative process of problem-solving with community members.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Community psychology integrates multiple disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, and public health for holistic solutions (Kelly, 2010).
• Challenges of Interdisciplinary Work requires clear leadership, structured collaboration, and mutual respect (Stokols, 2006).

Scientific Method in Psychology (Chapter 2)

• The scientific method is a systematic process used by researchers to develop and test hypotheses and follows a structured approach for Observation, Question Formation, Hypothesis development, Experimentation.
• Data Collection and Analysis of results are gathered, organized, and statistically analyzed to produce a conclusion of the hypothesis to be either supported or refuted based on the data and replication by peer reviews is conducted by other researchers to repeat the study to verify results.

Research Designs:

• Scientific research in psychology relies on different research designs, each with specific uses and limitations.

• Correlational Research examines the relationship between two or more variables without manipulating them and identify patterns, trends, and possible connections between variables.

• Key Features include statistical methods like Pearson correlation coefficient to measure the strength and direction of relationships.

• A correlation can be positive (both variables increase or decrease together), negative (one increases while the other decreases), or zero correlation (no relationship).

• Limitations in cannot establish causation, and confounding variables may be influencing the relationship.

• Experimental Research involves manipulating an independent variable (IV) to observe its effect on a dependent variable (DV).

• Key features include random assignment to experimental or control groups, IV the factor being manipulated, DV the outcome being measured, Control Group doesn't’ receive the experimental treatment, and Experimental Group receives the treatment.

• Has high internal validity due to controlled conditions hence allowing researchers to infer causation/ Limitations:

• May lack external validity or have ethical or practical limitations

• Quasi-Experimental Research approximates experimental conditions but lacks full control over independent variable manipulation or random assignment.

• Purpose in studying real-world settings where random assignment is impractical however is limited by weaker control over confounding variables and that the results are harder to generalize.

Alternative Research Methods in Communtiy Psychology

• Qualitative Research: Definition is non-numeric research that explores subjective experiences, meanings, and social processes for the, purpose for understanding people's lived experiences and perspectives in depth.
• Includes open-ended discussions with individuals to explore personal experiences, Focus Groups for group discussions that provide diverse perspectives on a topic and Ethnography where researchers immerse themselves in a community to observe behaviors and interactions.
• Provides deep, nuanced insights but suffers with subjectivity in data interpretation and difficult to generalize findings.
• Mixed Methods Research: Combines quantitative or qualitative approaches to gain a more comprehensive understanding to validate findings through multiple types of data collection.
• Combines strengths of both methods, Allows for deeper contextual understanding, Time-consuming and complex.

Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR):

• A collaborative research approach where community members are active participants rather than passive subjects.
• Process to Empower communities to identify and solve their own problems.
• Identify/Collaborate/Implement/Analyze
• Has challenges such as power dynamics or differing priorities.

Epidemiological Research:

• Studies the occurrence and distribution of health-related conditions in populations
• To identify risk factors and inform public health interventions, socio-economic groups and is measured by prevalence and incidence. Challenges include large, representative samples and controlling confounding variables.

Network Analysis:

• Examines relationships and social structures within communities for the purpose of understanding how social connections influence behaviors and outcomes.
• Helps identify influential individuals or groups and is used to design targeted interventions however requires sophisticated data analysis techniques.

Needs Assessment and Program Evaluation

• Systematic approaches to assess community needs and evaluate programs to determine the effectiveness and impact of interventions.
• Types of Evaluations, Process or Outcome.
• Helps ensure programs meet their intended goals and helps secure funding and improve services and is influenced by political and funding pressures.

Comparing Traditional vs. Community Psychology Research

• Aspects between the two which comprises of, Approach, Focus, Data Type, Goal, & Limitations.

The Stress Model (Chapter 3)

• Stress has been central to community psychology since its inception.
• In 1977 Barbara Dohrenwend’s stress model, linked stressful events to psychopathology while highlighted the role of mediators such as coping skills, social support, and situational characteristics.
• In 1982 Geoge Albee expanded on this, emphasizing that reducing stress and increasing coping resources prevent mental disorders.
• Acute vs. Chronic Stress includes discrete events or long-tern respectively

Racism as a Chronic Stressor:

• Microaggressions are daily, subtle, discriminatory remarks or actions that contribute to mental health issues, studies show.
• Studies link racism to heightened stress responses, mental health disorders, and poor physical health (Mays et al., 2007).

Coping Strategies:

• Coping is a key mediator in stress responses, emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping.
• Includes active or avoidant coping.
• Coping variations can influence emotional and social dynamics

Social Support as a Protective Factor

• Factors include emotional, informational, or instrumental support.
• Social support is an important buffer for mental health.
• Some studies show that optimism, coping skills, and support systems mediate the effects of stress (Brissette et al., 2002).

Resilience: Thriving Despite Adversity

• In 1987 Rutter defined resilience as a process influenced by multiple factors, researchers found at risk populations but some how thrived even when the odds where stacked against them
• Factors for protection include, Positive, Family, Skills, Institutions &Growth.
• Current research suggest there is an alteration and that exposure can cause reactions.

Role of Social Change (Chapter 4)

• It can be planned or unplanned revolution and influence both individual and structural changes to social environment.
• Community psychology aims to understand people in their contexts and advocate for changes that empower communities.
• Historical Examples of Social Change, Segregation caused by, Plessy v Ferguson, social change, shown through Brown v Board of Education, Psychologists influence.
• Community psychologists that emphasize the importance of humane and effective communities to improve quality of life.
• Causes include: Populations, Justice & the role of community and individuals.

There are 1st-3rd orders of social change through the following elements:

• Population, Justice, Resources, Technology, Communication, Dissatisfaction, Planned vs Unplanned, Barriers & Strategies.
• Multilevel Interventions and Action research.

Community Intervention Strategies (Introduction - Chapter 5)

• MLK/RBG Quotes, Change has to start some where to work. Community members change by doing
• Community Psychologist, help people to identify their problem to empower change in their society.

Creating Planned Change:

• Sarason emphasize setting a positive change.
• Cook and Shadish found that some issues are more effective than others.
• Incremental > Programme > Radical

Citizen Participation:

• Organized activity, to achieve a common goal, for instance grass Root activities
• Research has shown, when people have Power, in combination to an event, people are more incline to assist.
• Advantage or Disadvantages can be both, the question would be the trade off .

Networking & Collaboration:

• Defined: Connecting Individuals with organizations to exchange information & fund each others
• Concept of Networking and advantage and disadvantage

Social Capital:

• Bonding/Bridging communities and the role to help one groups within.

Consultation-

• Defined: Hiring Expert of change; is it an advantage/disadvantage. The cost is more for community is involved.
• Sharing best practices

Communication-

Defined: Community shared to help provide tools, support or prevent situations that prevent one growth. This happens at every level of one self from personal, profession or environmental changes. At a cost

• Models
• Principles
• Public knowledge

Community psychology focuses on building on the best to keep evolving

• Public Policy & Social Change, is defined as using governmental laws, to improve communities.

How do we push for change? "Using Science"

1. Advocacy
2. Political pressure
3. Legislation & Policies

Public Work? What stops the change?

1. Takes a long Time
2. political
3. Needs change
4. Communication.

Is it your job? How can you adapt?

1. Advocacy?
2. Capacity
3. Communicate

Chapter 6 for Mental Health:

• In mental health is either rule/ or common

Mental Health Cases can relate to "Min" due to a lack of understanding

   .

• 1.5 million people in America have a mental health.

Diagnostic tools include the following:

1. DSM - V codes (Diagnostic and statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)
2. ICD's (International Code of Diagnosis)

Psycho Analytical model

Freuds - Believed every mental health case can be treated with open discussion Adler - Believed feeling connected to the outside is one of the best remedies. Psychological vs. Medical Model.

Behavioral: (Shaped)

• B. F Skinner: Behavior is shaped by rewards.
• Learned helplessness: Seligmann
• Criticisms: Not Systematic, but not always from the bottom of the root.

History of Mental Health (World)

• Chinese : Energy
• Greek: Body & Mind
• Middle Age: Evil

19th -20th centuries

• Mental health & change -Freud: Psych - Medical field . De institutions
• Community support services
• Incarceration
• "lodge society"
• Care management
• -WRAP Around

How do we promote "prevention"

• Education
• Early Childhood Program
• Managed care
• More mental health services