>Dear all,
While I do agree with what David says here about clinical psychology, I also
need to say that my suggestion that we think about timing the next conference
to fit with
potential trainees was not meant to be about appropriating it in any way
(though perhaps it comes across like that) -simply part of an effort to make
it accessible - and there will be plenty of other things to take into account
too naturally.=
Is there an implication here though that if a clinical psychologist is part of
the group offering to do all the hard work organising the conference that it
will default to clinical psychology values and assumptions? - If clinical
psychology is dominating the agenda too much what should we do - maybe we are
speaking out too much and need to keep quieter? As someone who is currently
being punished rather hard within my institution for not colluding with the
prevailing clinical ethos, and for acting on what I feel to be community
psychology values and assumptions, I would feel sad if our community
psychology network turned into yet another them and us sort of place which for
me it so much hasn't felt so far. I've been so grateful for what has felt
pretty much to be a safe space - it is really important for me that we can do
disagreement here but in a way that is kind and not scary to speak out in. And
David, I very much like and respect you - but you can be a bit scary in the
way you put things! But I guess I can take a fair bit of scariness from
colleagues and friends who I feel are basically with me...
Annie
PS re critisising clinical psychology - taking a look at the awful uncritical
Layard stuff and orchestrating a community psychology rejoinder/ alternative,
to try and challenge the clinical psychology/CBT takeover would be good? Does
anyone have any thoughts about how we might do that?
==== Original Message From The UK Community Psychology Discussion List
<[log in to unmask]> =====
>Dear All,
>
>
>
>In case we are in danger of too soon closing down discussion in an
insufficiently problematised and affirmatory consensus, here are some
provocations:
>
>
>
>Where?
>
>Like everyone on the list, I am grateful for those in Yarmouth for offering
to host the next conference. However keys point about the site of the
conference are, in my view, accessibility and cost. When we organized the UK
CP conference in Stirling attendance was very poor and the travel time and c
>ost implications seemed one discouraging factor. Would the position and
transport links of Yarmouth be an issue? I don't think so but don't know.
Another key issue relates to whether the choice of site determines whether the
conference will default to clinical psychological assumptions and values (s
>ee below)
>
>
>
>When?
>
>The Stirling semester usually starts about 10th September each year and
attendance around that time would be difficult for group members here. Also
when I was organising the Stirling meeting, feedback to me was that holding
the conference over a Friday evening / Saturday would exclude Jewish colleag
>ues
>
>
>
>Who for?
>
>I suggest it is a mistake to identify community psychology with a
socially-liberalized version of clinical psychology. As a critical community
psychologist I regard clinical psychology as fundamentally problematic with
its almost universal tendency to individualize, pathologise and collude
ideologic
>ally with oppressive status quos. I accept that there is currently an
encouraging development of critical clinical psychology and strongly recommend
any clinical psychologist to read the work of David Smail, Craig Newnes and
others (Craig's new book is especially interesting in my view). However, wh
>ilst it is vital for clinical psychology to get its house in order, clinical
psychologists seem to me to have lots of conference and meeting opportunities
to critically debate the problematic nature of clinical psychology. I suggest
it would be a wasted opportunity to devote the only major opportuni
>ty in the UK to get together to debate community psychology by spending it
talking about clinical psychology year after year. Even more of a waste of
scarce time to spending the time introducing clinical psychology trainees to
community psychology . . rather than lobbying to ensure trainees have opp
>ortunities to engage with community and critical psychology critiques of
clinical psychology in the training courses!
>
>
>
>What?
>
>For me, Saima, your message raised an important issue but then muddied it. To
me racism is an appalling form of oppression and psychology, including
clinical and community psychology, are problematically ethnocentric. Tackling
racism and ethnocentrism should definitely be a priority for community ps
>ychology but I doubt that that these can be best tackled via the lens of
clinical psychology. Community psychologists in New Zealand and Australia and
critical social-community psychologists in South Africa and South America have
made important strides in exposing and tackling 'white privilege' and
>racist oppression and here in the UK original work thinking about 'White
terror' is being done by critical social representations psychologists e.g. at
the LSE. I fear, and I think this was part of Craig's point, that clinical
psychological is a deeply flawed perspective for getting to grips with so
>cially manufactured and maintained oppression?
>
>
>How?
>The process issue is vital . . . surely how we conduct our community
psychology conferences should be consistent with our community psychology
values and assumptions . . . not just like any other conference with community
psycholgy content dropped in to the 'slots'?
>
>. . . .
>
>David
>
>________________________________
>
>From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List on behalf of Diamond Bob
>Sent: Tue 29/11/2005 18:11
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] On the subject of conferences...
>
>
>
>Hi Wendy
>I think your suggestions for the conference are really helpful and will
>help us to engage with one another on a number of topics. I don't really
>mind when it is other than August.
>Bob Diamond
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Franks, Wendy -
>Clinical Psychologist
>Sent: 28 November 2005 16:50
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] On the subject of conferences...
>
>Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. I haven't heard any
>objections,
>either via the list or privately, about us organising the next
>conference
>over here in Yarmouth. I've been encouraged by the general level of
>enthusiasm about the prospect, and so unless there are any strong
>objections, I think we should go ahead and start planning!
>
>I have started to put together some loose ideas and am looking at themes
>and
>suggestions that have already been raised here through email. So far
>I've
>got an A4 document with possible themes & possible functions for the
>next
>conference, and hope to add to this over the next month or two as issues
>arise here on the list. In keeping with my background with qualitative
>research methods, I seem to be leaning toward drawing connections
>between
>ideas and looking for ways of pulling them together into a bigger
>picture.
>I'd like to come back to the list about a theme once we've been able to
>set
>up a group to organise the conference and had a meeting or two. I hope
>that
>we'll be able to come up with an overarching theme that can incorporate
>several of the suggestions that we've had so far.
>
>I'd also like to use the ideas that have been offered (and ideas yet to
>be
>offered!) to inform the structure of the conference. I think many of the
>potential functions that David outlined are compatible and could
>overlap. I
>think one of the things that happened at the Newcastle conference was
>that
>people came with different agendas, and that many of these could be
>accommodated within a conference programme that was pretty broad and
>offered
>plenty of choice. However there are some functions that seem less
>compatible, and so the conference could be constructed to enable choice.
>
>
>Three main structures come to mind at this point:
>* We could have a selection of sessions peppered across a (yet to
>be
>specified) number of days.
>* We could also have different days for different functions, that
>people could choose to attend if they want - so one idea could be to
>have
>the first day for more general and introductory stuff - the basics of
>community/critical psychology, how it fits with other disciplines,
>examples
>of community psychology in practice, etc. Then the second day we could
>have
>for the 'sustained critical debate' bit without having to explain the
>assumptions and basics. We could have a third day, as was suggested at
>Newcastle, for action.
>* We could have a number of 'streams' going through the conference
>-
>with a focus on different functions.
>
>I'm very aware that each of these structures has potential problems as
>well
>as strengths, and that there are other possibilities that haven't
>crossed my
>mind. Still, I think there's plenty of time for that.
>
>Probably the most pressing issue for now is to think about dates. If
>we're
>going to have a conference, we'll need to book a venue.
>
>I am aware that we have traditionally (!) had the conference in October,
>and
>this coincides nicely with Black History Month - around which there have
>been events organised in Great Yarmouth over the last couple of years,
>and
>hopefully will be again next year. It is also possible to have it
>earlier,
>maybe in September when the weather is (a bit!) more predictable, and
>people
>may be more able to enjoy the proximity to the sea! I have also had some
>suggestions to move it further forward to August, but am aware that this
>is
>both incompatable with family committments for people who need to be
>around
>at home for school holidays, and also is in the middle of the Gt
>Yarmouth
>holiday season, when there is greater demand on holiday accommodation.
>
>I'd really like to get moving on the venue as soon as possible, so are
>there
>any other issues that need to be considered? What do people think about
>the
>various options?
>
>Wendy
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Franks, Wendy - Clinical Psychologist
>> Sent: 23 November 2005 17:06
>> To: UK Community Psychology Discussion List (E-mail)
>> Subject: On the subject of conferences...
>>
>> Hello all,
>>
>> I thought I'd let the dust settle from all the activity around the
>> response to the BPS following the last conference, before starting up
>> another (hopefully) big topic!
>>
>> I wondered if we could use some space and time to reflect on the last
>> conference and to think about plans for the next one.
>>
>> Gillian Bowden and I offered at the end of the Newcastle conference
>that
>> we would be prepared to host the conference next year in Great
>Yarmouth.
>> After recovering from the shock, and on further reflection, I have
>been
>> feeling quite excited about the prospect...
>>
>> ...excited, and a more than just a little nervous about matching the
>> standard of UK CP Network conferences that I've attended over the last
>few
>> years!
>>
>> Each of the conferences had a different, local flavour, and I think
>that
>> this has been a wonderful part of the experience. So hopefully being
>> different is no bad thing, and there is enough that has been similar
>to
>> provide a framework on which to build.
>>
>> I am getting in touch with the list at this point to confirm that
>people
>> would like us to organise the next conference, and that there is an
>> interest in coming all the way over Great Yarmouth next year. (we love
>to
>> be beside the seaside here, and hope you will too)
>>
>> If so, I would like to invite people from the list to talk about
>whatever
>> ways you'd like to be involved in planning the next conference.
>Clearly
>> there are practicalities regarding planning over distances, and we are
>> prepared to do the leg-work involved in getting things organised. I'd
>like
>> to find out how much involvement people would like to have, how much
>you'd
>> like to know about our thoughts and ideas and developing plans, and to
>> what extent it seems possible to organise an event such as this by
>> consensus!
>>
>> We have a number of people locally who are very excited by the
>prospect of
>> putting on the conference here in 2006 (including me!), and I hope
>that we
>> can cover most of the practical elements of organising the conference.
>> We've had a few discussions already about how we'd like it to develop,
>and
>> how we'd like to draw on our own local flavour to make it interesting
>and
>> productive. In general, I think it would be great if we could involve
>the
>> list members to be involved in shaping the conference, from deciding
>on a
>> theme, to discussing the practicalities in terms of how many days,
>what
>> days, what activities, when, etc. I also wondered if people wanted to
>be
>> involved in activities such as reviewing abstracts, or at least to
>take
>> some advice about the process from previous conference organisers.
>>
>> So, hopefully this isn't too soon after the last conference to start
>> preparing...
>>
>> Wendy
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Wendy Franks
>> Clinical Psychologist
>> Primary Care & Psychological Services
>> Norfolk & Waveney Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
>> Northgate Resource Centre
>> Northgate Hospital
>> Great Yarmouth
>> NR30 1BU
>>
>> Tel: (01493) 337715
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> The contents of this email are not necessarily the policy or, opinion
>or
>> representative of any policy or opinion of Norfolk and Waveney Mental
>> Health Partnership NHS Trust or any person employed by it. This
>> transmission is intended only for the named recipient(s) and is
>> confidential in nature. If received in error, please return it to the
>> sender and destroy any copies immediately.
>>
>> Please note that all email traffic is monitored by the Trust in
>accordance
>> with NHS regulations.
>>
>>
>
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>___________________________________
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>COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK.
>To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website:
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Annie Mitchell
Clinical Director and Acting Programme Director,
Doctorate in Clinical and Community Psychology,
University of Exeter
01392264621
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