Thanks Mark, and all other recent contributors to the list,
Those points, and other recent discussion, have been really interesting to read (and hopefully will be taken on board as well!).
Point 10 (9 seems incomplete!) might be to attend community psychology conferences regularly (although i admit it might be better placed as point 3a, as being part of forming alliances).
While I'm aware of many of the tensions amongst such forums (Paul Duckett has written some good stuff reflecting on conferences) - i think that the benefits certainly outweigh the problematic issues and questions that arise by attending. Some of these benefits include learning from others (finding out what others are doing and how they are going about it), finding hope, inspiration, confirmation and encouragement about one's own choice of direction, and feeling part of a community of community psychologists. This is priceless.
Being a part (albeit generally a silent observer) of this list helps me in a similar way - while I have my own body of support over here in Melbourne, my roots lie in Britain (I came over here 3 years ago from the UK to do a masters in comm psych), and I really value this connection.
And for the time being I will certainly be at the October conference in spirit, and look forward to reading your subsequent postings/reflections.
Harriet
From: Mark Burton <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Comm Psy conference 2005
Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 18:19:59 +0100
>It can be difficult to maintain a counter-dominant perspective
>and work in that way. Here are some things that might help:-
>1) Choose where to work - (so I chose to work in learning
>disability services rather than mental health as at that time
>there was an upsurge of interest in more social/community
>orientated approaches and there wasn't medical domination) -
>it was just easier to achieve principled change.
>2) Create alliances - you can achieve little alone, but lots
>more in coalition with others - these alliances are never pure,
>but based on identifying what you can agree and work
>together on. It is essential that any alliance looks outside
>psychology, and the more it involves non-system people the
>better (but it shouldn't exclude them either). Alliances with
>activists, people inside and out, people who are critical and
>people who want change, people who stand to gain from
>positive change, people who can stop it or allow it to happen.
>3) Take the long view - it takes years to establish counter-
>hegemonic blocs and successes are relative.
>4) Learn from what happens.
>5) Pick your battles carefully - you can't win them all, so look
>at the balance of forces - who is for , who against and who'll
>go with the flow?
>6) Beware of the greed of the system which diverts your
>attention and energy to the non-important activity that just
>feeds it (but will someone please show me how to do this?!).
>7) Don't take things personally - understand what happens
>firstly structurally and in systemic terms.
>8) Use evidence and information, but don't expect it to have
>more than a supportive, contributory effect on debate and
>struggle.
>9) Keep a a sense of perspective and look after your own well
>being.
>
>
>
>On 11 Sep 2005 at 12:45, Michael ridley-Dash wrote:
>
> >
> > As a recent psychology graduate wanting to adopt a community
> > psychological approach successful in practice, I know from the list
> > and others the personal cost of adopting poistions against current
> > paradigms and practice. I worked as a psychiatric nursing assistant
> > before my degree and there are people who flow against the tide, trust
> > the experience of those with mental health problems, try to work in
> > way which doesn't oppress service-users: and they undoubtly face grave
> > problems at a variety of levels marginilisation in both
> > social/professional work spheres (not being invited on works nights
> > out/ given bad rotas/ people leave the smoking room when they come
> > in). Theseexamples sound trivial and in the grand scheme of things
> > are, but they matter and are examples of was that people who try to
> > change the order of things are punished.
> >
> > I was lucky enough not to be on the receiving end of such treatment as
> > my values were still being shaped at the time. However, I was party to
> > oppresive practice and was inducted into it. I remember one day in
> > particular when to gain favour with my fellow nursing staff I began to
> > join in the laconic abusive discourses about one service user, who I
> > actually really liked. The more extreme and vile I became (in my own
> > mind) the more accepted and liked I was by staff. I felt as if a wave
> > was washing over me and part of me wanted to be taken by it, it would
> > be so easy now I thought. I hated what I was saying, but I loved the
> > reaction it was recieving. It scares me that I could be taken aloft in
> > that manner and reproduced and co-create oppression. I never want to
> > let that happen again.
> >
> > It seems to be irony of the worst kind however that those who wish to
> > be social in their persepctive become isolated individuals in their
> > work-spheres. We cannot have a truly social approach which requires
> > the individuals to be matryed in order to achieve change. This backs
> > up an underlying theory of change being brought about by strong people
> > rather than strong communities. We can see this discourse transmitted
> > through all our media channels news, entertainment etc.
> >
> > I do agree that to do 'community psychology' you do have live it, but
> > that may be easier for some people due to social factors than others.
> > My own stratergy for future survival is unfortunately a very
> > individualistic one; choose the right NHS trust or academic department
> > where I might not be shot down for taking a social/participatory
> > approach. This again doesn't square with my values as my priorities
> > should be the practice not my own safety within the practice. But if
> > I'm just going to be a party to oppression to gain a proffession/
> > means of survival, then I might as well stay home quivering under the
> > duvet with a bottle of whisy.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Phyl <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > It seems impossible to ensure I am surrounded at work by people
> > who can critique and support at the same time, in that friendly
> > way. I don't know who I can trust at work, in the NHS. Half the
> > time it seems like everyone is just struggling to survive in the
> > NHS, and that my NHS community is sick. I'd like my actions to
> > survive, but I'd also like to survive myself. Even people I
> > thought I could rely turn out not to be trustworthy. Phyl
> >
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>From
>Mark Burton
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>Manchester
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