Print

Print
When don bannister was in his heyday the dcp and the bps were much smaller and less developed undertakings. Psychologists in the nhs were pretty free to do what they liked  - which of course they liked and a lot of creative and useful but egotistic developments took off, but with maybe the exception of the southwest, not much in the line of community psychology. Don was very much a bin man, he even ran a pirate radio station during an election from the heart of bexley psychiatric hospital! I suppose this could be seen as in innovative community intevention. I cant remember but I think he was advocating voting for 'pig' or something similar. He was also of course a personal construct man to the core and CBT links in to the same cognitive thread. Also he was very involved in setting up the psychology and psychotherapy association was he not. I dont understand quite why this list is so hostile to all psychological therapies? Wellbeing oppression and liberation are surely personal and social processes?
 
I agree that clark turpin and lavender have pulled off something politically impressive here and there are lessons for people wanting to drive a social and political agendas. I am reading Love Hate and Welfare by Lynn Froggett at the moment. She is trying to map out the changing relationships between users of services professionals in the post war welfare state. Its a  social work book. It helpfully, if analytically, links social policy development to citizenship, active welfare and the professions. Like normalisation/srv she is trying to explain the disparity between the public stated aims and values of public sector instutions and the reality of their internal workings and interface with communities.
 
I think david is right about the need for engagement in the professional structures and processes. My own view is that the future shape of applied psychology and 'expertise' is up for grabs. The recovery model which doesnt seem to resonate on this list is dead interesting in this regard. I think Craig is plain wrong over professional regulation. Prilleltensky points out that people who use services tend to like people who break the rules. There are however lots of people who are victims of abuse of power and the professions have been very poor at addressing this either at an individual or societal level. The shortly to be released Clear Boundaries national guidance is going to be really interesting and helpful and includes an updated review of the evidence base for the sexual exploitation of patients in healthcare. 
 
I guess the issue for me is does community psychology want to retain its independence and freedom from 'corrupt' people like the ruling cliques inside the dcp or bps. Straw dogs have their uses. Or does it want to get its hands politically dirty and help incorporate insights about power, values and inequality in the mainstream of theory and practice? 
 
Richard
 
 

 
On 12/5/07, David Smail <[log in to unmask] > wrote:
I don't disagree with any of that, David.  There are definite proximal benefits to forming and expressing solidarity.  The point I wanted to emphasize was that the Layards of the world, the UCL 'CORE' and DCP people that Craig also referred to, in many ways understand and use power better than 'we' often do. 
 
To reinforce Craig's point, as long as I can remember (which is longer than most!) our democratically elected leaders in clinical psychology, anyway, have pretty well without exception been mesmerized by power and occasionally quite good at manipulating it.  The only power-critical person who immediately comes to mind who had a similar understanding of political structures was Don Bannister, who now, sadly, hardly anyone remembers.  While he was around there was greater awareness, I think, that, for example, the BPS is a democratic  structure, and if we don't like the direction its officers take us, there is nothing to stop  us trying to do something about it through already existing, established channels.  While there are lots of things we can't do, like influencing world politics, there are in fact some things we could, in principle, do, like attacking and exposing the dishonest and potentially oppressive practices of our own profession, and perhaps indeed setting up in opposition to them via the said democratic channels.  Though I profoundly disapprove of it, I think one has to acknowledge that the 'CBT lobby's' penetration of governmental structure is quite an impressive achievement.  I'm sure there are all sorts of reasons for this state of affairs, but it certainly isn't that 'our' hands are tied.
 
David

 
From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask] ] On Behalf Of David Fryer
Sent: 04 December 2007 22:31
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] "I doubt if press releases will achieve much, even if they get taken up"

 
Dear David,
 
Just to pick up on your comment "I doubt if press releases will achieve much, even if they get taken up"
 
I agree of course that policies, procedures and practices which create and maintain oppression are powerfully entrenched and vigorously defended. Poverty will not disappear because of a UK CP press release nor will those who make vast amounts of money through Seroxat be quaking in their boots after the UK CP statement in support of SUG (though I think the way big pharma sometimes vigorously and sustainedly goes for individuals who critique them suggests that such critique is threatening to their interests at least to some extent). However, I think press releases and similar statements may nevertheless have other worthwhile outcomes.
 
The now defunct ENCP (European Network of Community Psychology) was not a particularly politically active or progressive organisation and the newer ECPA (European Community Psychology Association) showed little sigh of that either. At the recent ECPA meeting in Seville, Ilana Mountian, Paul Duckett and I discussed the appeal that had been circulated by Art Veno for support for Australian psychologists lobbying for the APS to take a strong stand against the complicity of psychologists in torture and moved a motion at the final plenary that the meeting send a message of support to Art. After a brief discussion there was an unanimous collective decision to send the message of support from ECPA. Immediately after the decision there was a round of applause. I believe that this was more than an act of self congratulation but that engaging collectively in critical reflection and to act in collective solidarity was enormously valuable in many ways to those who did so. In this case Art Veno has also said that he believes the statement was valuable to colleagues in Australia in achieving a progressive outcome. I do not want to overstate this. The statement was not particularly radical, the effect was no doubt miniscule both locally and distally etc but collective resistance even in such small ways is important in itself and prefigures what is possible when we act critically and collectively and makes that more likely in my view.
 
I write a short regular column for "The Community Psychologist" a sort of newsletter for SCRA (Div 27 of the APA) about community psychology in Europe. This goes to all SCRA members worldwide. Because I think such statements have some value I included in my recent piece reference to both the UK CP poverty statement and the ECPA torture statement:.
 

"As community and critical psychologists we believe that psychologists have a fundamental responsibility to join with others to end both poverty and societal inequality independent of absolute wealth, which we believe are personally, collectively and socially destructive.

    We believe mainstream psychology to be complicit with the prevailing psychologically toxic neo-liberal economic order and believe psychology has allowed itself to be used to hide systemic effects of poverty and inequality and instead position poverty as a consequence of individual psychological dysfunction.

    We call for the radical transformation of psychology so that it has the resources necessary to expose the personally, collectively and socially destructive effects of poverty and inequality and the proactive deployment, with allies, of this transformed psychology to end poverty and societal inequality and the exploitation, exclusion, oppression, distress and illness which result from them."

 

 

"Those present at the final plenary session of the II European Community Psychology Association International Seminar (" Integrating new migrants in the New Europe: A Challenge for Community Psychology") held in Seville, Spain 19-21 September 2007 considered the widely circulated request by eminent community psychologist Professor Art Veno for international support in his attempts to ensure that the involvement of psychologists in the practice of torture is condemned by the Australian Psychological Society. Those present at the final plenary session of the II European Community Psychology Association International Seminar in Seville unanimously voted to send a message of support from the meeting to Professor Veno, his colleagues and all those condemning the involvement of psychologists in the practice of torture".

 
Of course if we did no more than talk and reach collective decisions on such issues and disseminate them we would be doing something perhaps a very little something but that is an argument for doing more, not less
 
David
 
From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List on behalf of David Smail
Sent: Tue 12/4/2007 08:56
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: FW: Mental Health and Employment

 

Annie - in response to your last two postings.

I think you do an excellent job of listing the difficulties, and I also see
little chance of things changing in the short or medium term.  I think
perhaps that one of our problems is that we (insofar as one can talk of 'we'
on this list!)  are both apathetic and scornful in the face of the
institutions of power (though not at all in other ways), whereas those 'we'
often see as 'them' (e.g. Layard et al.) are patient, persistent,
industrious - sometimes, indeed, obsessive in the lengths they will go to to
find their way around the structures that shape and support our society.  As
an example, I think a perusal of the 'CORE' website (start at
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/clinical-health-psychology/CORE/CBT_Framework.htm) is
instructive.  Until I read it,I for one had no idea how thoroughly embedded
the CBT lobby had become in the DoH,etc., and one can see some of that
influence reflected in the dismaying document you attached.

I don't of course know what the answers are - if there are any - but I doubt
if press releases will achieve much, even if they get taken up.

David

-----Original Message-----
From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List
[ mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Annie Mitchell
Sent: 04 December 2007 07:59
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] FW: Mental Health and Employment

Dear all,

Lots to critically comment on re the attached latest government initative..
For example note the business language in this. People are called customers.

Annie


________________________________________
From: Social Inclusion Discussion Group [ [log in to unmask]]
Sent: 03 December 2007 13:28
To: Annie Mitchell
Cc: Ana Padilla; Graham Turpin
Subject: [social-inclusion] Mental Health and Employment

Dear Colleagues

Please find attached a statement from Peter Hain Secretary of State for Work
and Pensions.

with all good wishes

Nigel
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail, or its
attachments



Can we send this out asap,

Many thanks,

Fabian

Dr. Fabian Davis

Consultant Psychologist (Community & Social Inclusion) Lead for Social
Inclusion Bromley Mental Health Services Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust Ist
Floor Keswick House 207A Anerley Road Penge London SE20 8ER

Tel: 020 8778 9548

________________________________
From: Carol Chads [mailto:[log in to unmask] ]
Sent: 30 November 2007 17:25
To: Carol Chads
Subject:


Dear All

Please see the attached for your information.

Best regards

Brendan

Brendan McLoughlin,
Programme Director for Wellbeing, Inclusion and Psychological Therapies,
London Development Centre, part of the Care Services Improvement
Partnership, 11-13, Cavendish Square, London W1G 0AN Phone; 020 7307 2431
Mobile: 07721 670863
e-mail: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>





----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------

The British Psychological Society

This email is intended for the addressee only. It may contain confidential
information: disclosure of or action in reliance upon this information by
anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you are not the
intended recipient, please notify us by return email and delete the message.

Any views are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of
the Society, which accepts no liability for the consequences of any actions
taken on the basis of this information unless confirmed in writing by a
Society Manager.

We accept no liability for any loss or damage caused by viruses: you are
advised to conduct your own checks on any attachments. When emailing us, be
aware that email is not a 100 percent secure medium

The British Psychological Society is a registered English charity - Charity
Registration Number : 229642 - VAT Registration Number : 240 3937 76

www.bps.org.uk

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------


 *   --You are currently subscribed to

social-inclusion as:
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> .
To unsubscribe send a blank email to
[log in to unmask]<mailto:%%email.unsub%%>

-----------
Change Your Account Settings< http://lists.bps.org.uk/read/my_account> | View
Previous messages< http://lists.bps.org.uk/read/my_forums> | Forgotten
Password? <http://lists.bps.org.uk/emailpassword.tml >

-----------
The British Psychological Society is a registered English charity Charity
Registration Number : 229642 - VAT Registration Number : 240 3937 76


___________________________________
COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK.
To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML
For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on
[log in to unmask] or Grant Jeffrey on [log in to unmask]

___________________________________
COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK.
To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML
For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on [log in to unmask] or Grant Jeffrey on [log in to unmask]

--

The University of Stirling is a university established in Scotland by charter at Stirling, FK9 4LA. Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not disclose, copy or deliver this message to anyone and any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Please advise immediately if you or your employer do not consent to Internet email for messages of this kind.

___________________________________ COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK. To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on [log in to unmask] or Grant Jeffrey on [log in to unmask]

___________________________________ COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK. To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on [log in to unmask] or Grant Jeffrey on [log in to unmask]


___________________________________ COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK. To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on [log in to unmask] or Grant Jeffrey on [log in to unmask]