Are you in support of a new Section of the Society dedicated to Community Psychology?

Community psychologists are found throughout Europe, North, Central America, South America and Australasia and community psychology is formally recognised by many national psychology professional organisations including: the American Psychological Association, the Australian Psychological Society and the New Zealand Psychological Society. In Europe the European Community Psychology Association is formally recognised by the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations. Until now community psychology has not been formally recognised in the UK , and the purpose of this letter is to seek support from BPS members for the establishment of a Community Psychology Section.

Community psychologists: are concerned with the consequences for individuals, groups and communities of our social, organizational, cultural, socio-structural and politico-discursive arrangements; try to understand the interconnections between those arrangements and how people understand themselves and their social world; and use that understanding to promote wellbeing, health and social justice through non-individual intervention. Some UK psychologists work in this way without recognising their work as encompassing community psychology approaches and others may wish to extend their knowledge and skills to work in this way.

A proposal to form a Community Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society has been made to the Society. The requisite number of Fellows, Associate Fellows and Chartered Psychologists has written in support of the proposal and the proposal has been approved by the Board of Trustees. For a Community Psychology Section of the Society to be established, it is a requirement that 1% of the Society’s membership express a desire to become a Member of the proposed Section. If this happens, the proposal to form the Section will be put to a vote at a General Meeting of the Society.

The aims of a BPS community psychology section would include:
•        promoting the study and understanding of community psychology at public, undergraduate and postgraduate levels;
•        raising awareness of issues, including government policies and global developments, affecting the psychological health, education, and development of UK society;
•        fostering exchange of ideas through educational events such as workshops, conferences, symposia, and training sessions;
•        communicating the impact of inequalities on psychosocial functioning and challenging the dominance of individually-focused models of psychosocial adjustment and intervention;  
•        facilitating community engagement, lobbying, advocacy and policy engagement;

Please contact the Society expressing an interest in becoming a Member of the proposed Community Psychology Section.