3.

WHO WE ARE

Amber Kelly and Judah Viola

Chapter Three Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

• Distinguish between various settings where community psychologists often work

• Describe diverse career roles within the field of Community Psychology
• Explore strategies for obtaining employment in the field of Community Psychology
• Understand unique skill sets or competencies used by community psychologists in various
settings

40
Introduction to Community Psychology 41

Photo by Benny Jackson is licensed under the Unsplash License

Community psychologists seek to improve community well-being through a cycle of collaborative

planning, action, and research in partnership with local community members. As indicated in the
first chapter (Jason, Glantsman, O’Brien, & Ramian, 2019), we emphasize exploring issues with a
systems lens approach, and focus on prevention and community contexts of behavior. Community
psychologists embrace the core values of the field which include 1) individual and family wellness,
2) sense of community, 3) respect for human diversity, 4) social justice, 5) empowerment and citizen
participation, 6) collaboration and community strengths, and 7) empirical grounding.
The settings of community psychologists range
from academia to non-profit organization.
Typically, community psychologists complete
graduate work in the field, but that is not required to
engage in community work. The work of a community
psychologist is dependent on an individual’s interest,
training, and experience. Community psychologists
can work as researchers, policy developers, educators,
program evaluators, or program coordinators within
academic, government and non-profit settings (SCRA,
Photo by Kat Yukawa is licensed under the Unsplash License 2018). These are not the only roles and settings of
community psychologists and within this chapter, we
will explore a diversity of career paths and employment options. All community psychologists have a
passion for a specific community need or topic. What community issues are you most excited about
addressing?
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Introduction to Community Psychology 43

Practical Application 3.1 below can help you start the process of examining your current skills, the
skills you want to acquire, and how you can find a career in Community Psychology that’s right for you.

Practical Application 3.1

Your Personal Fit with Community Psychology

Think of the competencies as a set of tools in a toolbox. You can pick and choose which competency to
apply in various settings. In specific settings, some competencies are used more than others. Are there skills
that are you are interested in gaining that you do not currently have? How can you build your skill set? This
activity will help you start thinking about which skills you can build upon throughout your career.

1. Make a list of skills that you already have and then identify the skills that you would like to
build in Community Psychology. Compare your list to the 18 competencies for practice.
2. Create a list of organizations and professionals that share your interests within Community
Psychology. Do some background research on each of them. Read about the organizations’
history, mission, structure, activities, and accomplishments. Read about the professionals’
educational backgrounds, and current and past jobs. Contact them directly to make a connection.
Let them know about your shared interest and ask them specific questions about their work.
LinkedIn is a great tool for finding out more about others in the field and to connect to start a
conversation.
3. Write a job description of your ideal job. Include work setting, salary, job description, and
geographic region. Is your description similar to a community psychologist description you are
familiar with? Why? Why not?
44 Leonard A. Jason, Olya Glantsman, Jack F. O'Brien, and Kaitlyn N. Ramian (Editors)

NON-TRADITIONAL COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGISTS

Photo by Samantha Sophia is licensed under the Unsplash License

It is important to keep in mind that there is no one path to becoming a community psychologist. The
path is determined based on the needs and preferences of an individual, which makes the journey
flexible. Non-traditional community psychologists pursue training in other academic fields or have
lived experiences as a community advocate. They do not take the traditional route of pursuing formal
graduate training in Community Psychology. For example, some community psychologists pursue
training in other fields that share similar values and approaches (e.g., Public Health, public service
management, Social Work, Applied Anthropology, Applied Social Psychology, Sociology, and disability
studies). In fact, many community psychologists have diverse training, backgrounds, and experiences
that allow them to make the field rich in diversity. Check out these unique paths of community
psychologists in Case Study 3.1. and Case Study 3.2.

Case Study 3.1

Nicole Freund
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48 Leonard A. Jason, Olya Glantsman, Jack F. O'Brien, and Kaitlyn N. Ramian (Editors)

The practice setting categories listed below are not mutually exclusive. Some organizations may fall in
multiple categories.
Non-profit Organizations
Local or national organizations that focus on a specific cause. They invest their income back into the
organization to further their cause as opposed to distributing the earnings to shareholders, leaders or
members. They are often tax-exempt due to their charitable purpose and the value they add to the public.
Examples of Non-profit Organizations:

• American Red Cross

• United Way
• Habitat for Humanity
• Oxfam
• UNICEF

Consulting and Research Firms

Community psychologists may work as independent consultants, principles, or employees, or small,
medium, or large consulting firms that provide advice and support to other organizations looking to make
decisions or change something within their organization.
Examples of Consulting and Research Firms:

• Community Evaluation Solutions

• Community Science
• Susan Wolfe and Associates LLC
• Brookings Institution
• Westat

Government Positions
A legislative, executive, or judiciary department, agency, or commission that establishes and enforces laws
and regulations and provides basic infrastructure, health, education, public safety, and commerce/trade to
support its citizenry. Community psychologists work in local municipalities, county, state, and the federal
government.
Examples of Government Positions:

• National Institutes of Health

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Healthy People
• Department of Education
• Office of the Inspector General
• Veterans Administration
• Congressional Budget Office
Introduction to Community Psychology 49

Health Care Organizations

An organization that provides health care or related services (e.g., health-focused research).
Examples of Health Care Organizations:

• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

• World Health Organization
• Shirley Ryan Ability Lab (formerly Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago)
• Atlantic Health Systems

Educational Sector Opportunities

Community psychologists can be found in just about every setting you can imagine within the educational
sector. We work in public and private daycare centers, pre-school, primary and secondary schools (pre-K
through 12th grade), school district research and assessment/evaluation offices, tutoring centers, after-
school enrichment programs and prevention programs, colleges and universities, and more.
Examples of Educational Sector Opportunities:

• Headstart
• School Districts
• Individual Local Schools
• Private Schools
• Charter School Systems

Practice settings allow community psychologists to use Community Psychology practice in an applied
environment. Typically, job responsibilities do not focus on gaining publications in scholarly journals,
which is usually emphasized in academia. While these practice-oriented community psychologists
might not focus on research and publishing, the methods and approaches used in practice settings
are based on previous research. Job titles can range from Program Coordinator to Director of Program
Evaluation. While each job title may or may not require a degree in Community Psychology, it is
important to understand job responsibilities.
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54 Leonard A. Jason, Olya Glantsman, Jack F. O'Brien, and Kaitlyn N. Ramian (Editors)

to make assumptions about the applicant’s skill set that is inaccurate. For example, an employer may
assume community psychologists are trained in clinical work or therapy (McMahon & Wolfe, 2017).
Therefore, it is important to first have a good sense of your expertise. Next, examine the job description
to ensure it fits your skill set, interests, and alignment with Community Psychology competencies.
When promoting yourself as a community psychologist, share the values of the field and the specific
skills that match the desired role. Write a job description of your ideal job which includes work setting,
salary, job description, and geographic region. Is your description similar to a typical description of a
community psychologist? Why? Why not?
In Practical Application 3.3 below, there are some excerpts from job descriptions for positions held
by community psychologists.

Practical Application 3.3

Community Psychology Job Descriptions

• Establishment of partnerships among local community institutions.

• Development, implementation, and evaluation of programs for the personal and social
development of children and young people.
• Conduct evaluations and research related to preventing childhood obesity, local food
systems, and food insecurity
• Conduct health research related to how communities and neighborhoods impact behavior and
well-being
• Consulting with other non-profits who are education and child-development-oriented on
projects related to school community building, education improvement, and lifelong learning.
• Test the efficacy of using the expressive arts and mindfulness to resolve loss, repair the moral
injury, and mitigate post-traumatic stress in combat veterans.

Health Care

• Lead population health initiatives including the dissemination of evidence-based prevention

science and community capacity building.
• Manage a Public Health Institute—a research, development, and training organization
• Coordination of research and grant writing for multiple federally funded programs; and
developing and implementing training programs around evidence-based practices.
• Chairman of a board of an organization that provides behavioral healthcare (mental health
and substance abuse treatment) in 4 counties
• Design, manage, and conduct studies in a specific public health area; provide technical
assistance on methods in quantitative and qualitative research

Consulting

• Community coalition work using environmental strategies to effect community change.

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56 Leonard A. Jason, Olya Glantsman, Jack F. O'Brien, and Kaitlyn N. Ramian (Editors)

Evaluation Association Education Webinars, Evaluator’s Institute, American Educational Research

Association, Association for Talent Development). These professional development opportunities
listed above are examples but they are not the only options for professional development. An internet
search will come up with additional options as well. Reach out to other professionals in the field to
learn about which professional development opportunities that they can recommend for your interest.
See Practical Application 3.4 for a list of employment-seeking strategies.

Practical Application 3.4

Employment-Seeking Strategies

1. Identify and cultivate relationships with multiple mentors. However, limit the number of
mentors to a number you can manage to connect with consistently.
2. Build your network both within your field and across disciplines.
3. Join and engage actively with professional associations within your areas of interest.
4. Be intentional about building skills and competencies relevant to the sector and jobs in which
you are most interested. Remember that you will continue to grow in these areas beyond graduate
training.
5. Align your CV (resume) to the skills and competencies needed for the specific job(s) you seek,
and practice an “elevator speech” that helps future employers see how your experience, training,
and competencies fit their contexts.
6. Use multiple search techniques when looking for employment (e.g., job postings and
organizational websites, networking, listservs).
7. Keep confident, consistent, get support, and recognize that part of your real- life training and
development as a community psychologist involves seeking new positions.

(Cited directly from Viola, Glantsman, Williams, & Stevenson, 2017).

Community Psychologists’ Salaries and Earning Potential

Introduction to Community Psychology 57

Figure 1. Community Psychology Earnings

A common question among those considering Community Psychology as a career is, “What do
community psychologists make as a salary?” Like most jobs, salaries vary according to job setting,
geographic region, and job responsibilities. In Viola, Glantsman, Williams, and Stevenson (2017),
420 community psychologists completed The Diverse Careers in Community Psychology Survey.
Respondents shared that the median salary range for a community psychologist was $75,000- $90,066
(as of 2015). The salary ranges were specific to the following job settings: consulting, government, non-
profit, education, health care, and for-profit across various geographic regions. Check out Viola and
Glantsman (2017) to learn more about salaries in the field across work settings and job titles.
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