History of Community Psychology in The US
In the 1950s and 1960s, many factors contributed to the beginning of community psychology in the US. Some of these factors include:
- A shift away from socially conservative, individual-focused practices in health care and psychology into a progressive period concerned with issues of public health, prevention and social change after World War II and social psychologists' growing interest in racial and religious prejudice, poverty, and other social issues
- The perceived need of larger-scale mental illness treatment for veterans
- Psychologists questioning the value of psychotherapy alone in treating large numbers of people with mental illness
- The development of community mental health centers and deinstitutionalization of people with mental illnesses into their communities
Read more about this topic: Community Psychology
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