Involving psychologists in public policy in Puerto Rico: Processes and Results
Irma Serrano-García Eduardo A. Lugo-Hernández University of Puerto Rico,
Río Piedras Campus University of Puerto Rico,
Mayagüez Campus
Palabras clave: psicología y política pública, Puerto Rico
Keywords: psychology and public policy; Puerto Rico
Author Biographies: Irma Serrano-García is a retired Professor from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She holds a Post Doctorate in Public Policy from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, a PhD in Social-Community Psychology from the University of Michigan. She has over 125 scholarly publications including journal articles, book chapters and thirteen books. After her retirement, Dr. Serrano-García continues to publish about community psychology, social change, participatory research, public policy, program evaluation, university teaching and learning and is a consultant to non-profit organizations and universities. Eduardo A. Lugo-Hernández: Dr. Eduardo A. Lugo-Hernández is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. His research focuses on promoting youth participation in school action through Community-Based Participatory Research. He is also interested in ways to promote psychologists participation in public policy.
Recommended Citation: Serrano-García, I., Lugo-Hernández, E.A. (2016). Involving psychologists in public policy in Puerto Rico: Processes and Results. Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice, 7(1S), pages 1-14. Retrieved Day/Month/Year, from (http://www.gjcpp.org/).
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InvolvingpsychologistsinpublicpolicyinPuertoRico:ProcessesandResults
ResumenPormuchosañoslapsicologíaenPuertoRicoseconsiderabaunacienciapositivistadeintervencionesanivelindividualconunaposturaneutralhaciaasuntossocio-políticos.Sinembargo,enañosrecienteslospsicólogos/asenlaIslasehaninvolucradomásenpolíticapública. Inicialmenteeste fueelresultadodel trabajodealgunospioneros/as.Algunos esfuerzos sistemáticos han sido apoyados por investigaciones desde el ÁreaSocial-Comunitariade laUniversidaddePuertoRicoypor laAsociacióndePsicologíade P.R (APPR). Las investigaciones demostraron que lamayoría de los psicólogos/asque no participan en política pública, no lo hacen por: a) falta de tiempo, b) falta deadiestramientoyc)actitudesnegativashaciaelprocesopolíticopartidista.Ejemplosdela práctica surgen de esfuerzos individuales, organizaciones sin fines de lucro, de laAPPR, desde entidades gubernamentales y desde la práctica privada. Son escasas laspublicaciones sobre política pública. Los estudios también revelaron que casi no haycursos sobre el tema en los programas graduados ni énfasis en las competenciasrequeridas para estas tareas en el currículo. En este artículo a) proveeremosinformaciónsobre losesfuerzosparaaumentar laparticipaciónenpolíticapúblicadenuestros/as colegas, b) presentaremos ejemplos de investigaciones y proyectosrealizadosenPuertoRicoyc)discutiremoseladiestramientodisponibleycómodebemodificarseparafacilitareltrabajoenpolíticapública.
AbstractFor many years, psychology in Puerto Rico was considered an individual-levelpositivistic science with a neutral stance towards socio-political issues. However,duringrecentyearspsychologistson the Islandhavebecomemore involved inpolicyissues. Initially thiswas the result of the pioneeringwork of some individuals.Morerecently, systematic efforts have been supported by research within the social-communitypsychologyprogramattheUniversityofPuertoRicoandbythePuertoRicoPsychology Association (PRPA). Results of these studies showed that mostpsychologistswhodidnotparticipateinpolicyworkhadoneofthefollowingreasons:a) lackof time,b) lackof training, and/or c)negativeattitudes towardpartypolitics.However, thereareexamplesofwork inpublicpolicyasaresultof individualefforts,from NGOs, the PRPA, governmental agencies, and private practitioners. Regardingtraining, research demonstrated that there are hardly any courses on the subject ingraduate programs, nor emphasis on the competencies required for the task in theavailable curriculum. There are also few publications about psychologists and publicpolicy. This article will: a) provide information about the efforts that have led toincreasedparticipationofpsychologistsinpolicywork,b)presentexamplesofresearchandprojectscarriedoutinPuertoRico,andc)discussthetrainingavailableandhowitshouldbemodifiedtofacilitateinvolvementinpublicpolicy.
Communitypsychologyiscommittedtothepursuitofsocialchangeandsocialjustice(Serrano-García,Carvallo,&Walters,2009).Itpursuesthesegoalsthroughdiverseandinterlockinglevelsofinterventionwhichincludetheindividual,group,community,organizational,andpolicylevels.Althoughtheemphasisonpolicyisrelativelyrecent,ithasgainedgreatmomentumasoneoftheareasofdisciplinarygrowthintheUnitedStates(Maton,2013;Phillips,2000).
InPuertoRico,psychologywasconsideredanindividual-levelpositivisticscience,whichshouldholdaneutralstancetowardssocialandpoliticalissues.Althoughsomestillthinkthisway,muchhaschangedincludinganincreasinginterestinpolicy.Formanyyearstherewereisolatedeffortstoworkatthislevel.Theseeffortshaveincreasedandhavebeenspurredmainlybysocial-communityandclinical-communitypsychologists.Thus,thepurposeofthisarticleisto:a)provideinformationoneffortsthathaveledtoincreasedparticipationofpsychologistsinpolicywork,b)presentexamplesofresearchandprojectsatthislevelofinterventioncarriedoutinPuertoRico,andc)discusstraininginpublicpolicy(PP).Specialemphasiswillbeplacedontherolescommunitypsychologists1haveplayedinthistransformation.
Thearticlehasvarioussectionsincludinga)adescriptionofeffortsundertakeninPuertoRicotofosterparticipationofpsychologistsatthepolicylevel,b)adescriptionoftheresearchaboutPPprocessesandissues,c)examplesofpracticeandspecificeffortsoftheCommitteeofPsychologyandPublicPolicy(CPPP)ofthePuertoRicoPsychology
Association(PRPA),d)trainingdevotedtopolicyingraduateprogramsontheIsland,ande)recommendationsforfuturedevelopment.
ThedescriptionsandanalysispresentedconsidersaPPprocessencompassingsixphases:a)identificationoftheproblemtobesolved;b)analysisofitsdimensionsandcomplexities;c)formulationofapolicyproposal;d)approvaloftheproposalattheexecutive,legislative,orjudicialbranch;e)implementationoftheapprovedplan;andf)evaluation(Dinitto&Dye,1987).Thisprocesscanemanatefromgovernmententities(top-down)orfromthecitizenry,eitherindividuallyorcollectively(bottom-up;Dobelstein,1997).
DescriptionofEffortstoFosterParticipationofPsychologistsinPublic
PolicyModeling:
IndividualEfforts
AlthoughmostpsychologistsinPuertoRicodonothavepolicytraining,thereareseveralindividualswhohaveimmersedthemselvesinthisarena.Theseprecursorsbegantheirworkbeforepolicywasconceptualizedasataskforpsychologists.SomeexamplesofearlypioneersaswellascurrentexponentsarepresentedinTable1(Boulón-Díaz,2007;Moreno-Velázquez,Justel-Cabrera&Massanet-Rosario,2007;RocadeTorres,2007).Theseindividualsserveasrolemodelsandprovideevidenceofpsychologists’competenceforkeyroleswithingovernment.Theircontributionspavedthewayforotherpsychologistswhowanttoassumepolicyasapossibleareaofintervention.
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Name&Specialty Dates Roles
Pioneers EfraínSánchezHidalgoEducationalpsychologist
1940-60 SecretaryofEducation
MilagrosGuzmánIndustrialPsychologist
1970s Director,CentralOfficeofHumanResources,GovernmentofPuertoRico
GabrielCirinoIndustrialPsychology
1980s FirstPresidentoftheProfessionalBoardofPsychologists
CeliaCintrónClinical/communitypsychologist
1980s Implementationofcommunitymentalhealthcenterlaw
CalyRodríguezIndustrial/PublicHealth
1990s SecretaryoftheFamilyDepartment
Recentexponents NydiaOrtizPons 2009 AdministratorfortheMentalHealth
ServicesandAgainstAddictionAdministration
SalvadorSantiagoClinicalPsychologist
2013 AdministratorfortheMentalHealthServicesandAgainstAddictionAdministration(nowaCabinetposition)
Dr.MarizaidaSánchezClinical-CommunityPsychologist
2015 Member,Governor’sCommissiononEarlyChildhood
Dr.ÁngelW.ColónSocial-CommunityPsychologist
2015 U.S.SenateStaffer
Table1:PioneersandRecentExponentsofPublicPolicyEffortsinPuertoRico
OrganizationalEfforts:ThePuertoRicoPsychologyAssociation
Psychology’spublicpolicyeffortshavebeengreatlyadvancedbythePuertoRicoPsychologicalAssociation(PRPA).ThePRPAwasestablishedin1954andfromtheoutsetwasinvolvedinpublicpolicyprocesses,
particularlyguildissues.Forthefirst30years,itadvocatedforlawstoestablishprofessionalregulationsandlicensingatthePuertorricanlegislature.Theseeffortssucceededin1983(Boulón-Díaz,2006).Althoughthisinitialinvolvementemphasizedprofessionalinterests,itsetthestageforthe
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developmentofaprofessionalidentitythatincludedaroleinpolicyestablishmentandtransformation.
The1980swasadecadeofgrowthrelatedtopolicyinvolvementforthePRPA.AtthistimetheAssociationbeganprovidingexperttestimonytothelegislatureonissuesrelatedtomentalhealth,violenceprevention,deathpenalty,psychologicallyhealthyworkplacestrategies,psychologistsintheschools,andLGBTrightsandhealth,amongothers(APPR,2014).ThemannerinwhichthePRPAmanagedlegislativepetitionsforexperttestimonywasbyidentifyingmembersthatpossessedexpertiseinspecificareas.Thesemembersthenprovidedwrittenandsometimesoraltestimonyrepresentingtheorganization.ThisprocessstillsolidifiesthePRPA’ssociopoliticalroleandprovidesimportantexperiencesformembersinthepolicyprocess.
TheuseofthemediahasbeencentraltothePRPA’sinvolvementinpublicpolicy.Sincethe1990stherehasbeenagrowingpresenceoftheAssociationinmediaoutletsthroughnewspaperinterviewsandcolumnsaboutkeysocialandpoliticalissuesaswellasradioandTVinterviews.TheAssociationhasalsoorganizedpressconferencestopresentspecificprojectsortoestablishitspositionregardingspecificsocialtopicsorgovernmentinitiatives.ThePRPA’sgrowthinthisareahasbeenoutstandingasPRPA’scontributionsareincludedinweeklymediareportsbyvariousoutlets(ForexamplesseeAyala,2015;Rodríguez,2015;N.A.,2015).
ThegrowthinmediacontributionshasbeenaccompaniedbyasteadyexpansioninthePRPA’ssocialmediapresence.TheAssociationnowownsaccountsonbothFacebook(https://www.facebook.com/ASPPR?fref=ts)andTwitter(https://twitter.com/appr_pr)andanactivewebpage(www.asppr.net).AlthoughthemajorityofthepostsinsocialmediaarerelatedtopromotingthePRPA’sactivities,italsoprovidesmediacoverageof
policyrelatedefforts.Thiswidevisibilityhasservedtocontinuevalidatingtheroleofpsychologyinpublicpolicy.
TheincreasinginvolvementofthePRPAinpublicpolicypresentedtheneedfortheAssociationtorethinkitsinternalstructuretorespondtopolicyissuesmoreeffectively.Hence,in2007thePRPAcreatedaStandingCommitteeonPsychologyandPublicPolicy(CPPP)withthegoalofstreamliningitspolicyeffortsandgeneratingeducationalreformrecommendationstotrainpsychologistsforthisrole.Afteritscreation,theCPPPhasbeenresponsiblefordozensofexperttestimonies,thecreationofapublicpolicycoursesyllabus,andtwoimportantinitiatives,whichwedescribeinthePracticesection:ProposalswithoutColorsandaCleanElectoralCampaign.Unfortunately,inrecentyears,theCPPPhashadsetbacksrelatedtotheavailabilityofpsychologistsreadytocoordinateitswork.Thishasresultedinaregressiontowardoldstylesofpolicyanalysis,centeredaroundtheAssociation’sPresident.Hence,thePRPAneedstoreevaluateitspolicyprioritiesandinternalstructure,whichissustainedmostlybyvolunteers.
AnotherareaofpolicyinvolvementforthePRPAhasbeenitsparticipationinpublicdemonstrations.Someexamplesareitspresenceinmanifestationsagainstthefiringofpublicemployees,supportingstudents’strikeatthestateuniversityagainstaraiseintuitionfees,andinfavorofthereleaseofPuertoRicanpoliticalprisoners.ThePRPAhashadgreatsuccessorganizingandmobilizingitsmembersandgaininginternationalsupportforitspositions.Withthisbackgroundinmind,theauthorsturntoreviewingtheresearchdoneinsupportofandaboutpublicpolicy.
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Research
Psychologists’ParticipationinPublicPolicy
Thefirststudyofpsychologists’participationinpublicpolicy(PP)inPuertoRicowascarriedoutbythefirstauthorin1983andwassponsoredbytheAmericanPsychologicalAssociation(APA).AsurveywassenttoallPRPAmembersatthetime(n=300)and35psychologistsrespondedofwhom82%reportedparticipatinginPPmainlyinphasesofproblemidentificationandprogramevaluation.Twentypercentprovidedexperttestimony,and18%performedresearchrelatedtoPP.Afascinatingresultwasthat60%ofparticipantsbelievedtheircolleaguesdidnotconsiderPPalegitimateactivity.However,89%believedpsychologists’participationinPPshouldincrease(Serrano-García,1983).Thisshedsomelightonourprofession’sviewsaboutthelegitimacyofPPasapotentialroleandthedisparitybetweenpersonalandgroupviewsontheissue.
Inordertoevaluatechangesovertime,afollow-upstudywascarriedoutin2004.Thissurvey,sentto516PRPAmembers,wasabletorecruitalargersample(n=86).Resultsrevealedthat55%reportedparticipatinginPP.Themajorityofthosewhoparticipatedengagedinproblemidentification(62%);themostfrequentroleswereprovidingexperttestimony(32%),preparationofdocumentation(43%),andconsulting(43%governmentand38%non-governmentalorganizations).Most(87%)hadnotreceivedformaltraininginpublicpolicy.Concerningthelegitimacyofthisrole,43%stillbelievedtheircolleaguesdidnotconsiderpublicpolicyworkalegitimateactivity.AlthoughthisshowssmallattitudechangeintheirviewsaboutparticipationinPP–probablyasa
resultoftheeffortspreviouslysummarized–therolesthatindividualsassumedtendedtoremainconstant(Serrano-García,Rosa,&García,2005).
PolicyRelatedResearch
Mostpsychologicalresearchispertinenttopublicpolicysinceitisusedforproblemidentificationandanalysis.However,thisarticlefocusesonresearchexplicitlylabeledaspublicpolicyresearchpublishedinallissuesofthetwomajorpsychologyjournalsinPuertoRicoaswellasresearchcarriedoutforthesesanddissertationsoftheSocial-CommunityPsychologyProgramattheUniversityofPuertoRico.ThesejournalsarethefocusofthereviewbecausetheyaretheoneswherepsychologistsontheIslandpublishmorefrequently:ScienceandBehaviorispublishedbyCarlosAlbizuUniversity,aprivatePhDgrantinginstitution,andthePuertoRicanJournalofPsychology(PRJP)ispublishedbythePRPA.Researcharticlesthatwereidentifiedreferexplicitlytooneofthesixphasesofthepublicpolicyprocess.Resultsofthejournals’analysisarepresentedinTable2.
BothjournalshadalowpercentageofpublicpolicyarticlesalthoughScienceandBehavior’spercentageismorethantwicethatofthePRJP.Inabsolutenumbers,theamountofarticlesaboutpublicpolicyisalmostthesame;inScienceandBehaviorthenumberhasdecreasedinthelastdecadewhileinthePRJPithasincreaseddramatically.Articlesfocusedonthesamepolicyprocesses,andtherewerenonerelatedtopolicyapproval.Variedareasofinteresthavebeenstudiedalthoughdruguseandaddiction,mentalhealth,andparticipationinpublicpolicy2arepresentinbothjournals.
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Table23:PublicationsRelatedtoPublicPolicy(PP)ProcessesinPsychologyJournalsinPuertoRico
WethenperusedMaster’sthesesanddissertationsoftheSocial-CommunityPsychologyProgramattheUniversityofPuertoRico.ThisprogramistheonlyprogramrelatedtothedisciplineofcommunitypsychologyontheIslandandtheauthorsassumedthat,assuch,itwouldhaveastrongeremphasisonpolicyissues.Theauthorsdiscovered29thesesanddissertationsthatreferredexplicitlytopublicpolicyprocesses;theirnumberincreasedasthedecadesensued.Problemandpolicyanalysiswerethemostfrequentlystudiedprocessesandneitherapprovalofmeasuresnorimplementationofpolicieswereresearched.Mostfrequentlystudiedtopicsincludedcommunitymentalhealth,communitydevelopmentandHIV/AIDSprevention(Serrano-García,2014;seeTable3).
TheauthorsalsoexaminedmethodsmostfrequentlyusedtocarryoutPPresearchbothinthejournalsandinthesesanddissertations.Identifiedmethodsincluded:a)contentanalysisofagencies’annualreports,lawsandregulations,andpatients’records;b)literaturereviewsofpolicymodels;c)epidemiologicalanalysisofcensusdata,policedata,anddepartmentofhealthdata;d)interviews,focusgroups,andquestionnairesforprogramparticipantsand/orprogramstaff;e)psychologicaltestsrelatedtomentalhealthorchildren’scognitivedevelopment;andf)casestudies.Itisapparentthatthemostemployedmethodwasproblemanalysis,whichisconsistentwiththehighlevelsofpsychologists’participationintheproblemidentificationphase.However,throughthedecades,therehasbeenaprogressivediversificationofmethodsandtopics.
Journal Total#ofarticles/#ofPParticles
PPArticlesperdecades
Stepsinpolicyprocess
Subject
ScienceandBehavior1985-2012
119/19=16%
1980s=71990s=82000s=4
ProblemdefinitionProblemandideologicalanalysisImplementation/PilotprogramProgramevaluation
Elder’sinstitutionsEducationalreformDruguseandaddictionHealthreformParticipationinPPMentalhealth
PuertoRicanJournalofPsychology1983-2014
251/17=7%
1980s=11990s=22000s=14
Crime/violenceMentalhealthLicensingofpsychologistsDruguseandaddictionParticipationinPPEnvironment
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Years StepsinPolicyProcess Subject
1980’s Problemanalysis Civilrights;Communitydevelopment
1990’s Problem/PolicyanalysisFormulationProgramevaluation
Communitymentalhealth;HomelessnessCommunitydevelopment;HIV/AIDSprevention;Women’sjails;Conflictmediationcenters;Healthandsexuality
2000-2014 ProblemanalysisPolicyanalysisFormulationProgramevaluation
Preventionofjuveniledelinquency;HIV/AIDSprevention,Communitydevelopment;Schoolsanddiversitytraining,Mentalhealth/communitymentalhealth;Policyevaluationasprocess;Druguseanddrugaddiction;PolicyeffortinNGOs;Patients’rights;HomelessnessEnvironmentalissues-water;ParticipationinPP;Participatorydemocracy
Table34:PolicyStudiesinMAThesesandPhDDissertationsoftheUniversityofPuertoRicoSocial-CommunityProgram
Inconclusion,policyresearchbypsychologistsisnotfrequentontheIslandbuthasbeenincreasingsteadily.Mostofitisunpublishedorpublishedinacademicjournalswhicharenotusuallyasourceusedbylegislatorsfortheirwork.StudiesinPuertoRicodemonstratethatlegislatorsrelyonothersources–notprofessionaljournals-fortheirprojects(ElNuevoDía,2013).Topicsthatweremostfrequentlystudiedarestronglyrelatedtosocial/psychologicalissuesofrelevanceontheIslandincludingviolenceandcrime,HIV/AIDS,mentalhealth,andhomelessness.Morerecenttopicsincludepsychologists’participationinPP,environmentalissues,andtheparticipationofnon-governmentalorganizationsinpublicpolicy.ResearchleadsnaturallytodescribingsomepolicyworkthathasbeenimplementedontheIsland.SpecificallydetailedaretwoPRPAprojects,andothereffortsbyorganizationsandindividuals.
Practice
EffortsofthePRPA
ThefirstexamplespresentedaretwoeffortsspearheadedbythePRPA:ProposalswithoutColorsandaCleanElectoralCampaign.ProposalswithoutColorswasthefirstinitiativeoftheCPPP.Itwasacoordinatedefforttoprovidepublicpolicyproposalsfrompsychologistsandpsychologystudentstogubernatorialcandidatesofthe2008electoralcampaign.Theinitiativewasannouncedinapressconference.PublichearingstoreceivepolicyproposalswerecarriedoutintworegionsoftheIsland.Theseproposalswereanalyzedandstreamlinedbyagroupofexpertsfromvariousdisciplinesineachcontentarea:mentalhealth,education,andviolence.Theresultingdocumentwasgiventothefourgubernatorialcandidates(CPPP,2008).Meetingswithsomeofthecandidatesorwiththeirstaffwereconductedandthedocumentwaspresentedtothecountryinanotherpressconference.Finally,theCPPPevaluatedhowmanyoftheirproposalswereincorporatedintoeach
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party’splatform.Theinclusionofproposalsvariedacrossparties.Asaresultofthiseffort,thePRPAreceivedmanycommunicationsfromitsmembersandindividualsfromotherdisciplinessupportingtheeffortandlendinglegitimacytotheparticipationoftheorganizationinPPprocesses.
Duringthe2012electoralprocess,thePRPAimplemented“CampañaElectoraldeAltura”(CleanorRespectfulElectoralCampaign)topromoteethicalstandardsforthepoliticaldebateduringtheelectoralprocess(Pérez,Rodríguez,&Serrano-García,2014).Thecampaignincludeda)avideospotpublishedinsocialmediaandotheroutlets5(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ijl7XFDvsg),b)distributionof5,000flyersinallmajorcitieswiththeexpectedethicalstandards,c)meetingswithgubernatorialcandidatesand/ortheirstaffers,d)meetingswithotherprofessionalorganizationstogaintheirsupport,e)evaluationsofgubernatorialTVdebates,andf)newspapercolumns.TwoeditorialsintheIsland’smostimportantnewspapersupportedthecampaign.Hence,forthepasttwoelectionsthePRPAhasremainedanimportantvoiceinpublicdebate.
EffortsfromNon-GovernmentalOrganizations
CommunitypsychologistshavealsodirectedothermajoreffortsontheIslandfocusedonfosteringmodelsofparticipatorydemocracy.OneisledbyCumbreSocial(http://cumbresocialpr.org),whichfacilitatespeople’sinvolvementinsocialproblemidentification,policyformulation,andimplementation.TheorganizationiscurrentlyheadingparticipatorybudgetingprocessesintwoofPuertoRico’smajorcities.Presently,thereisanothernationalinitiativecalledAgendaCiudadanaorCitizen’sAgenda(http://agendaciudadanapr.com).Thisorganizationfacilitatescitizen’sparticipationindevelopingpoliciesineducation,health,environment,safetyandsecurity,andeconomicdevelopment.DuringthetwopastelectoralperiodstheyheldpopularassembliesaroundtheIsland,whichledto
proposalsforgubernatorialcandidates.Duringtheyearsbetweenelections,theydevotedmucheffortandresourcestoaccountabilityoftheentitiesthatcommittedtofurtheringtheirproposals.
EffortsthroughPrivatePractice
Othercommunitypsychologistsengageinproblemdefinition,policyanalysis,strategicplanning,andprogramevaluationwithintheirprivateconsultingfirms.OnesuchfirmisÉnfasis.Communityandsocialpsychologists,aswellaseconomistsandplanners,carryoutresearch,organizational,andprogramevaluations;provideinformationtopolicymakers;performeconomicanalysis;developstrategicplanning;andprovidetraining(http://www.enfasispr.com).OntheotherhandCOATTI,Inc.–whichincludescommunity,clinicalandorganizationalpsychologistsinitsstaff–providestechnicalsupport,performsresearch,facilitatesprogramdevelopmentandstrategicplanning,providestraining,andengagesinprogramevaluation(http://coattipr.com).
GovernmentalPrograms
Communitypsychologistshavealsobeenactiveincreatingandrunninggovernmentalprograms.TheConflictMediationCentersoftheJudicialBranchareoneexample(http://www.ramajudicial.pr/negmed/Centros_Mediacion/index.htm).Thesewerecreatedin1983andstartedwithjustoneCenterinSanJuan.Sincethen,theyhaveflourishedasanon-judicialalternativetosolvingcivildisputesin14centersacrosstheIsland.Asimilareffortwasinitiatedin1976tocreatetheCentersforPreventionofDomesticViolence,providingservicestowomenandtheirchildrenwhoarevictimsofdomesticviolenceaswellastoofferpreventiveservicesrelatedtotheissue(http://www.salud.gov.pr/Dept-de-Salud/Pages/Unidades-Operacionales/Secretaria-Auxiliar-de-Salud-Familiar-y-Servicios-Integrados/Centro-de-Ayuda-a-Victimas-de-Violacion.aspx).These
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alsobeganwithonecenterandnowhavefivearoundtheIsland,wherevariouscommunitypsychologistswork.
Overall,manypsychologistsarenowactiveinPPprocesses.Communitypsychologistshaveplayedaleadingroleandmanygaintheirlivelihoodintheseendeavors.Mosteffortsarespearheadedfromwithinnon-governmentalorganizations,fosteringbottom-uppublicpolicies.Aswithresearch,thePRPAhashadavitalroleinpromotingandlegitimizingtheseeffortsamongallspecialties.
Training
Ifcommunitypsychologistswanttoincreasetheparticipationofpsychologistsinpublicpolicy,itisessentialthatstudentsreceivetrainingrelatedtotheseprocesses.Serrano-Garcíaandcolleagues(2005)carriedoutaresearchprojectin2004tofindoutwhat,ifany,preparationgraduatestudentsinpsychologywerereceivingrelatedtoPP.Thisstudyhadaqualitativecomponentwherepsychologyprogramcurriculumswereanalyzedtoidentifypublicpolicyrelatedcoursesandprogramdirectorswereinterviewedtogathertheirimpressionsabouttheimportanceofthiscontentarea.TheauthorsidentifiedonlyonegraduateelectivecourseofferedattheSocial-CommunityPsychologyProgramattheUniversityofPuertoRico.Whenprogramdirectorswereinterviewedtheystatedthatpublicpolicyshouldbetaughtinundergraduateandgraduateprogramsbutthatitwouldbehardtointegratethemintheircurriculumsasitisnotapriorityforaccreditation(Serrano-García,etal,2005).
Afollow-upofthisstudywascarriedoutin2014(Serrano-García,2014).Onlyfiveof20graduateprogramscurrentlyoffercoursesrelatedtoPP.Someofthetopicsincludelaborrelations,administrationofmentalhealthprograms,andexperttestimonyinthecourts.TheUPRprogramstilloffersanelectivecourseinwhichfewstudentsenroll.Programdirectorsnotedthatstudentstakecourses
outsideofpsychology,buthardlyeverrelatedtoPP.Althoughtheprogramdirectorsstatedin2004thatthereshouldbemoretraininginPP,therehasbeennoincreaseincourseofferingsorotherexperiencesinthetenyearsbetweenthesestudies.
EffortsbyPRPA
Aswithpreviousareas,thePRPAhasalsocontributedtotraining.OncetheCPPPwascreateditsetouttodevelopamodelsyllabusforaPsychologyandPublicPolicycourse.Thissyllabuscouldbeusedbyundergraduateandgraduateprogramstodeveloptheirownortoincludethecourseintheirofferings.ThesyllabuswaspresentedtoprogramdirectorsandhasbeenmadeavailablethroughthePRPA.Recently,thesyllabuswasfirstusedtoteachanundergraduatelevelcourseatUniversityofPuertoRico,Mayagüezcampus.Twenty-fourstudentswereenrolledinthecourseandgaveexcellentend-of-semesterevaluations.TheyalsopresentedabouttheirexperiencesinaPoliticalScienceconference.AmodifiedversionofthesyllabuswillalsobeusedtoteachacourseatthegraduatelevelforclinicalpsychologystudentsatthePonceSchoolofMedicineandHealthSciences.
TheCPPPalsoofferedvariouscontinuingeducationcoursestodevelopspecificskillspsychologistsneedtoengageinpublicpolicy.TheseincludedMediaRelationsandEffectiveCommunication,HowtoinfluencePublicPolicy,andStagesofthePublicPolicyProcess.TwomembersoftheCPPPalsowroteacolumnforthePRPAbulletinincludingastep-by-stepguideabouthowtoorganizeapressconference(Figueroa&Lugo,2008).
AnotherstrategyestablishedbytheCPPPwasdevelopingapracticumsiteforSocialCommunityPsychologystudentswhowantedtoacquireexperienceinpublicpolicy.Thishands-onexperienceallowedstudentstoengageinvarioustasksincludinga)thedevelopmentofaresourcedirectoryofpsychologistswhowishedtocontributetoPRPA’spolicyinitiatives,b)aidingin
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organizingpressconferences,c)assistinginthepreparationofpressreleases,d)creatingfactsheetsonvarioustopicsande)identifyingpsychologistsfortheanalysisofkeylegislation.
ConclusionsandRecommendations
Publicpolicyparticipation,research,interventions,andtrainingareallnecessaryifpsychologistswanttocontributetothegoalsofcommunitypsychologyandtoimprovetheworldinwhichwelive.Theseinterventionsshouldbeguidedbypsychologicalexpertiseandvaluesandshouldbesupportedbyresearchfromallspecialties.Theyshouldnotbeseenastheexclusivepurviewofcommunitypsychologists.
InPuertoRico,psychologistshavebeenincreasinglyaugmentingtheirparticipationatthislevelofintervention.Mainforcesleadingtothisincreasehavebeena)thesocial-communitygraduateprogramanditsgraduates,b)contributionsfromPuertoRicanClinicalCommunityPsychologiststrainedintheUnitedStateswhonowworkinPuertoRico,c)researchanditsdisseminationaboutpsychologists’participationinpublicpolicy,andd)theactiveroleofthePRPA,inparticularitsCPPP.Unfortunately,despitetheseadvances,trainingprogramsstilllagbehindinprovidingtheeducationnecessaryforengagementinpublicpolicyprocesses,althoughafewhaveinitiatedinternshipsandcreatedcourses.Therehavebeen,however,somedevelopmentsincontinuingeducationsponsoredbythePRPA.ThecontributionsoftheCPPPhavevarieddependingonitsleadership’stime,expertiseandotherresources.InorderforpsychologyPPcontributionstocontinueitsgrowth,thesechallengesneedtobeaddressedbythePRPA.
Afirstrecommendationisrelatedtotraining.Strengtheningtrainingforworkinpublicpolicyisessential.Programsshouldstartbycreatingawarenessattheundergraduatelevelofthepossibilitiespsychologisthavetoinfluencepolicymakingwhileprovidingexamplesofsuccessstoriesinthearea.This
canbedonethroughspecificcoursesliketheonepreviouslymentioned,workshopsandsymposiumswherepsychologistscansharewithstudentstheirexperiencesinpublicpolicy,andrecommendations.Graduateprogramsshouldincludecoursesaboutpolicyissuesandworkbutshouldalsoincorporatediscussionsoftheimplicationsofpsychologicalresearch–ofallspecialties-foranalyzingsocialproblemsanddeveloping,implementingandevaluatingpolicysolutions.Trainingprogramsshouldalsoidentifypracticumandinternshipsitesrelatedtopublicpolicyfortheirstudents.Finally,itwouldbebeneficialtoresearchattitudesandskillsnecessaryforpolicyworkamongstudentsandpsychologists.Thiswouldfacilitatecreatinginterestinworkingatthislevelaswellasdevelopingexpertiseinthefield.
Anotherrecommendationfocusesontheimportanceofdisseminatingtheworkofsuccessfulrolemodelsandprograms.Thereisalotofconcernandfearthatdevotingtime,orone’scareer,topolicyisalostcauseduetothepoliticalcultureandenvironment(DíazMeléndez&Serrano-García,2012).Ifcolleaguescanseethattherearemanywhohavesucceeded,andasizeablenumberwhomaketheirlivingatthislevelofintervention,thiscouldpromotefurtherengagement.Thiscouldbeaccomplishedbyconductingqualitativeresearchtodocumenttheexperiencesofsuchindividualsandorganizingpresentationsatlocalconferencesanduniversityforumstodialoguewithprofessionalsandstudentsabouttheexperiencesofpsychologistsinpublicpolicy.ThePRPAcouldalsoincludebriefbiographiesorinterviewsofsuccessfulindividualsordescriptionsofprogramsinthepermanentcolumntheCPPPhasineveryissueoftheirnewsletter.
Finally,theauthorshavedemonstratedthatthePRPAhashadamajorroleinpromotinginvolvementinpublicpolicybypsychologist.However,thevoluntarynatureoftheAssociationchallengesitsleadershiptothink
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creativelyaboutsustainingitsCPPP.Somepossiblestrategiesmaybeto1)identifyfundstoprovideasmallfinancialincentiveforpossiblecoordinators,2)createallianceswithotherprofessionalorganizationssuchthattheirpolicyworkcanbeconsolidatedandnotfragmented,3)makepolicyapriorityforallAssociationcommittees,4)reducetheworkloadfortheCPPPandmakepolicyaninstitutionalpriority,and5)limitthescopeoftheirpolicyinterventions.ThelatterwouldnarrowtheAssociation’sinterventions,butwouldenhancetheireffectiveness.
Thissummaryshouldprovideevidenceoftheimpactthatprofessionalorganizationscanhavewhentheyincludepolicyworkandtrainingintheiragendas.Iftheseeffortsaredoneinconjunctionwithotherpsychological,communityandgovernmentorganizations,chancesforsuccessincreaseexponentiallyandthus,shouldbepromoted.
Communitypsychologistsareparticularlypreparedtospearheadeffortsinpublicpolicy(SCRA,2012).Assuchtheyshouldcontinueleadingthepsychologicaldisciplineintheseefforts,andgainsupportfromotherspecialtiesanddisciplines.LessonslearnedinPuertoRicocanserveasexamplesforothercountries.Ifcommunitypsychologistsarecommittedtosocialjusticeandchange,theyshouldcontinuetopavetheroadthathasbeeninitiatedbymanyhardworking,committedandsuccessfulcolleagues.
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NOTES 1Fromthispointonthearticlewillrefertosocialandclinical-communitypsychologistsascommunitypsychologists.2Thisreferstothearticlessummarizedintheprevioussection.3Textinboldreferstosubjectsthatrepeatthemselvesinbothjournals.4Textinboldrefertotopicsthatappearinmorethanonedecade. 5ThisvideoreceivedanawardintheSocietyforCommunityResearchandAction(SCRA)VideoCompetitionatthe2013SCRABiennial.ItwaseditedbySoélixRodríguezandIrmaSerrano-García.