Community psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on understanding and addressing social, environmental, and systemic factors that influence individual and community well-being. Rather than focusing solely on individual-level factors, community psychology emphasizes the importance of context, collaboration, empowerment, and social justice in promoting mental health, resilience, and social change.

Key aspects of community psychology include:

1. Ecological Perspective: Community psychology adopts an ecological perspective that emphasizes the interconnectedness between individuals and their social, cultural, economic, and physical environments. It considers the impact of social structures, institutions, policies, and systems on individual and community well-being, recognizing that social problems are often rooted in larger systemic issues.
2. Prevention and Promotion: Community psychology emphasizes prevention and promotion efforts aimed at enhancing mental health, resilience, and quality of life at the community level. It focuses on identifying and addressing risk factors, protective factors, and social determinants of health that contribute to mental health disparities, such as poverty, unemployment, discrimination, social isolation, and access to resources and services.
3. Community Empowerment: Community psychology promotes community empowerment, participation, and collaboration as key strategies for promoting social change and collective action. It engages community members as active agents in identifying priorities, setting goals, and implementing interventions to address community needs and enhance community capacity. It also fosters partnerships with diverse stakeholders, including grassroots organizations, advocacy groups, policymakers, and service providers, to create sustainable and equitable solutions.
4. Social Justice and Advocacy: Community psychology is grounded in principles of social justice, human rights, and equity. It advocates for policies and practices that promote social inclusion, diversity, and equality, while challenging systems of oppression, discrimination, and marginalization. It addresses issues such as poverty, racism, sexism, ableism, heterosexism, and environmental injustice through advocacy, activism, and community organizing efforts aimed at creating more just and inclusive societies.
5. Action Research and Evaluation: Community psychology employs action research and evaluation methodologies to assess the effectiveness of community-based interventions and initiatives. It collaborates with communities to identify needs, set goals, collect data, and evaluate outcomes, using participatory approaches that empower community members as co-researchers and co-evaluators. It also disseminates research findings and best practices to inform policy, practice, and advocacy efforts at the local, national, and global levels.
6. Cultural Competence and Diversity: Community psychology recognizes the importance of cultural competence, diversity, and intersectionality in understanding and addressing mental health disparities. It acknowledges the diverse identities, experiences, and perspectives within communities, and it strives to incorporate cultural humility, sensitivity, and responsiveness into its research, practice, and advocacy efforts to ensure inclusivity and relevance across diverse populations.

Overall, community psychology seeks to build healthier, more resilient, and more equitable communities by addressing the social, economic, and environmental factors that influence mental health and well-being. It promotes collaboration, empowerment, and social justice as core values, fostering partnerships and collective action to create positive social change and improve the quality of life for individuals and communities worldwide.