Irma Serrano-García Eduardo A. Lugo-Hernández _ Lugo GJCPP Specia… · Irma Serrano-García...

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/).

Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice Volume 7, Issue 1S February 20166

Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice, http://www.gjcpp.org/

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.



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



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.



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.



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



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



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



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



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



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.

References

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Dinitto,D.,M.,&Dye,T.R.(1987).Socialwelfare:Politicsandpublicpolicy.NewJersey:PrenticeHall.

Dobelstein,A.(1997).Socialwelfare:Policyanalysis.Chicago,IL:NelsonHall.

ElNuevoDía(2013,November10)¿Quéleenloslegisladores?[Whatdolegislatorsread?]http://www.elnuevodia.com/videos/noticias/politica/aqua©leenloslegisladores-video-152447/

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Maton,K.(2013).(Ed.)Communitypsychologyandsocialpolicy.GlobalJournalofCommunityPsychologyPractice,SpecialIssue,4(2)Retrievedathttp://www.gjcpp.org/en/article.php?issue=14

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Phillips,D.A.(2000).Socialpolicyandcommunitypsychology.InJ.Rappaport&E.Seidman(Eds.),HandbookofCommunityPsychology(pp.397-419).NY:Kluwer.

RocadeTorres,I.(2007).AlgunosprecursoresdelapsicologíaenPuertoRico:Reseñasbiográficas.[SomeprecursorsofpsychologyinPuertoRico:Biographicalreview].RevistaPuertorriqueñadePsicología,17,61-90.

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Serrano-García,I.(2014,September).Involvingpsychologistsinpublicpolicy:Processesandresults.OralpresentationattheInternationalConferenceofCommunityPsychology,Fortaleza,Brasil.

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NOTES 1Fromthispointonthearticlewillrefertosocialandclinical-communitypsychologistsascommunitypsychologists.2Thisreferstothearticlessummarizedintheprevioussection.3Textinboldreferstosubjectsthatrepeatthemselvesinbothjournals.4Textinboldrefertotopicsthatappearinmorethanonedecade. 5ThisvideoreceivedanawardintheSocietyforCommunityResearchandAction(SCRA)VideoCompetitionatthe2013SCRABiennial.ItwaseditedbySoélixRodríguezandIrmaSerrano-García.

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