PSYCHOLOGISTS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
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Blog

This is us: Psychologists for Social Change in 2018

13/7/2018

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We aim to use psychological knowledge, galvanise psychologists and support others to campaign for a more equitable and psychologically healthier society

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In our first blog post, we outlined our vision for a more equitable and psychologically healthier society. Here, we are going to talk about how PSC has been working towards this.
​
First of all, who are we? Psychologists for Social Change, PSC for ease, is a network of applied psychologists, researchers, citizens, academics, therapists and students, and anyone else who is interested in applying psychology to policy and campaigning for progressive social change. 

The group formed in London in 2014, originally as ‘Psychologists Against Austerity’, after a meeting of like-minded community psychologists. We now have groups across the UK - in Northern Ireland, Wales, and northern England. In 2017, we changed the name to Psychologists for Social Change, so it could become the umbrella group from which we could run different campaigns, with Psychologists Against Austerity being the first. Psychologists Against Austerity is still a campaign in its own right and people use both names depending on what fits best. Although PSC initially came out of a meeting of community psychologists, not all of its members define themselves as community psychologists. However, the values of PSC very much align with community psychology – namely social justice, stewardship, and community.

You can read more about the development of the group from an article that some of us wrote for Critical and Radical Social Work: An International Journal which is available here

So, what do we do?

We draw on two resources – knowledge and people – to bring psychologically-informed discussions into the mainstream. The knowledge part involves illuminating the wealth of evidence and research from all areas of psychology, sociology, and other social sciences that can be used to inform what a more equitable and psychologically healthier society might look like. We use this knowledge to inform campaigns that aim to influence social, economic, and other political policy as well as public debate. 

In terms of people, we think it is the duty of psychologists to use their skills, privilege, and resources to this end. To encourage this, we have developed training for Clinical Psychology trainees and provided supervision for policy placements. 

Using both these resources, we support progressive social change. Over the last four years, this has included: 

  • Publishing three briefing papers - on the psychological impact of austerity, basic income as an alternative social and economic policy, and how to engage the public in discussions about these issues
  • Speaking at events and conferences about these briefing papers – including launching the austerity paper at the House of Lords in March 2015
  • Encouraging psychologists to speak out politically and sharing psychological research and knowledge with campaigning allies
  • Campaigning in the 2017 general election and local elections to highlight the impact of austerity policies on health
  • Providing a psychological critique of social policies – including Richard Layard’s book ‘The Origins of Happiness’ which comments on misery and mental ill health and the government’s green paper ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision’. An open letter summarising our critique and subsequent recommendations has been signed by 1400 psychologists, teachers, social workers, and counsellors as well young people with lived experience of mental health issues and their parents.

Anyone can get involved

Anyone can join their local PSC group – you can learn about them online and find out about the next meeting. If you can’t attend the meeting, join the mailing list (scroll down to the bottom of the homepage) and you will receive emails about upcoming events, marches, and writing opportunities. There is also information on the website about how to set up your own group, should you not have one nearby.

We are often invited to contribute to book chapters or respond to journalists’ requests; these can all be done from a computer at home. Please join the mailing list and respond to requests as they come in. If you are on social media, follow our Facebook or Twitter groups for actions as they emerge. This might be writing a letter, signing a petition or encouraging you to have a conversation with a work colleague about a relevant issue over the next week. 
​
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    PSC is a network of people interested in applying psychology to generate social and political action. You don't have to be a member of PSC to contribute to the blog

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  • Home
  • About
  • Groups
    • England >
      • North East >
        • Sheffield
        • Leeds
      • North West >
        • North East
        • A North West Just Recovery following coronavirus
        • Manchester- PSPO letter
      • Midlands >
        • Midlands
        • Leicester
      • South East >
        • East Anglia
        • Hertfordshire
        • London
        • Oxford
        • Suffolk
        • Surrey
        • Sussex
      • South West >
        • Bristol and Bath
        • South West
    • Ireland
    • Northern Ireland
    • Jersey
    • Scotland
    • Wales - Cymru >
      • Elections 2021
      • Building Resilience and Community Wellbeing
      • Social and Political Causes of Poor Mental Health
      • Responding to Austerity and Mental Health in Wales - Accessible Document
    • Start a New Group
  • Blog
  • Position statements
    • UK >
      • Response to Panorama: Undercover Hospital Abuse Scandal
      • Esther McVey: PSC and RITB response
    • Cymru / Wales >
      • Connecting the Dots Report
      • Chemical Imbalance Myth
      • Review of use of dx PD
      • UK Inhumane Removal Plans
      • WG LGBT+actionplan
      • Ty Coryton
      • Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities: The Report
      • ECT Review
      • Black Lives Matter
      • COVID 19 and Internet Access
      • Save the T4CYP Programme
      • Support the Mind over matter Report
      • UN Report on Extreme Poverty in the UK Letter
    • England >
      • Psychologists for Social Change support the moratorium on school exclusions in England
      • Racism is Not Entertainment
      • Letter to Jeremy Hunt
      • UK Government Green Paper, Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision
      • Exam Crisis
    • Ireland >
      • End Direct Provision
    • Northern Ireland
    • Scotland
  • Campaigns
    • Structural racism demands a structural response
    • Embed anti-racism in the NHS
    • COVID-19 >
      • Mutual Aid
      • COVID and mental health
    • PSC Manifesto 2019
    • Visioning a new education system
    • New Savoy Conference Statement
    • Formulating Policy >
      • Origins of Happiness? PSC response
      • Basic Income: Psychological Impact Assessment
    • Preaching to the Non-Converted
    • Psychologists Against Austerity >
      • Austerity Briefing Paper
      • Everyday Austerity
    • Private Health Watch
  • Join our mailing list