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Articles

Vol. 8 No. 1 (2017)

The System: A Multilevel Social Service Simulation

Submitted
June 6, 2023
Published
2017-03-24

Abstract

Community psychology practice competencies emerged in an effort to provide guidance to the field of community psychology and training programs seeking to provide students with meaningful opportunities to develop a depth and breadth of practice skills. As a teacher of community psychology practice over the past eleven years, the author has consistently faced challenges in teaching the Ecological Perspectives, listed as number 1 under Foundational Principles – “The ability to articulate and apply multiple ecological perspectives and levels of analysis in community practice” (Dalton, & Wolfe, 2012, p. 10). This paper describes a multilevel social service simulation exercise as a teaching tool for community psychology practice competencies within an academic setting. The simulation focuses on Ecological Perspectives and the role of Social Power Dynamics in Systems Change. Suggested curricular content is also included to follow the simulation debriefing.