Abstract

Community psychology, nonprofit administration, and social work are service-oriented fields that seek to understand and solve a variety of social problems. All of these fields are value-oriented, but they use a variety of approaches to understand social issues facing individuals, families, and communities. Community psychology uses participatory action research to understand the relationships between individuals and their communities, social work is practice-oriented and seeks to empower and liberate all people, and nonprofit administration explores the governance and leadership of nonprofit organizations. Information about the basic duties of professionals in these fields is readily available; however, individuals interested in the aforementioned fields may desire to learn more about the skills and best practices of professionals in service-oriented fields. To address this need, five interviews were conducted with professionals in community psychology, nonprofit administration, and social work to ascertain information about the professional skills, strategies, and tools required for success in their fields. The interviews revealed the importance of critical thinking, written, and oral communication skills, in addition to building culturally relevant relationships/partnerships with communities and/or clients.

Recommended Citation

Murray, Eliza (2014) "An Exploration of Service-Oriented Fields," Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal: Vol. 1: Iss. 16, Article 7.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/psych_journals/vol1/iss16/7