MA in Clinical Psychology, Applied Community Psychology Specialization

Foster community health for individual success.

Engaging in community based work and supporting powerful organizations helps to serve diverse cultural populations. While students in this field can choose to work with a seemingly infinite number of organizations each pursuing their own unique goals, we equip you with the fundamental skills of program development and evaluation, prevention and promotion, and professional consultation and collaboration. This specialization combines traditional coursework with real-world field experience to work toward championing the community change you wish see. This degree is offered by AU Los Angeles.

Program Overview

The Applied Community Psychology Specialization provides you both the clinical and non-clinical program opportunities to develop community practice skills. You will also learn how to develop and implement psycho-educational groups and in-service training workshops. The specialization may also be completed as a free-standing Certificate in Applied Community Psychology. https://youtu.be/w9bb0W5brTI The Applied Community Psychology program emphasizes academic excellence and real-world applications of community practice skills, combined with individualized attention to the professional development needs of specialization students. The specialization employs a professional development model that provides you with ongoing support and career development opportunities. These efforts have been recognized by the largest member organization of community psychologists, the Society for Community Research and Action (Division 27 of the American Psychological Association), honoring the Applied Community Psychology Specialization with the 2010 Outstanding Program Award and its director, Dr. Sylvie Taylor, with the 2008 Outstanding Educator Award.

Licensure Information

This program is designed to lead to state licensure. 

Additional Licensure Information

Professional Developmental Model

Core to the specialization’s philosophy is the commitment to ensuring that our students leave the program with marketable skills that will make them stand out against the professional competition. The Applied Community Psychology Specialization formalized a comprehensive Professional Development Model designed to maximize the capacity of our students to prepare for their future careers.

Degree Requirements

Specialization Courses (17 units)

• Field Study in ACP
• Community Consultation and Collaboration
• Program Development and Evaluation
• Prevention and Promotion
• Psychoeducational Groups
• ACP Electives (3 Units)

For detailed curriculum and degree requirements, please visit the AULA catalog.

Speakers Bureau

The Community Partnership Speakers Bureau is a community service sponsored by the Applied Community Psychology Specialization. The Speakers Bureau links community-based organizations and public schools with graduate student speakers who conduct workshops on a variety of issues that impact wellness in our communities. The services of the speakers are provided free of charge. (Donations are accepted to defray the cost of materials.)  Speakers are available to provide brief workshops or more lengthy trainings on a variety of topics of interest to both staff and client populations of community-based organizations, and to administrators, teachers, school staff, parents, and students in public schools. Since its inception in May of 2004, the Speakers Bureau has conducted over 900 workshops and in-service trainings, serving over 20,000 people in the greater Los Angeles area. For five consecutive years (2007 – 2011), Antioch University Los Angeles was named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Honor Roll was established in 2006 “to recognize institutions of higher education that support innovative, effective, and exemplary community service programs.” The award is the “highest recognition an institution can receive for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement.” The activities of the Community Partnership Speakers Bureau were instrumental in garnering this honor for the University.

More Information

Some of the organizations that our students have collaborated with include:

• Los Angeles Mayor’s Crisis Response Team
• Village Health Foundation
• The Relational Center
• Catholic Charities
• Westside Regional Center
• Well Baby Center
• Make a Wish Foundation-Los Angeles
• Ocean Park Community Center
• Center for Non-Violent Parenting
• The Usual Suspects

If you would like to learn more about Applied Community Psychology, check out our article on Values-Driven Pedagogy or contact Dr. Sylvie Taylor.