Community Mental Health and Behavioral-Ecology : A Handbook of Theory

This volume is addressed to professionals and students in community mental health-including researchers, clinicians, administrators, educa- tors, and students in relevant specialities within the fields of psychology, psychiatry, social work, public health, and nursing. The intent of this book is to serve as a practical resource for professionals and also as a di- dactic text for students. In addition, -the volume seeks to make a theoret- ical contribution to the field by presenting, for the first time in book form, a behavioral-ecological perspective in community mental health. We present behavioral-ecology as an emerging perspective that is concerned with the interdependence of people, behavior, and their sociophysical environments. Behavioral-ecology attributes mental health problems to transactions between persons and their settings, rather than to causes rooted exclusively within individuals or environments. In this vol- ume we advance the notion of behavioral-ecology as an integration of two broad perspectives--behauioral approaches as derived from the indi- vidual psychology of learning, and ecological approaches as encompassing the study of communities, environments, and social systems. Through the programs brought together in this book we are arguing for a merging of these two areas for purposes of advancing theory, research, and prac- tice in community mental health.