Application for Community Engaged Therapists

We are writing a book on “the Citizen Therapist,” to be published by the American Psychological Association. In addition to featuring our own work in community engagement, we will highlight and describe the work of other therapists who have a “public practice” in addition to their clinical practice. 

Although there are lot of ways for therapists to do good work outside their office (advocacy, writing, podcasts, etc.), our focus is on a particular form of engagement in which the therapists help community members who are dealing with a challenge (health, social, or otherwise) connect with one another and develop activities together. The citizen therapist is involved and helps but does not “run the show” or collect fees for professional services. 

In other words, this is about community building around problems and concerns. The citizen therapist plays an instigator or catalytic role in bringing people together and developing their own leaders. They activate and empower more than they direct and decide.

If you believe your community engagement work might fit this description, we’d love to hear from you. We will consider profiling you and your work efforts in our book when it comes out in 2023, and on a website that will feature citizen therapist work and offer free training and networking.

We’re looking for citizen therapists to celebrate in our book and elsewhere.

If you see a fit and would like to take the next step, please complete the information below and hit the “submit” button.

Bill Doherty and Tai Mendenhall, University of Minnesota