James R. Allen, Program Director
(907) 474-2614 phone
ffjra@uaf.edu e-mail
(907) 474-5781 fax

For application materials contact:
Fran Pedersen
(907) 474-7007 phone
fngfp@uaf.edu e-mail
(907) 474-5781 fax

The Community Psychology Program is designed to meet the need for practitioners in rural and cross-cultural settings, and Alaskan settings in particular. The program prepares generalists who are capable of doing individual counseling, designing and evaluating community-based interventions, facilitating social change, and understanding assessment and diagnosis. The program is practice-oriented. An emphasis on cross-cultural psychology and indigenous sources of knowledge are integral to the program. It seeks to educate reflective practitioners who can integrate theory and practice along with research skills to facilitate change at the individual and community level. Prevention and treatment are seen as inseparable tasks for rural providers as they work to build intact communities and to enhance strengths and competencies of community members. The University of Alaska Fairbanks has some 800 graduate and 8000 undergraduate students from all 50 states and 35 foreign countries. Accredited by Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. UAF's schools and colleges offer degrees or certificates in more than 70 disciplines. As the state's land, sea, and space grant institution and the only Ph.D. granting university in the state, UAF offers graduate degrees in humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, and professional fields.

Because of its geographic location and the expertise of its faculty, UAF has a well-earned reputation for arctic and northern research. Students who choose UAF for their graduate education will find internationally known faculty working side by side with their students in the heart of Alaska's abundant natural and human resources.

The Community Psychology Program course offerings are in community, clinical, and cross-cultural psychology. Our commitment to training in cross-cultural psychology is unique; indigenous sources of knowledge from Native and other cultural groups are integral to the program.

The University of Alaska-Fairbanks program in Community Psychology recruits and selects a student with specific attention to insuring strong diversity among students. The program is offered to students both on the Fairbanks campus and in rural Alaska, thereby insuring a mix of ethnicity, strong background in practice, and particular attention to rural and Alaska Native need. Students choose a variety of venues for taking courses including distance delivered audio conferencing over a semester, two week intensive sessions, and summer courses for two to three weeks in duration. Students currently have interests in areas such as gay and lesbian issues, prevention of AIDS, community models for serving the chronologically mentally ill, veterans and PTSD, cultural identity, and culture patterns. Designing of preventive and treatment interventions. Faculty work with community agencies including regionally and statewide Alaska Native groups and agencies and volunteer groups who serve diverse constituencies. Core faculty have a long history of research and practice addressed to underserved populations, and cross-cultural issues in prevention and service provision. All courses and research integrate gender, cultural, and individual differences. Gay and Lesbian issues are also part of a number of courses.