Professional practice out of the urban context: Defining Canadian rural psychology

Judith Malone

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

There is an often unacknowledged difference between urban and rural practice in psychology which lacks clarity, in part, because of the lack of a common definition of rurality. Rural psychology in Canada presents complex and nuanced aspects of professional practice. The professional and social milieus of rural communities position the practising psychologist within a context that may differ vastly from urban settings. The rural context highlights the need to define this specific practice setting. This paper proposes a tentative definition of rural Canadian professional practice in psychology. This is meant to elucidate the distinct practice, training, and ethical considerations that may be the realities of the psychologists who are in professional practice in rural Canada. Rural professional practice is unique and Canadian training programs are urban-based. Training of future psychologists needs to acknowledge the unique features of rural practice to meet our obligations to students specifically and to rural Canadians generally. This is enhanced with a shared definition of rural professional practice in psychology.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)289-295
Number of pages7
JournalCanadian Psychology
Volume52
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2011

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