Making the Social Justice Connection: Development of a Community Resource Guide

Abstract

This article describes a project developed by counseling and counseling psychology students enrolled in a Social Justice in Counseling Psychology course. The purpose of the project, a course assignment, was to integrate knowledge of social justice principles, theories, and strategies into a tangible effort to promote social justice within our community. This project entailed the creation of a community resource guide to be used by our department’s training clinic, which provides low-cost psychological services to community residents. The contexts in which the project was undertaken, including the course, department, and training clinic, are described. The development and implementation of the project are explained with emphasis on how the project was guided by a definition of social justice and by principles of advocacy and empowerment. The current status of the project is also discussed. Finally, the strengths and limitations of the project are presented and general reflections on the process of student engagement in social justice are offered.