This article explains how trauma psychologists who want to engage in evidence-based advocacy and action may benefit from methods that prioritize public problem- solving, with a focus on community-engaged research (CEnR) as one such method.
CEnR is characterized by reciprocal and mutually beneficial partnerships between academic researchers and community organizations to address community problems. The CEnR framework is designed and implemented in the context of researcher-community partnerships; as such, the findings from this approach promise to be responsive to the real-world concerns of communities seeking to address trauma. After discussing the rationale for CEnR in evidence-based advocacy and action, this article provides illustrations from the authors’ research team’s CEnR focus on access to crime victim services and legal information following interpersonal traumas. The article describes how CEnR positioned the team to be responsive in a quickly evolving sociopolitical context while providing data needed for community partners and trauma researchers to advocate for survivors and victim services. Based on this example, the article discusses potential systemic changes that could foster the increased use of CEnR strategies to address trauma-related problems in communities. (publisher abstract modified)
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