Critical human rights-based approach to applied psychology

This chapter proposes that human rights offer a tool, flawed but useful to applied psychologists, and presents a critical human rights-based approach to applied psychology, and relevant competencies for applied psychologists. Using the overarching legal discourse of human rights, at the structural level of State responsibilities and obligations, a human rights-based approach (HRBA) entails the respect, protection and application of human rights norms in accordance with the expectations of the international community. A State-enforced HRBA is nevertheless problematic, particularly when the State’s own policies and practices may have led to those very injustices and suffering. With respect to healthcare, including applied psychology, an HRBA can be understood as:the adoption of human rights as a conceptual framework for all aspects of healthcare, from policy, research, practice and monitoring. The notion of “critical” is important to address, since critical thinking is integral to all education and professional training of applied psychologists.