AN OVERVIEW OF COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
WHAT IS A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE?
A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a concern or a passion for
something they do, and interact about it on a regular basis. In doing so they get learn how to do
it better, contributing to others' learning as they do so. There are three key elements in a CoP.
They are (Wenger, 2013)1:
The domain. Members are brought together by a learning need they share
The community. Their collective learning becomes a bond among members over time
The practice. Their interactions produce resources that affect members' practice
A CoP is held together by the “learning value” members find in their interactions. In order for a
CoP to be successful, you need five distinct factors: focus, leadership, input, commitment, and
open forums. It is the ongoing learning that sustains members' mutual commitment. CoP
members may come from different organizations or perspectives, but they come together to
learn, and the focus of learning through a community is what keeps members connected. They
invest time, they share knowledge, they belong, and they generate practice improvements
which benefit them, the organizations they work within, and the people they serve.
WHY WILL MASSPRA DEVELOP A COP?
A key component of the MassPRA mission and vision involves enhancing the capacity of the
recovery workforce. MassPRA will support the behavioral health workforce in Massachusetts,
including both current force and future practitioners, by enhancing the professional identities
of workers providing psychiatric rehabilitation services. We will foster a “lifelong learning”
approach to skill development by linking continuing education opportunities to crossorganizational learning communities. Communities of Practice help members enhance the
greater overall capacity of the mental health system by sharing knowledge and expertise across
organizational lines.
WHAT WILL MASSPRA COP LOOK LIKE?
The first MassPRA CoP will involve 25 individuals to develop the SAMHSA-endorsed practice of
wellness coaching2 to foster overall well-being. It incorporates the emotional, financial, social,
spiritual, occupational, physical, intellectual, and environmental aspects of a person's life. This
is especially important for people with mental health and substance use conditions because
wellness directly relates to the quality and longevity of life. Wellness competencies are the
newest domain of competency in the test plan for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioners3 and
have become a hot topic throughout the behavioral health field of practice. The focus on
facilitating practitioners' interpersonal and domain-specific skills is designed to yield results in
the eight wellness domains, which encompass the presence of a purpose in life, active
involvement in satisfying work and play, meaningful relationships, a healthy body and living
environment, and self-mastery.
1
http://wenger-trayner.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/06-Brief-introduction-to-communities-of-practice.pdf
http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA10-4568/SMA10-4568.pdf
3
http://psychrehabassociation.org/sites/default/files/2014_CPRP_Exam_Blueprint.pdf
2