Important Note
We are NOT the Clark University Center for Counseling and Personal Growth (CPG). The services provided by the Psychology Department are separate and distinct from the Center for Counseling and Personal Growth. We are a training program offering limited therapy and assessment services conducted by doctoral students. Due to the small number of trainees, there is limited space in our programs each year. To contact CPG, please visit their webpage or call 508-793-7678.
The Psychological Services Training Program is part of the Psychology Department at Clark University. We offer psychological services directly and at no cost to eligible participants.
Clinical services are provided by second- and third-year interns enrolled in our doctoral program in clinical psychology working directly under the supervision of the faculty. Therapists and supervisors reflect the varied population of our community in age, gender, and ethnicity. Our clinic employs a variety of therapeutic approaches, with choices made on the basis of client need and therapist orientation. Psychological testing includes cognitive evaluations and projective assessments considered appropriate to the individual client.
Location
The Psychological Services Training Program is part of the Psychology Department at Clark University, located on the third floor of Jonas Clark (JC) Hall. The Program will follow the Healthy Clark COVID Plan and may conduct some services via Telehealth. For further information, contact the clinical program administrative office at 1-508-793-7269, or dlovato@xgcr.net, during normal operating hours.
Individual Therapy
The Individual Therapy Practicum Program offers free psychotherapy services to Clark University graduate and undergraduate students, as well as Clark staff.
To be eligible, students must be currently enrolled in one of Clark’s graduate or undergraduate programs, or employed by Clark. Our program provides services for students and Clark staff who call directly or who are referred to us by others on campus. Treatment services are typically available for a limited number of students and staff each year and are made available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Potential clients are screened to ensure the program is suitable for both client and therapist and to avoid any potential conflicts related to faculty and/or teaching assistant course assignments.
Individual therapy is provided on either a short- or longer-term basis during the regular school year, with clients and therapists collaboratively deciding on the length and course of treatment. During the first visit, clients are asked to complete background information and psychological questionnaires. This helps determine the best services to fit the client’s situation. Clients are encouraged to be active in defining their therapeutic goals and to inquire about the nature of the therapy when they have questions.
All sessions are conducted via a secure telehealth platform. To facilitate supervision, the therapist will video record therapy sessions to review with the supervisor. Only people directly involved with the clinic will ever have access to recordings of therapy sessions.
Therapy sessions are scheduled during the program’s normal operating hours, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The program operates from the beginning of September through the end of May, and is closed from mid-December through mid-January. Clients are seen within a week or two after the initial contact. Clients are requested to provide advanced notice (24 hours) if any sessions must be missed.
Couple Therapy
The Couple Therapy Practicum Program offers free therapy for couples in the Worcester community who would like to strengthen and improve their relationship.
The Couple Therapy Practicum offers therapy services to couples in the Worcester community who would like to strengthen and improve their relationship. Treatment services are typically available for a limited number of clients each year and are made available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Since the clinic is primarily a training and research facility, we are not able to provide services to all that request help. To obtain services it is necessary to arrange an initial phone triage interview, and fill out informational questionnaires. After these steps have been completed, the supervisory group will meet and determine if we can provide the services needed.
The therapist will work to create a safe and productive space for couples to communicate and work through relationship issues. The goals of therapy are to:
- Improve each partner’s understanding of their relationship
- Increase acceptance and intimacy between partners
- Promote more living positive behaviors
- Increase relationship satisfaction
The first phase of therapy consists of relationship evaluation, where the therapist learns about the couple’s strengths and concerns. The second phase of therapy is the active treatment, where the therapist meets with both partners (together and individually) in weekly or bi-weekly sessions.
All sessions are conducted via a secure telehealth platform. To facilitate supervision, the therapist will record therapy sessions to review with the supervisor. Only people directly involved with the clinic will ever have access to recordings of therapy sessions.
Therapy sessions are generally scheduled during normal business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or at a time convenient for both clients and therapist. The program operates from the beginning of September through the end of May and is closed from mid-December through mid-January.
Psychological Assessment
The Psychological Assessment Practicum at Clark University offers free psychological testing to children and adults. This testing includes cognitive evaluations and projective assessment. Services are provided by second-year interns enrolled in our doctoral program in Clinical Psychology and working directly under the supervision of a licensed psychologist.
The Psychological Assessment Practicum is open to individuals in the greater Worcester area. To be eligible people must be six years of age or older and have a question that this psychological testing can help answer. The supervising psychologist can help determine whether this psychological assessment will be appropriate. Potential clients will be screened to ensure that referral questions are appropriate for this practicum. Assessment is offered to a limited number of clients.
Psychological assessments are offered in-person by teams of clinical psychology doctoral students, trained and supervised by a licensed psychologist. Once it is determined an assessment is considered appropriate to the individual, the client participates in a one-session interview and then two to three sessions of psychological testing. Feedback will be given to individuals and families after the report is completed.
Assessment appointments will be scheduled on Monday mornings between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the Clark University campus. The program will operate from September through mid-December.