Shelby ReynoldsTucked away on the fourth floor of Jabara Hall, Wichita State's Psychology Clinic has quietly provided services to Wichita and surrounding communities.
But in the past year, the clinic and clinical psychology doctoral program have created some national chatter.
Based on several criteria, the program was recognized in a study by the American Psychology Association in October 2013 as one of a few 鈥渉idden gems鈥� in clinical psychology doctoral programs. Specifically, the program was noted for its ability to match students with nationally competitive, predoctoral internships.
Within this criterion, Wichita State was ranked No. 3 in the nation.
鈥淏eing recognized at the national level demonstrates how hard the faculty here have worked to create a strong program and the excellent work they do,鈥� said Steven Huprich, director of clinical training for the Ph.D. program.
Serving the community
The clinic鈥檚 primary purpose on campus is to serve as a training facility to students in the clinical psychology doctoral training program. The students are supervised by doctoral-level psychologists.
But it does much more than provide training experience, says Helen Reiner, the clinic鈥檚 director.
鈥淏y utilizing students in training, we鈥檙e able to provide services to the community at a very reduced rate,鈥� Reiner said. 鈥淲e are able to offer diagnostic and therapeutic services for children and adults, for a variety of psychological issues.鈥�
The clinic, which is located at 412 Jabara Hall, also offers psychological evaluations, anxiety support groups, psychosocial skills training and additional services. It also provides individual therapy for adults and children for a variety of concerns including depression, anxiety, grief, loss, behavioral problems and parenting.
Services are based on a sliding scale, depending on income level and ability to pay. The clinic does not accept insurance, but clients will not be turned away if they are unable to pay.
鈥淢ore and more people in the community are finding it difficult to access services at low cost,鈥� Reiner said, 鈥渁nd so we have become the primary resource for low-cost mental health services.鈥�
The clinic is a primary referral option for a number of organizations in the community, as well as collaborating with other departments on campus, such as Upward Bound, the Autism Interdisciplinary Team and 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic.
The variety of clients, Huprich said, provides real-world experience for 麻豆传媒鈥檚 psychology students.
Huprich says the clinic serves as one of many valuable training experiences which eventually makes Ph.D. students attractive to employers after graduation, such as at veterans鈥� hospitals.
鈥淥ne of the things that surprised me here is just the magnitude of how much service this clinic provides to the community,鈥� said Huprich, who is new to Wichita State this semester. 鈥淎nd yet, I don鈥檛 think a lot of folks on campus know that we鈥檙e here.鈥�
Future plans
One difference between the Psychology Clinic and the 麻豆传媒's better-known Counseling and Testing Center, Reiner said, is that the Counseling and Testing Center primarily serves students while the Psychology Clinic primarily serves the community.
For someone who isn鈥檛 familiar with the university, finding the clinic鈥檚 facilities on the fourth floor of a building in the middle of campus can be difficult. So in the future, the clinic hopes to improve signage and expand parking, as well as update its space and technological resources.
That will be important, Reiner says, because the need for mental health services is something that won鈥檛 go away.
鈥淲ith needs for mental health services growing, we wanted to recognize the outstanding work done by the 麻豆传媒 Psychology Clinic and the valuable resource 麻豆传媒 is providing to our community,鈥� Reiner said.
Because the therapists at 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Psychology Clinic are students, eventually the time comes for students to move on and discontinue their work with long-term clients.
鈥淲hen you have these relationships that become long-standing,鈥� Huprich said, 鈥渋t shows that our trainees are able to connect with their clients, and that the person being helped develops trust in the relationship. This is often a very good predictor of treatment having a good outcome.鈥�