Department of Psychology
Duquesne's Psychology Department proposes to
expand and institutionalize services of the Psychology
Clinic in the Hill District. The Psychology Clinic
offers low-cost psychotherapy and assessment services
to the greater Pittsburgh area. Staffed by advanced
graduate student therapists under the direct supervision
of licensed clinical psychologists, the clinic
is the primary training facility of the Ph.D.
program in clinical psychology at Duquesne University.
As part of their clinical training, these therapists
receive instruction and supervision in culturally
sensitive, community-based mental health service.
Working with the Hill District Community Collaborative
(a consortium of social service providers operating
in the Hill District), the Psychology Clinic will
expand its mission to provide an outreach program
for Hill District residents. This will enable
the clinic's therapists to provide services to
low-income African-American clients. As part of
this outreach program, the clinic will open a
satellite office in Hill House, located on Centers
Avenue in the Hill District, or another suitable
location. In addition to providing initial evaluations
and psychotherapy at this site, this satellite
office will allow therapists to collaborate with
other agencies and programs in Hill House. Along
these lines, we will develop a collaborative relationship
with the Hill District office of Western Psychiatric
Institute and Clinic (WPIC). This collaboration
will allow for the integration of psychotherapy
provided by the clinic with case management, psychiatric
evaluation, and follow-up services through WPIC.
The Psychology Clinic operates under the direction
of Dr. Russell Walsh, who is also chair-elect
of Duquesne's Psychology Department. Dr. Brad
Lewis serves as consulting psychiatrist.
Sequence of Tasks
Early tasks will be to secure space for the
clinic; produce promotional pamphlets, business
cards, and other materials; and continue to take
part in the Hill District Community Collaborative
to strengthen and develop appropriate working
relations with other agencies working with families
in the Hill District and Uptown. Assignment of
student therapists and supervisors will proceed
immediately.
Impact Objectives
The Psychology Clinic in the Hill District will
have two important objectives.
The first is to provide psychotherapy for a population
that often receives only crisis management. Each
of the approximately ten therapists in the clinic
will counsel some four clients at any given time.
Success will consist of those clientscontinuing
for an average of ten sessions. Since the psychological
literature documents that African-Americans vastly
underutilized psychotherapeutic services (the
modal number of visits that African-Americans
make to a therapist is one), that number of repeat
visits would be a significant service and accomplishment.
The second objective is to train therapists
to provide more culturally sensitive, community-based
health services. Attainment of this goal, also,
will be reflected by clientspersistence with counseling
at the clinic.
Duplication and Appropriateness
The services the Psychology Clinic will offer
in the Hill District do not duplicate any other
service. In fact, they are highly complementary
to services being offered by other agencies. For
example, the Psychology Clinic is cooperating
with Dolores Howse Treatment Center, which provides
detoxification and substance abuse treatment,
but cannot offer ongoing counseling, which it
will refer to the Psychology Clinic. The clinic
will also partner with Families Facing the Future,
which intervenes to assist at-risk children, but
cannot treat their parents, which it will refer,
as appropriate, to the Psychology Clinic. Western
Pennsylvania Institute and Clinic manages crises
through case management and prescription of medications,
but is unable to follow through with intensive
counselling, which it will refer to the Psychology
Clinic.
As explained above, the Psychology Clinic is
an integral part of the education of clinicians
at Duquesne and by its nature is appropriate for
a school that trains psychotherapists for work
in diverse communities.
Contact: Dr.
Constance Fischer or call 412-396-5073
Project
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