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PSC Newsletter

"A message from our Director - Dr. Matthew Calamia: We are excited to share our first annual LSU Psychological Services Center (PSC) newsletter with you, and to provide some updates on the latest developments and activities in our clinic. The LSU PSC has provided clinical services to the community for over 45 years. We provide many of our services on a sliding scale based on income to make them more easily accessible to those in need. Our graduate student clinicians provide a range of assessment and therapy services to children and adults under the supervision of licensed providers. Our graduate student clinicians include those enrolled in LSU’s PhD in Clinical and School Psychology Programs, Master of Social Work Program, and Master of Education in Counseling with a Concentration in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. We hope you enjoy learning more about our services, partnerships, and outreach!" Header: "Psychological Services Center" with LSU mounds background. Left: "Newsletter Spring 2024" with image of Dr. Calamia and Memorial Tower icon

“Our Services†(tiger stripe header background) “The PSC is housed in Johnston Hall†(image of Johnston Hall) “The Psychological Services Center (PSC) is housed with the Department of Psychology at LSU. The PSC is the on-campus training clinic for the clinical and school psychology doctoral programs. Our graduate student clinicians provide services to clients under the close supervision of faculty members who are licensed psychologists. The PSC embraces LSU’s efforts to improve the health and well-being of citizens in Louisiana. Assessment Services: Our adult assessment services including psychoeducation and neuropsychological evaluations for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning problems, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Alzheimer's disease and other causes of dementia. Our child and adolescent assessment services include gift testing, evaluations for children with behavior problems, and evaluations for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning problems, and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Therapy Services: Our adult therapy services include individual and group therapy for depression, prolonged grief, trauma, and anxiety; treatment of alcohol and drug related problems and treatment for smoking cessation; and interventions for adults diagnoses with ADHD to improve executive functioning skills in daily life (e.g., time management and organization). Our child and adolescent therapy services include individual therapy for anxiety, depression, and other concerns; group therapy for social skills training; and parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) for children with behavioral problems.â€

PCIT header with tiger stripe background. Image of Dr. Amy Mikolajewski and her team. “Parent-Child Interaction Therapy - Dr. Mikolajewski and her practicum team have brought a new service to the PSC. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based treatment that aims to strengthen the caregiver-child relationship and teach caregivers how to use effective commands and behavior management techniques. PCIT differs from other evidence-based treatments for child behavior problems through its use of live coaching by therapists as caregivers interact with their children. Since its start last fall, the team has helped aggressive, defiant, and disruptive young children learn to regulate their emotions and improve family and peer relationships. The team is currently accepting clients (parents and their children, ages 2.5-6) from the greater Baton Rouge area and beyond.â€

“Partner Spotlight†header with tiger stripe background. “Southern Smoke Foundation - The PSC is honored to be a partner in the Behind You program through the Southern Smoke Foundation to provide a service that acknowledges and addresses the unique pressures faced by employees in the Food and Beverage (F&B) industry. Louisiana is a state where the F&B industry is a major part of our cultural identity. This program provides immediate relief through counseling for a group in need and invests in the future of mental health care by supporting psychology clinic trainees. The clients referred by Southern Smoke consistently attend counseling week after week, giving our student clinicians opportunities to work with a diverse population, and a sense of fulfillment. “I spent a lot of time in the service sector prior to starting graduate school, so it’s been meaningful to help clients work through some of the same experiences I had during that time of my life.†– Kat Glasser, Social Work Intern “From a training perspective, the variability in presenting concerns has provided excellent training by giving me a chance to support clients through various difficulties in their lives. Additionally, many clients have reported that they would not have access to these services if it wasn’t for the Behind You program, which is what has made this experience the most rewarding.†– Hannah Chapman, Clinical Psychology Graduate Studentâ€

“Partner Programs†with tiger stripe header “The PSC has expanded training opportunities beyond clinical and school PhD students in the psychology program to support other training programs at LSU. Here are our current interns from those programs.†“Clinical Mental Health Counseling†Image of Payton Silburn (left) “Payton, who previously was an undergraduate research assistant and student worker at the PSC, looks forward to learning clinical skills that will help him attain his goal of working with adolescents going through traumatic experiences.†Image of Rachanda Smith (right) “Rachanda chose the PSC to develop her counseling skills and to interact with others in the field. She intends to open a private practice upon attaining her LPC.†“School of Social Work†Image of Ja’Kaila Jackson (left) “Ja’Kaila’s goal is to learn different theories, resources, and building new clients and social worker relationships so that she can realize her goal of obtaining her LCSW.†Image of Kat Glasser (right) “Kat’s goal is to get her PhD in social work, specifically in health disparities and comparing outcomes in underserved populations to influence policy one day.â€

“Music Partnerships†header with tiger stripe background. “College of Music and Dramatic Arts (CMDA)/LSU Band†Image of Chris Reed, Lead Clinician “For the last year, the LSU College of Music and Dramatic Arts (CMDA) and the Matthew Bahlinger Memorial Fund supported a dedicated graduate assistantship at the PSC to provide free mental health services for CMDA students and students in any LSU affiliated bands. In August, that graduate assistant, Christopher Reed, attended classes and practices to introduce himself to students and reduce the fear and intimidation of making the first call for an appointment. The demand for services has been consistently high and to meet that need two graduate assistants will provide these services in the 2024-2025 academic year.†“Drs. Tucker and Hill held a training session for Tiger Band section leaders on how to support peers who may be having mental health problems or suicidal thoughts. Section leaders learned ways of identifying when a peer may need help, how to engage those peers in conversation around mental health and suicide, and how to help keep them safe and get them professional support.†Images of Dr. Ryan Hill, Faculty Supervisor, and Dr. Ray Tucker, Faculty Supervisor

“Other Programs†header with tiger stripe background (left) “LSU Title IX and Student Government†Image of co-facilitators and observer “The LSU Office of Civil Rights & Title IX, Student Government and the Psychological Services Center are partnering to offer students who have experienced interpersonal violence a free and confidential support group, meeting weekly in Johnston Hall. The Student Survivors of Interpersonal Violence Support Group will provide LSU undergraduate and graduate students a place to connect with other students with similar experiences. Co-facilitators Hope Dawan and Hannah Chapman lead the group, and are committed to providing students with a space to heal.†Tiger eye logo (right) “Student Advocacy and Accountability†Image of Dr. Julie Buckner, Faculty Supervisor “For over 15 years, the Office of Student Advocacy and Accountability and the Office of Resident Life have partnered with the Psychological Services Center to provide evidence-based clinical services for students who have violated campus alcohol or drug use policies and/or for students about whom these offices have concerns about a student’s mental health. Under the clinical supervision of Dr. Julie Buckner, these students undergo a comprehensive psychosocial evaluation and personalized treatment recommendations are made to best help these students learn skills to manage their substance use and/or mental health symptoms. Psychotherapy is provided in individual and group formats.â€

“Community Outreach I†header with tiger stripe background (left) Image of the Neuropsychometric Research Group at the 3rd annual SBAHF at Pennington Biomedical Research Center “Clinicians from the PSC will be working with Brain Injury Association of Louisiana to conduct qualitative research on those with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) to identify mental health care needs and barriers to care. These research efforts will work to better inform individualized interventions for mental health in this population.†(right) “Dr. Calamia and students on his PSC practicum team attended the 3rd annual Senior Black American Health Fair at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center to provide brief cognitive screenings. This year the practicum team completed 65 memory screenings for the community. LSU undergraduate and graduate students also provided virtual reality sessions for people so they could relax and virtually travel to a fun location. Dr. Calamia also gave a talk at the fair on ways to reduce risk for cognitive decline using research supported methods and practical applications we can apply to our lives for healthy living.†Image of Katrail Davis and Luke Miller at the 2024 Brain Injury Association of Louisiana (BIALA) Conference

“Community Outreach II†header with tiger stripe background Image of Caroline Scherzer, Katie Thomas, Mary Snellings, and Dr. Sonia Blauvelt “Our clinicians, including members of the Buckner team, had a wonderful time volunteering at Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Wellness Day for Women. They conducted mental health screenings and provided community members with local resources. They also conversed with women about their experiences with mental health symptoms and were able to connect them with evidence-based treatment options available in the Baton Rouge area.â€

“Research†header with tiger stripe background “APTC Award Winner†(Left) Image of Lead Author, Anthony Robinson (right) “Our PSC was awarded the Association of Psychology and Training Clinics (APTC) Clinic Research Award at the annual APTC conference in San Diego, California. This award was created to honor clinics that are conducting important research in their training clinics. This research was led by Anthony Robinson, a graduate student in Dr. Calamia’s lab. Anthony published three first authored peer-reviewed articles in the last year on how to improve psychological assessment for ADHD in adults.†(Left) “Published Authors†“Courtney Goetz, Taylor Miller, and Dr. Frick published an article in Psychological Assessment, a leading journal in clinical psychology. Their work focused on the assessment of limited prosocial emotions (LPE) which are associated with severe and treatment-resistant behavior problems. Using a sample of children and adolescents seen at the PSC, they found that an interview developed by Dr. Frick is a reliable and valid tool that adds valuable information to the clinical assessment of LPE.†Images of Courney Goetz and Dr. Paul Frick, Faculty Supervisor (right) “Successful Defense†Image of Taylor Miller “Taylor Miller conducted her master’s thesis at the PSC examining different effects of specific forms of discipline on children. She will be presenting these results at the 2024 biennial conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy (SSSP) in Cyprus.â€

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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