The state-of-the-art clinic provides training for graduate psychology students, and offers mental health services to York faculty, staff, and the surrounding community.

The ceremony will take place at 8:50am in York’s Behavioural Sciences Building, Rm. 163, adjacent to the clinic. It will feature remarks from The Honourable Michael J.L. Kirby, Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, as well as comments from a graduate psychology student on the importance of the new facility.

The clinic, affiliated with York’s Faculty of Health, operates in a manner similar to a teaching hospital, with PhD students conducting counselling under the supervision of registered psychologists. Services for people of all ages – including individual, couples and family therapy – are offered.

“There is a crucial need for this clinic – both for students and the public,” says Clinic Director Louise Hartley. “We’re seeing cutbacks on all levels. Many hospitals have reduced their psychology departments, and it’s increasingly difficult for students to get the clinical training they need.” This work experience is critical for graduate students in psychology who must accumulate 1,200 hours of clinical training.

Hartley says the demand for mental health services is greater than the resources available, particularly for diagnosis of learning disabilities and developmental disorders.

The clinic offers cutting-edge treatment, with researchers specializing in disorders including autism, Asperger syndrome, anxiety, and chronic pain.

“We’re on the leading edge in terms of research, which enables us to offer state-of-the-art treatment,” says Hartley. “When we learn something new we’re able to get our students trained on it and start using that knowledge to help patients.”

The Counselling Foundation of Canada has pledged $225,000 for a mentoring program that matches psychology students with students with Asperger syndrome – a form of autism that affects people’s ability to understand basic social cues. The program helps students with Asperger navigate their way through university, while offering invaluable experience to the mentors who are training to become mental health professionals.

Additionally, the Alva Foundation has donated $100,000 toward autism research and treatment, to be used to purchase equipment for diagnosis, observation and other tasks.

The clinic will also run group programs in areas such as pain management, healthy aging, and effective parenting. Its first group program, “Coping with Chronic Pain,” will launch on Nov. 19.

Services are available at reasonable fees and clients will be able to be reimbursed for these payments through workplace extended health benefit plans. Students can continue to receive counselling through Counselling & Disability Services.

Support for research and pioneering programs are a fundraising priority for York to the Power of 50, York’s 50^th anniversary fundraising campaign. The campaign is now more than $190 million toward its $200 million goal.

What: Opening of the York University Psychology Clinic
When: November 4, 2009, 8:50am (breakfast served at 8:30am)
Where: Rm. 163, Behavioural Science Building, York University, Keele Campus

York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 200,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 Faculties and 28 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.

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Media Contact:

Melissa Hughes, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22097, mehughes@yorku.ca