Current News

NEW LEARNING DISABILITIES ASSESSMENT TEAM!

The PSC will begin providing learning disabilities assessments for UMass students, and others, who require an assessment to determine eligibility for academic accommodations.  This team will be staffed by Doctoral students from the College of Education School Psychology program.  Dr. Sara Whitcomb, Dr. Claudia Rutherford, and Dr. Christopher Martell will work together in supervising these assessments.  We are excited to offer this additional service to the University and the community as well as welcoming further collaboration in the PSC with the College of Education.  It is our sincere hope that this will also help with the efficiency of the assessment process.

About

Important Information about the Psychological Services Center (PSC)

It can sometimes be confusing to people when there are multiple mental health treatment centers on a large University campus.  The PSC serves a particular purpose in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) that is distinct from other clinics and services on campus.  Here is some information that aims to reduce confusion about the PSC and what we can and cannot do:

Assessment

Low-Fee Psychological Assessment Program

Individual completing a test

We have a low-fee assessment program that provides reduced cost psychological assessments to members of the campus and off-campus community who meet income eligibility criteria. Our specialized assessment clinical team can conduct full psychological assessment batteries (cognitive, emotional, and projective testing), neuropsychological testing, learning disability assessments, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments. We can consult with parents and schools about educational accommodations and coping with academic difficulties. Clients who are not eligible for our low-fee program still receive services at rates 40% lower than those charged in the private sector.

Therapy

General Adult Psychotherapy

Adult individual therapyWe provide both short- and longer-term psychotherapy on an outpatient basis.  We work with the full range of mental health conditions with the exception of individuals who require acute or emergency interventions.  Our specialties include a behavioral activation/cognitive-behavioral treatment of depression team.  This team primarily will accept clients coping with depression, but we also accept those experiencing a range of anxiety symptoms, co-occurring depression and anxiety or general life adjustment concerns that are affecting mood.  PSC clinicians may also utilize psychodynamic/interpersonal, and integrative approaches to psychotherapy.  We serve clients who experience anxiety symptoms (e.g., social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive hoarding/cluttering, panic disorder, generalized anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder), depressive symptoms (depression, bipolar disorder, seasonal depression), relationship or family difficulties, couples issues, as well as general mental health problems and issues of life stress. 

Child, Adolescent, Family and Couples Psychotherapy

Children in uniforms

We provide child, adolescent, and family therapy. Our services can focus on individual psychotherapy for children and adolescents, parenting support counseling and parenting training, school consultations, family therapy, or an integration of any of the above. We serve children who suffer from depression, behavioral difficulties, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety symptoms. We also can help with parenting issues, parent-child/parent-adolescent conflict, difficulties with peers, difficulties at school, difficulties coping with stressful events, self-esteem issues, family problems/conflict, bereavement, toileting problems, and Tourette Syndrome.  Our Child Therapy clinic team is headed by Dr. Rebecca Stowe.