The Chicago School is poised to further connect its psychology services to the legal sector and community agencies that interface with the court system thanks to its new Forensic Center. Developed this academic year (2007) by faculty members in the school’s Forensic Psychology Department, the center will serve as a practice arm that creates learning opportunities for students while reaching into the community.
“We saw an opportunity to provide more direct service within the Chicagoland area, particularly in the area of forensic mental health,” said Dr. Michael Fogel, department chair.
“Center projects have already started providing our students with hands-on experience, which provides them with exceptional training, increased marketability after they graduate, and a stronger understanding of the needs of the forensic community.”
Treatment models devoted to child protection and trauma are at the heart of the center’s first major initiative. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is currently being conducted by Forensic Psychology faculty and students in the observation room within the school’s Clinical Psychology Department. Established on campus last fall, PCIT is an evidence-based method for teaching parents skills to decrease the risk for future incidents of abuse and neglect. In one room a parent plays and interacts with his or her children. On the other side of a one-way mirror sits a faculty member and student wearing headsets. A “bug-in-the-ear” communication system connects the rooms with the therapist providing discreet coaching to the parent wearing an earpiece. Because PCIT has shown to be effective in helping families with a history of abuse, it is a nationally recognized treatment method for children who have been abused and neglected.
“By making child protection the center’s initial focus while advancing the school’s initiative of student learning through community engagement, we can do more outreach to high-risk families and help further secure that parent-child relationship,” said Dr. Tiffany Masson, assistant professor of forensic psychology and the school’s lead PCIT practitioner. “I thought that it would be a great opportunity for our students to learn and be exposed to a specific evidence-based therapy as part of the child protection concentration, which started last fall. It’s a pioneering idea because Forensic Center projects will allow us to incorporate training directly into course work. It is rare for students at the master’s level to have this opportunity.”
PCIT training will have a new home this fall when the Forensic Psychology Department and the Forensic Center move to the 4th floor of the Merchandise Mart. By then at least two more Forensic Center initiatives are expected to be underway, both of which were designed by forensic psychology students as part of their Correctional Settings course. One involves the center working with the Safer Foundation to develop transitional programming for individuals previously incarcerated. The other is working with the Chicago Youth Center to create a parenting program for young fathers whose fathers are incarcerated.
“Our goal with these particular projects is to help individuals transition successfully into the community while encouraging innovative program development by our students in the classroom,” said Dr. Darlene Perry, associate department chair. “The initiatives that we are planning are consistent with the school’s mission overall. We want to create learning opportunities for our students that meet the needs of our community. The center will do this within the borders of forensic psychology.”
Dr. Fogel sees the Forensic Center as not just a new way to link faculty and students to the community, but as a Chicago-based hub for forensic psychology professionals to come together and share ideas about the profession. “There is an opportunity for our department to be more nationally recognized as a resource for forensic psychology research and training,” said Dr. Fogel. “The work we’re doing with the Forensic Center puts us one step closer to realizing this vision.”
In January, the center welcomed more than 70 forensic psychology professionals from around the Midwest for a workshop featuring Dr. Yossef Ben-Porath, a recognized expert on MMPI-2 interpretation.
Started in 2002, The Chicago School’s M.A. in Forensic Psychology was the first of its kind in the Midwest. Since then, the program has grown to become one of the school’s most popular with more than 300 students currently enrolled and more than 270 graduates.
The Forensic Center is the latest example of initiatives introduced by Chicago School faculty and staff to open the campus community to the outside world. Other examples are the Center for International Studies, the Center for Multicultural and Diversity Studies, and the forthcoming Center for Latino Mental Health.