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If you are a consumer, have you ever wondered about what kind of training mental health professionals receive as they pursue their formal education? And if you are a clinician, do you reflect on your own education and question the relevance your formal training had on the situations you face in the field? The challenges of the mental health field are rapidly shifting due to managed care, political change, and increases in social problems. How are the institutions of higher learning adapting to ensure that the new crop of graduates are prepared to serve the current needs of the mentally ill?

In my own search for the answers to these questions, I was pleasantly surprised to find a graduate program right here on Long Island that was focused on just these very concerns. At the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville, I had the pleasure of meeting with two distinguished faculty members who took the time to openly discuss their program for the benefit of our readers. The Program Director and Founder of the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program, Dr. Robert Keisner, Ph.D. explained to me that what sets his program apart is its mission to serve the public interest. While most typical graduate programs offer specializations in child psychology or family work, this unique program offers three areas of concentration: developmental disabilities, family violence, and working with the "SPMI" population (Seriously and Persistently Mentally Ill).

Dr. Geoffrey Goodman, Ph.D. is the Program Coordinator for the SPMI Concentration, which students may opt to select after being accepted into the graduate program. This year alone, the graduate program received over 200 applications to fill only 15 slots for all concentrations combined! In order to be chosen for this highly competitive program, Professor Goodman told me that a student must not only have demonstrated that they are smart and hard-working, but also that "they demonstrate an interest in serving the underserved, show commitment and dedication, have a wider vision."

As part of the practical training in the SPMI concentration, students choose their externships and internships at facilities such as Creedmore, VA Hospital at Northport, North Shore-LIJ, and HOPE Program in Brooklyn. They get exposure to patients suffering from thought disorders, mood disorders, and severe personality disorders. Under clinical supervision students conduct individual and group psychotherapy and social-skills groups on hospital inpatient units, day-treatment programs, partial hospitalization programs, and outpatient clinics.

By far, the best feature of this program is the Clinic run exclusively for the community. The Psychological Services Center, run by Dr. Eva Feindler, Ph.D., offers counseling services to any person with issues around family violence (many of the patients seen are children), developmental disabilities, and those suffering from a variety of mental illnesses. A sliding scale system of payment is used to make treatment affordable for all. Students working at the Center receive direct faculty supervision for the patients that they see. The Center is accessible by public transportation and anyone interested in more information should call (516) 299-3211.

When I asked Dr. Goodman what single quality must be possessed by a student to be successful once they graduate and begin to practice he said, "You must have the ability to see yourself in the patient.....a kind of silent empathy... on an unconscious level." I think that says it all. I, for one, feel better knowing that the future generation of clinicians are aware of the changing times and are sensitive to the needs of the population they serve.