For more than six decades, the Berkeley Psychology Clinic has trained doctoral students for careers in mental health by supervising them during therapy for the East Bay community at large as well as UC Berkeley students.
Over time, the clinic’s mission has become even more important as treatment costs have risen and access to care has remained uneven. Today, it continues to provide mental health services for adults, children and students at affordable rates, who often lack reliable insurance coverage to seek private therapy.
The clinic plays a central role in training Berkeley’s Clinical Science doctoral students, who complete at least two years of supervised therapy and assessment work there. In the classroom, students learn the scientific foundations of mental health, such as how behavioral and emotional problems develop, the mechanisms that drive behavior change, and the evidence-based therapies designed to support that change. But translating those principles into practice requires experience with real clients.
“Classrooms alone cannot provide the real-life experience of understanding and providing real care for people experiencing such issues,” said Stephen Hinshaw, distinguished professor of psychology and director of clinical training within the Psychology Department at Cal.
For example, graduate students helped a Berkeley undergraduate, who experienced his first episode of psychosis during his final year and was later diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, according to Nancy Liu, the psychology clinic director. With therapy through the clinic, coordination with his prescribing physician, and support from his family, the student was able to graduate on time and begin a new job after graduation.
For many doctoral students, the clinic is their first opportunity to apply their training in a community-serving setting. Marlen Diaz, a clinical science doctoral student, spent two years at the clinic conducting intakes, comprehensive assessments and therapy with children, adolescents and young adults.
“Without the clinic, much of our training would be limited to classroom case discussions, mock sessions with peers and didactic instruction,” said Diaz, who is now on her way to a full-time clinical science capstone internship at the Palo Alto VA Hospital. “Working with real clients in a supervised setting is crucial for developing clinical competence and confidence."
Liu noted that it can take up to 17 years for new research to become standard practice in therapy. The clinic stands at the intersection of research and practice, working with students and supervisors to bring the best evidence into real-world care.
Through the clinic, clinical psychology doctoral student, Erika Roach, learned how to implement therapeutic modalities in real clinical contexts and build trust and therapeutic alliance with clients across the life span. As a former clinic captain, a top graduate student who assists the clinic director, she also helped compile annual program evaluation reports and build community partnerships with campus organizations such as the UC Berkeley Office for Graduate Diversity and the UC Berkeley Basic Needs Center. Roach is now on her way to her capstone internship at UCLA’s Semel Institute.
“I found it rewarding to provide outreach and connect with members of the surrounding community who might not otherwise have heard about the clinic,” Roach said.
According to Liu, a former client recently called simply to confirm that the clinic was still open so she could recommend it to friends. In some local communities, word of the clinic has spread through trusted networks of friends and family.
Because therapy can be prohibitively expensive, the clinic’s work carries an added significance.
“It feels like a gift to be able to provide high-quality, affordable services to the community,” Liu said.