NEWS

Louisiana Tech’s Psychological Services Clinic (PSC), closed since mid-March due to the pandemic, will reopen and resume services to the local community Monday, Sept. 14, to existing clients and Monday, Sept. 21, to new clients.

The PSC business hours will be 1-5 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m. to noon and 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays, and 5-8 p.m. Thursdays. The location is 509 West Alabama Street in Ruston.

The PSC functions as a training facility for doctoral students in Tech’s PhD program in counseling psychology in the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences. Working under the supervision of faculty and licensed psychologists, doctoral students are able to provide both affordable psychological assessment and psychotherapy services.

“Like our colleagues across the country, we have pivoted and provided various learning activities remotely including lectures, class discussions, and even clinical supervision,” Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology Dr. Brandon Waits said. “Faculty also have provided training on the provision of psychotherapy and specific psychological assessment tools through online, and more recently, in-person learning experiences. Further, we have been teaching our students about unique issues involved in providing telehealth and also in-person services during a pandemic. The methods used to deliver training have been different since March, but training has kept marching along.”

Services provided at the PSC include psychotherapy for individuals ages 13 and up who are experiencing a wide range of topics such as depression, anxiety, relationship problems, and minority stress (LGTBQ concerns, for example).

Also, psychological assessment services are offered for children (ages 2 and up), adolescents, and adults to evaluate for various presentations or conditions including autism, learning disabilities, intellectual disability, personality disorders, career decision-making, and other areas of concern.

“The PSC provides essential mental health services to an underserved region,” Department Chair of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Dr. Donna Thomas said. “Our clinicians and supervisors understand the critical need for high-quality, low-cost services to our existing and future clients. Recent challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and the added stressors brought by Hurricane Laura have the potential to make people feel isolated and anxious. We are following the guidance of the University as well as the University of Louisiana System to safely reopen and provide our clients the services they need.”

Services will be offered via telehealth and in person, as appropriate. The PSC will follow the physical distancing guidelines and face covering expectations at Tech, so all individuals who come into the building (clinicians, clients, family members, etc.) will be required to wear cloth face coverings/masks and maintain physical distancing as best as possible. 

Those who are interested in learning more about services or wish to schedule an appointment can call the PSC during business hours at 318.257.3410. General information about the PSC is available online.

Voicemails left during non-business hours will be returned as soon as possible during operational hours.

The PSC team looks forward to serving the community by continuing to provide essential psychological services during this unique time.