October 08, 2018
SIU Clinical Center celebrates 60 years of training and service to the community
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Providing quality training to students and exceptional service to the community was the mission the first day the Clinical Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale opened their doors. Sixty years later, that goal has not changed.
The Clinical Center will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a reception set for 3-6 p.m. on Oct. 18. The celebration will take place at the Clinical Center, in the west wing of the Wham Education Building, 625 Wham Dr.
The event will feature short statements from current and former directors, along with statements from Carbondale officials. The celebration is open to the public and will commemorate the work done for students and the community over the years.
Celebrating 60 years of training and service
The Clinical Center first opened in 1958 under the guidance of Delyte Morris, former president of SIU.
From its beginning, the center focused on providing a training ground for graduate students earning degrees in one of the accredited programs on campus that require a clinical component. In addition to training the students, the Clinical Center serves a dual purpose of providing exceptional and affordable services to community members.
Holly Cormier, director of the Clinical Center, sees the two-part mission of the center as the key to long-term success.
“Although our mission is training, it doesn’t mean we don’t prioritize service,” Cormier said. “You can’t separate them.”
The clinic’s structure is set up similar to a training and research hospital, Cormier explained. While the graduate level students conduct the assessments and run the sessions, they are closely monitored and mentored by experienced faculty advisors. This pushes the students towards high levels of work.
“In order to provide our students with the best training and supervision experience as possible, it means that we watch everything that they do,” Cormier said, “This ensures that our clients are getting excellent care and service.”
The programs requiring clinical training are very rigorous and prepare students to excel after graduation. Those graduating from these programs: clinical psychology, communications disorders and counselor education, are some of the best in the field and leave SIU with elite internship and work opportunities already set up, Cormier explained.
Clinical Center available to all
The Clinical Center offers a variety of services to both students and community members. While the services do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, fees are based on a sliding scale with most charges $5 - $30. The Clinical Center provides evaluations and interventions for children and adults in these areas:
- Learning difficulties evaluations.
- Speech/language evaluations.
- Psychological diagnostic evaluations.
- Neuro-psychological evaluations.
- Family and couples counseling.
- Adult and child, individual and group counseling.
- Parent training.
- Speech and language therapy.
Students, faculty and community members are all welcome to receive care. The Clinical Center is open 51 hours a week, with extended hours on some days to fit with each individual’s schedule.
While the Clinical Center focuses on education and research, no information about an individual or the services provided will be released without written permission (unless it is required by law).
Media Advisory
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the anniversary celebration from 3-6 p.m. on Oct. 18. The Clinical Center remains true to its original mission of both training students and providing exceptional service to the southern Illinois community. For more information about the celebration or the center itself, contact Holly Cormier at 618/453-2361 or email cormierh@siu.edu.
Partnering with the community
For the last two years, the Clinical Center has partnered with Jackson County to waive fees for psychological assessments for those who qualify. Additionally, the center often works with DCFS on certain cases, along with receiving assessment and counseling cases by court order.
The 60th anniversary celebration marks a time to commemorate these partnerships and valuable support, while welcoming community members to learn more about the many services available to them.
For more information, contact Holly Cormier at 618/453-2361.