THE CENTER

The Psychological Center is a nonprofit community mental health facility operated by the Department of Psychology at the University at Stony Brook. Serving the campus and surrounding communities since 1972, the Center is an integral part of the Clinical Psychology Training Program at Stony Brook. It serves the dual purpose of providing high quality psychotherapy and psychological testing services to the community while giving advanced graduate students in clinical psychology the opportunity to gain clinical experience under the close supervision of Stony Brook’s clinical faculty. Because Stony Brook’s clinical program is also committed to the science of clinical psychology, the Center is also a research facility where studies are conducted to identify the causes and effective treatments for a variety of emotional and behavioral disorders.

THE CLINICAL STAFF

Advanced graduate students in Stony Brook’s Clinical Psychology Program comprise the clinical staff at the Psychological Center. The staff is closely supervised by clinical psychologists who are faculty members in the clinical program. Stony Brook’s Clinical Psychology Program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association and is consistently rated among the top programs in the country. In 1997, it received the Outstanding Training Program Award from the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy. Students accepted into Stony Brook’s clinical program are among the best students graduating from major universities throughout the country and the world. They begin seeing clients in the Psychological Center only after they have successfully completed strict academic and practicum requirements.

CLIENTS AND SERVICES

The Center provides psychological services to adults, adolescents, children, couples, and families. We specialize in the latest research-supported cognitive and behavioral treatment methods for psychological and behavioral disorders such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, sexual dysfunctions, marital distress, and a variety of other emotional and behavioral difficulties in children, adolescents and adults. Therapy modalities include individual, marital, family, and group therapies. Therapy and psychoeducational groups are formed from time to time and focus on a particular group of people or a problem. For example, group programs have been conducted in the past for depression, agoraphobia, eating disorders, social skills training and parent training. The Center also has an ongoing psychoeducational testing program for the assessment of learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, mental retardation and other forms of psychopathology. Individual intelligence and personality tests are also administered when requested. Verbal and written testing reports and recommendations are provided.

RESEARCH

In addition to their clinical activities, all members of the Center’s staff are actively engaged in research. Some of this research is conducted at the Psychological Center and volunteers from the Center’s clients are included. We have a strong commitment to research because it increases our understanding of psychological problems and helps us to develop new and more effective treatment methods. Participation in research programs is always on a voluntary basis and in no way affects one’s eligibility for treatment or the quality of treatment.

HOW TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT

A person wishing to make an appointment at the Center should telephone (631) 632-7830 during Center hours, if possible. If you telephone at other times, leave your name, phone number, and a brief message. Your call will be returned as soon as possible during Center hours. Referrals from schools, private physicians, and community agencies are welcomed. Because the Center does not have a 24 hour emergency service, we cannot accept crisis or emergency cases, such as a suicide attempt, drug or alcohol overdose, or acute psychotic episode. In such cases, we recommend that you call the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) at the University Hospital (631) 444-6050.

FEES

The Center has sliding scale fee schedule for therapy that ranges from $25 to $65 for a 50-minute session, depending on gross family income. Requests for fee reductions for unusual circumstances, such as extreme financial hardship, are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Director. There is one set fee for special group programs. The set fee for group programs is $15 per session for each participant (or couple, if the program is for marital partners or parents). Group sessions usually last from one to two hours. There is a sliding scale fee for psychoeducational testing and IQ testing. The fee for a full psychoeducational battery (including all sessions and a written report) is between $600-$800. The fee for Intelligence testing is between $200-$250. All testing fees are based on gross income.

The Center does not participate in any insurance program.

THE CENTER’S LOCATION

The Center is located on the fourth floor of the Psychology B Building on the main campus at the University at Stony Brook. The Stony Brook campus is on Nicolls Road in Stony Brook. From the east or west you can reach the Stony Brook campus by way of Route 25A, Nesconset Highway (347) or the Long Island Expressway (495).

COMING FROM THE WEST

On 25A, drive eastward to Nicolls Road in Stony Brook. Turn right and proceed to the main

(second) campus entrance on your right. Turn into the entrance and proceed to the stop sign then follow the signs to the parking garage. You will be required to pay a fee for parking at the garage. On Nesconset Highway (Route 347), drive eastward to Nicolls Road. Turn Left and proceed to the main (second) campus entrance on your left. Turn into the entrance and proceed as described above to the parking garage. On the Long Island Expressway (495), get off at Exit 62 North (Nicolls Road). Drive north on Nicolls Road to the main (second) campus entrance on your left and then proceed as described above to the parking garage.

COMING FROM THE EAST

Proceed as describe above except from Route 25A you will turn left when you get to Nicolls Road and from Nesconset Highway (Route 347) you will turn right when you get to Nicolls Road. Reminder: You will be required to pay a fee for parking at the garage. The Psychology B Building is a short walk from the parking garage. Exit the garage from the front and take the walkway in front of the Administration Building to the end and go up the stairs. You will be facing the “center mall”. Walk diagonally across toward the large outdoor water fountain (big cement pit) which is next to Psychology A Building. Psychology B building is right behind Psychology A and can be entered by walking up a concrete ramp. Enter and walk to your right to the elevator. Take the elevator to the fourth floor, walk to your left and enter Room 479, the Center’s waiting room. Please give your name to the receptionist when you arrive.

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF AND CLINICAL FACULTY

DIRECTOR

Dina Vivian, Ph.D.

DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL TRAINING

K. Daniel O’Leary, Ph.D.

OFFICE MANAGER

Patricia R. Urbelis

CLINICAL FACULTY

Edward Carr, Ph.D.

Joanne Davila, Ph.D.

Janet Fischel, Ph.D(for Dr. Whitehurst)

Marvin Goldfried, Ph.D.

Greg Hajcak, Ph.D.

Daniel N. Klein, Ph.D.

David Klonsky, Ph.D.

K. Daniel O’Leary, Ph.D.

Susan O’Leary, Ph.D.

CENTER HOURS

Monday -Tuesday

11 a.m - 9 p.m.

Wednesday-Thursday

10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

The Center office is closed Fridays; however, on occasion a therapist will see a client on Friday between 9 a.m.- 2 p.m.
The Center is closed weekends, and most major holidays.

UPDATED 09/25/08