USQ partners with hospital to help adolescents

Toowoomba adolescents will have an extra ear to turn to, through an innovative partnership between USQ and Toowoomba Base Hospital.

As part of the project, USQ postgraduate psychology students will work with hospital professionals to help adolescents and further develop their clinical psychology skills.

The project has also received a $6000 Community Partnership grant from the University, which was used to upgrade a clinical room in the Unara Health Village at the hospital.

The grant, titled Empower Partners, Enable Adolescents, Skill Students, enabled the room to be fitted with a camera, TV, speakers and a DVD player.

Associate Professor in Psychology, Paul Bramston, said the cooperative project will enable postgraduate psychology students to develop clinical competencies in the area of child mental health.

"The project has set up a specialist facility at the hospital to do psychotherapy with adolescents in Toowoomba using postgraduate psychology students," Associate Professor Bramston said.

"The new joint facility will enable students to observe and record experienced clinicians at work with hospital clients and record their own sessions for analysis and discussion."

He said the initiative is part of the two new flagship programs, Doctor of Psychology (Clinical) and the Master of Psychology (Clinical), that commenced at the start of semester.

"The new coursework Doctorate and Masters in Clinical Psychology brings the university to the very forefront of postgraduate psychology training in Australia," Associate Professor Bramston said.

"The two new clinical programs complement the existing postgraduate specialty in Health Psychology and guarantee a strong future for USQ in the training of South East Queensland psychologists."

The first group of postgraduate students used the new facility on Tuesday, 21 March.

Media Contact: Fiona Taylor, USQ Media, P: 0423 808 462
Alternative Contact: Amy Cass, USQ Media, P: 07 4631 2092 or M: 0412 097 326