The Center for Applied Psychology is a division of the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) that develops, implements, and evaluates projects where application of the most current knowledge in psychology leads to the understanding and amelioration of problems with which our society is concerned. These projects involve faculty, doctoral students, and community-based participants in the design and delivery of psychological services and in research regarding the projects. The center's programs and services are applicable and available to all types of organizations, including corporations, schools, state agencies, community organizations, psychological clinics, and child and family programs. You can visit the center online at gsappweb.rutgers.edu/centers/cap.php.

The primary resource of the Center for Applied Psychology is the faculty of GSAPP. A broad spectrum of applications of psychology is represented by these professionals. Their interests and experiences cover individual, group, and organizational assessments; treatment of psychological problems from many perspectives; organizational behavior; and improving the psychological climate of the workplace and communities. They are nationally and internationally renowned for their work.

Programs conducted by the Center for Applied Psychology are developed by assessing the needs in the community and matching them with the expertise of the faculty and associates of GSAPP. The current programs are broadly based and involve the application of psychology at individual, group, and systemic levels:

Programs in Psychotherapy

The Psychological Clinic, Foster Care Counseling Project, the Tourette Syndrome Program, Natural Setting Therapeutic Management (NSTM).

Programs in Schools/Education

School Consultation, the Center for Social and Character Development, the Developing Safe and Civil Schools (DSACS) Project, the Safe and Drug Free Schools (Title IV) Project, Answer (Sexuality Education for Adolescents).

Physically located within the GSAPP site, the Psychological Clinic is the training unit for doctoral-level students in GSAPP and in the clinical Ph.D. program. It provides a full complement of outpatient services to the Rutgers community, surrounding communities, and human service agencies. Therapeutic, educational, and vocational services are provided by graduate students under the close supervision of faculty and cooperating psychologists. There are 10 consultation rooms, two playrooms for child therapy, and three rooms for group/family work. Headed by a full-time director, who is also a member of the clinical faculty, the staff includes a full-time administrative assistant, a part-time evening receptionist, four students who serve as clinic coordinators, and a test materials library coordinator.

The clinic provides assessment and outpatient therapy for a diverse population of children, adolescents, and adults who have any of the following conditions: anxiety and panic disorders; depression and mood disorders; phobias; marital or relationship problems; sexual disorders; parenting problems and/or child behavior management; school refusal; learning difficulties or disabilities; attention deficit disorder (with or without hyperactivity); chronic pain, headache, or stress-related medical illnesses; and family problems such as emotional complications of divorce, stepparenting problems, and adoption-related services.

Modalities of treatment include cognitive and cognitive-behavior therapy; family therapy; contemporary psychoanalytic psychotherapies; brief psychodynamic therapy; marital/couples therapy; child play therapy; and group therapy. There is emphasis on empowering clients and engaging in a collaborative therapeutic relationship for each of the approximately 400 individuals and families seen each year.

The Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, founded in 1972, serves individuals with autism and their families. The center provides services to hundreds of families each year throughout New Jersey and the United States, as well as training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in psychology, special education, and related majors. The center's divisions include the Douglass School, a day program for children and adolescents with autism, that includes an innovative integrated preschool; Douglass Outreach, which provides consultation services to schools and families; and Adult and Transition Services, which serves older adolescents with autism who have severe behavior problems and adults with autism who require continuing vocational and life skills support. The center's research and training division works collaboratively with the other divisions to do first-rate research, community education, and professional training in autism, including a yearly conference.

The Natural Setting Therapeutic Management (NSTM) project is a home-based intervention program designed to remediate the severe behavior problems of individuals with developmental disabilities who have become at risk of being institutionalized. The project's ultimate goal is to maintain the individual in the community by training caregivers (including parents, skill sponsors, and workshop supervisors) in the myriad skills necessary to accomplish this. The NSTM project has been supported by the Division of Developmental Disabilities of the state of New Jersey since 1980. Since that time, it has provided free services to more than 275 individuals in New Jersey. A Case Management Program augments the traditional NSTM services by providing in-house case management services. Student clinicians work closely with the professional team. The program is located in its own quarters, five minutes from the Psychology Building.

Answer is a nationally recognized program that improves sexuality education by harnessing the energy, unique knowledge, and intelligence of teens to educate their peers about sexuality, inform adults about teen concerns, and change school sexuality education programs to better meet the needs of young people. Through the network's newsletter, SEX, ETC., and its website at sexetc.org, over three million teens per year are influenced to make informed, thoughtful decisions about their lives. The network is central to the efforts made by the Center for Applied Psychology to prevent psychological distress and encourage thoughtful living.