The professional school's training program is an integral part of its public service commitment. As soon as students possess the necessary psychological service skills, they provide these services under supervision in applied settings.

The Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology's (GSAPP) training programs have extensive links to the community. Many of these links are channeled through the school's Center for Applied Psychology, the "psychological service center" of GSAPP.

An ongoing project at the local level is the Rutgers/Somerset Counseling Project, a family- and community-based intervention and prevention research program that reaches young people and their families at serious risk. It was begun by Drs. Brenna Bry and Nancy Boyd-Franklin in 1993 in conjunction with a local Baptist church and intermediate and high school principals. The project has three main service components: (1) school-based student counseling, (2) home-based family therapy, and (3) school-based aggression prevention groups. It provides an excellent opportunity for GSAPP students to learn family therapy and community psychology interventions. Approximately eight to 10 students have participated in the program each year since its inception.

The Rutgers Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Project (Title IV, in cooperation with the NJ Department of Education), and the Center for Social and Character Development are examples of ongoing innovative public services offered through the Center for Applied Psychology. Additionally, practicum placements involve dozens of school districts, specialized schools, community mental health centers, hospitals, hospice programs, and urban programs for youths and families.