One might think a clinic on a college campus exists mainly to serve the student population. However, the waiting rooms of the Psychological Clinic on the Penn State University Park campus are filled primarily by non-student members of the local community. For Dr. Brian Rabian, this is a point of pride. Many of the clinic’s patients live at or near the poverty line and would have few places to turn if it weren’t for the clinic.

Brian, a clinical associate professor in the Psychology department, has served as director of the Clinic for five years, where he oversees a staff comprised of graduate students in the Adult and Child Clinical Psychology programs, students from several other programs and professional staff.

Housed on the third floor of the Moore Building, the clinic is licensed by the state as an outpatient psychiatric clinic and serves approximately 400 patients from the local community. The clinic provides care for individuals presenting with a variety of mental health problems, including severe mental health problems that can necessitate long-term treatments. Additionally, the clinic operates as a self-funded Practice-Research Network, and has collected data for several published studies on psychotherapy outcome.

While the Clinic draws strength from the research and training opportunities available on the Penn State campus, its heart lies in the community of people it serves. Treating those children and families who need assistance the most illustrates Penn State’s place in the community and legacy of service.