The
School of
Professional Psychology at Forest Institute will bolster mental health education and care in
Missouri’s largest city with the launch of a site in
St. Louis.
The institute’s first expansion outside of the
Springfield area, the
St. Louis site will start offering a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology degree beginning in June.
Recruitment of the inaugural class of students is already under way for the site, located on the first floor of the Golfview building at
11477 Olde Cabin Road in Creve Coeur, a suburb west of
St. Louis.
Forest plans to use about 7,500 square feet to eventually accommodate 40 full-time students. Classrooms will house state-of-the-art technology, including projectors, computers and wireless Internet access.
Prospective students interested in applying should call 1-800-424-7793 or visit
Forest’s Web site at www.forest.edu. Students who matriculate at the
St. Louis site will be able to choose between completing only the master’s degree or applying to transfer to the
Springfield campus during the first year to earn a Doctor of Psychology degree.
This site will not just be a training ground for mental health clinicians. It will also be a central hub for enriching the St. Louis community as students provide hands-on mental health services to St. Louis residents as part of their degree requirements.
Students will be participating in practicum experiences in St. Louis and the surrounding areas.
"Our bold vision is to be known for enriching the lives of students and the communities we serve through advancing the practice of health care,” said Mark Skrade, president of
Forest. "To realize this vision, the Forest Institute must expand its influence into new markets and deliver innovative graduate programs that respond to the needs of the health care marketplace. As we move into 2010, these priorities will begin to take shape in several new and distinctive ways, starting with a site expansion into the
St. Louis market.”
The site will be administered by Executive Director Dr.
Brian Nedwek, who will work with on-site staff to provide basic assistance to students in admissions, registration and financial aid processes; support for other operational resources, such as the library and technology, will be shared with the
Springfield campus through technological resources.
"Bringing the Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology to the
St. Louis region is consistent with Forest Institute’s mission of providing students with an outstanding, practitioner-based graduate education,” Nedwek said. "The visibility of the institute and its programs in the region will be enhanced by entering this major urban environment. As executive director, I am truly excited to see students having access to graduate training in clinical psychology provided by practicing professionals. As a former university president, I know how valuable this practitioner-based program is to furthering educational partnerships and community-building.”
St. Louis was quickly identified as a preferred expansion location due to its robust landscape of mental health training and support opportunities for students. Therefore, in August the school formally requested from and was subsequently approved by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges to expand degree offerings into
St. Louis.
For three decades, Forest Institute has been a champion of clinical training and service to the underserved, not only in southwest
Missouri but also across the national landscape. Forest was founded in 1979 to provide an alternative to the traditional teaching Ph.D. programs of education and enjoys accreditation by the American Psychological Association. The programs were designed to prepare individuals to serve as direct providers of mental health services rather than researchers or academicians. Forest operates the Robert J. Murney Clinic in
Springfield and is one of the few graduate programs in the nation to offer its students a free-standing clinic for practicum experience.