The Psychological Services Center (PSC) is increasingly involved in research, as we strive to improve our programs and make them more empirically-based. All research activities are governed by the St. George's University Institutional Review Board and ethical standards regarding treatment of human subjects, anonymity, confidentiality and others. (Please review our ethics statement on the policies page of this website.) We are currently involved in the following research projects:

Client Satisfaction Survey

Each person that comes to the PSC for counseling, psychotherapy, assessment or other services, is very welcome to spend approximately three to five minutes anonymously completing ten questions regarding treatment received and our clinicians. Each term, the PSC Director reviews these surveys for quality assurance and program development purposes.If you came to the PSC, and indicated on your intake form that you are agreeable to receive email messages from us, you will receive instructions about this survey in that format.

Some highlights from the March, 2009 client satisfaction survey were:

• 89% of clients were satisfied with the services they received.
• 90% said that they would return to the PSC, if they sought help again.
• 92% reported that they would recommend the PSC to others needing similar help.
• 76% of those who felt it applied to their situation agreed with the statement that their grades improved as a result of services received at the PSC.
• 92% who felt that it was relevant to their circumstances agreed that they stayed in school as a result of services at the PSC.

Some of the comments made by clients from the same 2009 study were:

• “Psychological Services has been instrumental in helping me cope with all the downs and ups of medical school.”
• “I think that everything surrounding my experience with the Psychological Services Center was excellent. Everyone was very helpful, and I was more than satisfied with their services.”
• “I have found the services offered by the PSC to be tremendously helpful not only in my personal life, but will help me to be the best physician I can be.”
• “An excellent service that is a credit to the school.”
• “I called in the morning, and they got me in at lunch. It was a good thing too! I may not have made it through the day. I am ever grateful.”

Substance Use Survey

During the last year, all SGU students were offered the opportunity to complete an anonymous survey regarding their patterns of drug and alcohol use. This data is essential to us as we develop programs that more effectively address the substance abuse issues described on that page of this website. Data collection is now complete. The results will be shared with our community soon.