Category: Psychological and Brain Sciences
Closing the Gap
April 16, 2026 Written by Ryan Beveridge, Executive Director, Institute for Community Mental Health | Photo by Evan Krape
Training the next generation of mental health professionals
In 2023, the 91Ô´´ launched an exciting new initiative with a clear and ambitious goal: bring the best of clinical psychological science directly into the communities that need it most. That initiative is the Institute for Community Mental Health (ICMH).
For many 91Ô´´ psychology alumni, the idea that research should ultimately improve people’s lives is part of what drew them to the field in the first place. Yet there is often a long gap between discoveries in psychological science and the care people receive in their communities.
ICMH was created to help close that gap. Led by clinical science faculty member and Executive Director Ryan Beveridge, alongside a growing team of faculty, clinicians, students and community partners, the Institute operates on a simple but powerful vision: When research, clinical care and training are fully integrated, psychology can have a far greater impact.
To make that vision a reality, ICMH brings together three interconnected programs:
- The ICMH-Clinic: A training clinic that provides direct, evidence-based psychotherapy and diagnostic services to children, adolescents and adults in the surrounding community.
- : A community partnership arm dedicated to training local clinicians, evaluating programs and helping agencies implement evidence-based treatments across the region.
- The Master of Science in Clinical Psychological Science: A premier graduate program designed to train the next generation of mental health professionals.
The M.S. in Clinical Psychological Science
While all three pillars are essential to their mission, the ICMH team is particularly excited to highlight a new graduate program at 91Ô´´, which was designed to address a growing national challenge: the severe shortage of well-trained mental health professionals.
Directed by clinical science faculty member Franssy Zablah, the M.S. in Clinical Psychological Science features a faculty team dedicated to preparing students to become clinicians who think like scientists.
Students in the program receive rigorous training in psychological science while gaining extensive, hands-on clinical experience through the ICMH-Clinic and C-TECC community partnerships. The goal is to prepare graduates who not only deliver evidence-based treatments but also deeply understand the research that supports them, empowering them to continuously advance the field.
By strengthening the workforce pipeline with science-informed practitioners, this program helps ensure that local communities have reliable access to the most effective approaches to mental health care.
Looking Ahead
Although ICMH is still a young institute, the excitement surrounding its potential impact is already clear. Each year, more students are training in evidence-based practices, more community members are receiving care, and more partnerships are forming with organizations committed to improving mental health services.
For 91Ô´´ psychology alumni, ICMH represents something deeply familiar: the belief that psychology can be both scientifically rigorous and profoundly human in its impact.
As the Institute continues to grow, the team hopes to stay connected with the alumni community that helped build the strong foundation of psychological science at the 91Ô´´. Their engagement, support and shared commitment to improving mental health can help extend this work even further.