Mental health is healthcare: New psychology clinic location improves access

Mental health is healthcare: New psychology clinic location improves access

For 15 years, the East Carolina University Psychology Clinic (formerly the Psychological Assessment and Specialty Services Clinic, or PASS Clinic) has stood as a powerful reminder of a truth too often overlooked: mental health is healthcare. More than just a clinic, this nonprofit institution - anchored within the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences and tied to the doctoral program in health psychology - has become a center of excellence in both training the next generation of psychologists and meeting the urgent mental health needs of the community. By blending academic rigor with compassionate care, the clinic has built a legacy of service that proves healthcare is not complete until the mind is cared for alongside the body.

Dr. Debbie Thurneck, clinical associate professor in the Department of Psychology, has served as director of the clinic for the past four years and as a faculty member since 2015. In addition, she provides supervision and training of the student clinicians, which last year included 22 doctoral students.

Dr. Kendahl M. Shortway, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, is the assistant director of the clinic and the primary clinical supervisor for adult therapy and assessment cases. She has served in this role since coming to ECU in August 2023.

"So many people have been helped, and so many psychologists have been trained in the 15 years of our clinic," Shortway said. "Though I have only been a part of the clinic for a couple of years, I am honored to be a part of its legacy and to contribute to the clinic's growth and future."

Community Accessible Location

In addition to celebrating 15 years of service, the clinic moved this spring from ECU's Rawl Building to a newly renovated location, better accommodating the clinic's needs, expanding community-focused clinical services and providing easier access for patients from the Greenville community.

The clinic is located in Building 141, 200 E. 1st St., at the corner of Cotanche Street and across from the Town Common. New signage will be installed, and there are 11 dedicated patient parking spots - including two ADA-compliant spaces - in front of the building. Ample parking is available along 1st and Cotanche Street, and for individuals interested in using public transportation, a Greenville Area Transit stop is located across the street near the corner of 1st and N. Greene Street.

The move was made possible by $500,000 in recurring funding under the "Growing Primary Care Workforce" program expansion, provided by the state legislature in 2023. Program expansion includes increasing the number of primary care health providers ECU graduates each year, expanding the Brody School of Medicine and College of Nursing class sizes, doubling the physician assistant program and growing the health psychology doctoral program and the clinic's services.

The expansion is important due to a growing healthcare crisis and the lack of an adequate primary care workforce to serve the state, especially in rural and underserved areas. According to the UNC Program on Health Workforce and Research, North Carolina faces an estimated shortage of nearly 17,500 registered nurses by 2033 and North Carolina's statewide shortage of primary care physicians is expected to expand. The pipeline of physician assistants - who often help cover the shortage of primary care physicians - cannot keep up with demand. Across the state, more than 22% of adults and 53% of children aged 12-17 with symptoms of anxiety or depression were unable to get needed counseling or therapy in the last year.

"It's been a dream in the making for quite some time," Thurneck said of the expansion.

Thurneck said the new space is a more professional learning environment for the students. For the community, it provides more convenient, on-site parking and much easier access for families or anyone with mobility issues.

"Our previous location in the Rawl building was a barrier to services due to limited parking and the academic setting," Shortway said. "Our new location enables more people to access our clinic. We are so excited to welcome people who may have struggled to get to us in the past."

The renovated building includes more space for the clinic to operate efficiently, with eight treatment rooms, up from five in the Rawl building. Clinicians can serve more patients and provide additional resources, including increased group therapy offerings.

Clinic Services

The ECU Psychology Clinic provides behavioral health services to ECU faculty, staff and students, as well as the surrounding community, while also providing supervised training for graduate student clinicians.

"First and foremost, we are a training clinic," Thurneck said. She said the clinic provides students the ability to practice the skills they are learning in the classroom with a wide variety of people who need those services.

"Not only is it vitally important for our students' development, but we get to help people in the community by offering evidence-based treatments and assessments," Thurneck said.

"A training clinic is a unique healthcare setting," Shortway said. "We have two main purposes: first, to provide exceptional training to future psychologists who will go on to continue this work at various settings throughout the country, and second, to serve the community by providing high-quality outpatient psychological services at very low costs."

"The student-clinicians need our clients and patients to develop and advance in their educational journey, and the clients and patients can access evidence-based, affordable care through our clinic. It is a symbiotic relationship, and our clinic is a special place for making it happen," she said. "As the assistant director and a clinical supervisor, I am passionate about my responsibilities in training the student clinicians and making sure our clients and patients are well cared for."

Student Perspectives

Students who train in the clinic may work between 15-20 hours, which includes preparatory work, meeting with faculty supervisors and assisting patients.

Eric Larsen is seeking his health psychology doctoral degree with a concentration in pediatric school psychology. He is one of the clinic's graduate administrative assistants and student clinicians and said he is receiving high-quality training and supervision from the faculty at the clinic.

"Receiving adequate supervision from licensed individuals is extremely important," he said. "Being able to work with a variety of individuals, families and groups also helps me understand what I enjoy most about practicing as a psychologist and what I'd like to do in the future. I am getting very comprehensive training."

Larsen uses a variety of interventions and evaluation tools to provide accessible care to the community. He said the clinic is helping solve various barriers that can prevent patients from seeking care.

"I really enjoy being able to provide the care that's needed to those who don't necessarily have access to it any other way," he said. "One of our big strengths is that we can provide equitable care on a sliding scale or at a significantly discounted price compared to what most families or individuals would find from other licensed practitioners."

Larsen said his work at the clinic is providing him with the skills for a future career. He completes his degree coursework in May and then will complete a yearlong internship. After graduation, he plans to work for an academic medical center or children's hospital in the field of pediatric psychology. Of particular interest is his ability to work with children and families that have chronic health conditions or require more health-focused psychotherapy intervention.

Kelsey Dietrich is pursuing a health psychology doctoral degree with a concentration in clinical health. She also serves as a graduate student clinician at the psychology clinic. After she graduates, she is interested in working in academia to support student development - training future clinicians - and contribute to knowledge that can inform clinical care.

"My value in trauma-informed, integrative healthcare and fascination with the mind-body connection motivated me to pursue a degree in clinical health psychology," Dietrich said. "ECU was my top program choice because Dr. Christyn Dolbier's work in the stress and health lab aligned perfectly with my research experiences and interests in mindfulness-based interventions."

Through the clinic, Dietrich conducts neuropsychological assessments for attention concerns and cognitive decline, provides individual psychotherapy for a variety of mental health conditions and facilitates cognitive-behavioral therapy for weight loss.

"The work at the clinic provides opportunities for students to work with a variety of patients and develop skills like diagnostic assessment, case conceptualization, outcome monitoring, clinical writing, therapeutic intervention selection and facilitation, and ethical decision-making - all of which are core competencies for future licensed psychologists," Dietrich said. "I also appreciate the emphasis on personal self-care as we are learning how to balance being in the role of care provider with many other roles in graduate school and beyond."

"My favorite part about working at the clinic is learning from awesome supervisors. It's great to be exposed to different therapeutic styles as I am figuring out my own," she said.

Affordable Care for All

Many individuals who work at the clinic said that providing psychological services at an affordable cost increases the community's access to mental healthcare.

At 74%, the clinic serves mainly adult patients. Half of those served in 2024 were from the community outside of ECU, with approximately 34% representing ECU students and 16% representing ECU faculty and staff. The number of patients decreased during the COVID pandemic but is now on a steady incline. In 2024, the clinic served 163 patients, a 25% increase from 2023. Patient appointments totaled 873 for the year, which accounted for 1,048 hours of service.

Although the ECU Psychology Clinic does not accept insurance, the staff provides patients with professional, confidential psychological services based on a reduced-cost sliding fee scale. Initial consultations are provided free of charge, and the clinic works with each patient to determine affordable rates for subsequent appointments. Fees range from $5-$30 per session. Psycho-educational and psychological evaluations (adult and pediatric) range from $400-$500 total.

"I know how hard it can be to seek and get help when experiencing distress. If anyone reading this has considered whether therapy would be helpful for them, please give us a call," Shortway said. "We'd love to welcome you to our new space."

The ECU Psychology Clinic does not accept walk-ins or provide emergency services, but it does admit new clients throughout the year. To make an appointment, call 252-737-4180. For additional information or questions, email [email protected] or visit the clinic website.

More Stories