Back in August of 2015, I was given the
privilege of working as a research assistant for GMU’s Center for Psychological
Services. Under the supervision of Dr.
Patty Ferssizidis and Dr. Robyn Mehlenbeck, I am part of a research team that
is tasked with tracking client demographics and converting client files into
data to be used in a statistical model built with SPSS. Our main goal is to collect data at different
points during a client’s treatment in order to monitor outcomes and treatment
effectiveness.
More recently, I was tasked with auditing
collected client fees for the current fiscal year. I work closely with Center staff in tracking
client files and any associated payments and condensing the data into a brief
to be used internally. This data will
eventually be used to help build a projection for the Center’s budget and
report total academic revenue being brought in by the Center’s clinicians. Auditing client files also allows us to
collect encounter-related information so that we can track the number of
clients served, as well as the total number of client contacts across different
service lines (i.e., mental health evaluations, individual and family therapy,
etc.) and providers. The end goal for
this project is to help the Center operate more efficiently and highlight
potentially problematic methods of client fee recovery and tracking.
As a non-profit training clinic, GMU’s CPS has
been providing mental health services for the surrounding community at a discounted
rate. My past studies in psychology and
business, combined with my current work in accounting, allow me to appreciate
the impact CPS has made for families and individuals seeking mental health
services who otherwise may not be able to afford professional help. In the future, I hope to be able to use the
experience learned here and help other non-profit clinics with similar models
to further help individuals gain access to professional mental health services.
