In an effort to provide social outreach to those affected by child attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and to continue research on the illness, Marquette's Center for Psychological Services has opened a community-based clinic.

Five clinical psychology graduate students, under the supervision of psychology professors Alyson Gerdes and John Grych, diagnose and treat ADHD in children ages six to 12 based on a sliding fee scale determined by each patient's financial situation.

"This clinic is nice because it provides services to those who normally can't afford it," Gerdes said. "Our goal is not to make money."

Gerdes, a new psychology faculty member whose clinical and research specialty is childhood ADHD, said establishing the clinic has always been one of her goals.

ADHD is one of the most common mental health disorders in childhood, she said.

According to Grych, Marquette has always offered ADHD assessments, but Gerdes has made it more systematic and research-based.

Gerdes said the clinic first started last spring, but this year is its first full run. She said Milwaukee Public Schools social workers, Catholic schools and parent groups such as MilwaukeeMoms have all been informed about the clinic.

The clinic is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Thursday and Friday and until 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. It is located in the Center for Psychological Services on the fourth floor of Schroeder Complex.

According to Gerdes, the clinic provides comprehensive services, following a two-week process for assessment and diagnosis and 10 weeks of treatment with additional follow-up sessions.

Greg Fosco, one of the five graduate students helping at the clinic, said he feels good about the work being done.

"It's great to read about treatment in books and be able to say, 'Yeah, we do that,'" he said.

Fosco, who plans to work with families and children in the future, said this has also been a great opportunity for learning.

Working in the clinic is a requirement for all clinical psychology students, according to Gerdes and Grych.

Graduate students do most of the work, Gerdes said, including school visits and creating specific behavioral plans for the children to use both at home and at school.

Gerdes said things will start to pick up in early October when teachers have had enough time to determine if a child might have ADHD and will start sending referrals to the clinic.

Among future plans, Gerdes hopes to continue to increase the client load as well as continuing research to improve ADHD treatments.

Grych praised the new clinic and said it both provides community outreach as well as great training for graduate students.

"Marquette is serving the community in a very unique way," he said.

This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 22, 2005.