Andrea Montalvo was one of nine Peruvian students who crowded into a small hospital room in January to hear Chicago School student Melissa Peterson describe the work she does with pregnant and postpartum immigrant women battling depression. By the next day, she had switched gears and was sitting in another room at another hospital, learning how psychology is used to treat trauma in the emergency room.

In a land where trauma has often defined everyday existence, a new project is taking shape and bringing hope and healing to survivors. The Global HOPE Training Initiative—HOPE stands for Healing Opportunities through Purposeful Engagement—calls upon the expertise of Chicago School faculty to train teachers strategies and skills that can be used in the assessment, prevention, and treatment of trauma.

Los Angeles is home to the largest homeless veteran population in the country: men and some women who live in cardboard boxes; sleep under bridges; or in best-case scenarios, find shelter and support in one of the residential centers set up for their care. Their mental health needs are many: psychotherapy to dispel the nightmares and flashbacks that continue to haunt them, professional help in overcoming decades of substance abuse, and assistance in re-establishing fractured relationships.

The signature on Krishna Chari’s email reads, “RATIFY the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).” Chari is pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and is one of many students who feels passionately about a recent initiative at The Chicago School.

After five months of online interactions, the first cohort of The Chicago School’s new Ph.D. in International Psychology and Organizational Leadership online-blended programs met in person during an on-campus residency held Feb. 5-7, 2010.

At a time when budget cuts to Chicago’s mental health services have left thousands without access to critical psychological services, The Chicago School has partnered with the Community Mental Health Council, Inc. (CMHC) to provide at least 3,200 hours of treatment to those in need.

The Chicago School’s internationalization efforts received a recent boost when the International Council of Psychologists (ICP) chose TCSPP as the location of its home office and secretariat. The partnership is expected to strengthen universal ties with psychologists around the world and increase global opportunities for faculty and students.