Collaborative Caring for the Underserved

An immigrant woman experiences domestic violence. An 80-year-old man fears eviction from the nursing home that has been his home for a decade. A family from a war-torn part of the world fears that deportation is a death sentence.

These people, and so many more like them, face complex legal, psychological and social issues, and lack the resources to pay for the professional services they need.

Enter the Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services of the University of St. Thomas. Working collaboratively, students from the university's schools of Law, Professional Psychology and Social Work strive to meet the needs of underserved people as they gain valuable real-world experience in their chosen fields of study.

The bottom line? Students learn, needs are met and the community benefits. That's the way it should be.

"The center is consistent with our mission both as an urban university and a Catholic university. That mission says we are committed 'to meeting the diverse, changing needs of the community' and fostering in our students 'a tradition of service to the public welfare and an energetic, thoughtful approach to the challenges of contemporary life.'  The clinic offers an exceptional way for us to carry out our mission and help the less fortunate."

Father Dennis Dease
President, University of St. Thomas