Education

With practicum, internship, and dissertation requirements, hands-on learning and intensive scholarly inquiry are critical parts of Chaminade’s Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology. 

And thanks to the University’s assessment center, graduate students can tackle some of that patient-focused work right on campus.

The Chaminade Assessment Center (CAC), launched in Fall 2023 gives PsyD students the chance to conduct psychological evaluations and fill a community need at the same time.

Dr. Sean Scanlan, director of the Clinical Psychology program at the University, said the CAC started off small but with a strong mission: To offer children and young adults psychological evaluations so they can get the right  treatment and educational accommodations.

“We had Chaminade PsyD students searching for practicum sites, and we saw community members needing these psychological assessments,” Scanlan said.

The center’s first clients were Chaminade students. From there, the clientele was expanded to include students referred from nearby private schools. Scanlan said the center was able to serve about 30 patients in their first year and almost 50 in their second.

Meanwhile, about three PsyD students at any one time work under a supervisor at the CAC. Scanlan said each client requires six to 15 hours of testing, which may include an interview and cognitive, personality, and learning assessments. From there, the psychologist and PsyD students synthesize the findings and issue a report with a diagnosis and recommendations.

“For our PsyD students, it’s a lot of work,” Scanlan said. “Because it’s not just the student preparing  to be with an actual client; they have to be prepared to sit and listen to real world problems, all the while trying to conceptualize a diagnosis.” 

But Scanlan said that this real-world, experiential learning experience is critical to their training, similar to that of trainees in the medical fields. He stressed, their clinical supervisor is always there to offer expertise and guidance. The supervisor also handles initial and critical client interactions so students can see practiced psychological evaluations and interactions at work.

Sammie Wilkinson, PsyD ’27 was one of Chaminade’s first PsyD students to serve at the center following its launch and has since put in additional time there as an administrative and assessment specialist. She summed up her practicum experience at the center in one word: “Rewarding.” 

“I learned about comprehensive psychological evaluations and assessment, which are major components of the role of a clinical psychologist and a focus of the PsyD program,” Wilkinson said.

“During my practicum, I was able to support both Chaminade students and clients in the community by conducting assessments, identifying and diagnosing various challenges that often impact academic performance and social functioning. Since completing my practicum, I have continued to support the CAC with scheduling and helping clients access services.”

Wilkinson explained that assessment and diagnosis help clients put a name to specific mental health challenges they’ve been experiencing and provide a starting point for healing and support. 

“It has been a privilege to work with clients from diverse backgrounds, which has deepened my appreciation for taking a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to assessment,” she said. “One of the biggest challenges is determining an accurate diagnosis, as many conditions can resemble one another. For example, trauma may present similarly to ADHD. Therefore, it is so important that we are thorough, take our time to rule out diagnoses and consider each client holistically.”  

She added that helping to broaden access to community-based services has been especially meaningful—and she’s excited about the center’s continued growth. “Psychological assessments are in high demand but often come with long waiting lists or high costs so it has been wonderful to be part of a center that provides these services in a timely and affordable way,” she said.

Scanlan noted that the center started to accept insurance in 2025.  In the program’s first two years, services were free and mostly referral-based. “I think we have the foundation now where we can begin to increase the number of PsyD students we can take and, as a result, the number of clients we can see,” Scanlan said. “We’re happy to be providing this service to the community.”

The center’s growth comes as Chaminade’s School of Education and Behavioral Sciences also launches another win-win program for aspiring mental health professionals and clients in need of services. In spring 2026, the University’s Marriage and Family Therapy program launched its new MFT Training Clinic, where graduate-level MFT therapists in training provide care under the supervision of licensed clinicians. Services are affordable and open to anyone on Oahu. 

“This clinic is a training ground for future marriage and family therapists,” said Blendine Hawkins, Ph.D., LMFT, director of the Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy program at Chaminade. “By focusing on couples and families and embracing culturally humble, evidence-based approaches, the clinic is a meaningful new resource for our local community. We’re excited to share this development with those who value strengthening relationships and supporting families.”