Compassionate, Connected, and Collaborative: How RUSH’s Psychotherapy Clinic Supports Mental Health Across the Lifespan

As demand for behavioral health services grows, many communities—particularly on the South and West Sides of Chicago—face deep gaps in access to quality mental health care. At Rush University Medical Center, the Social Work and Community Health (SWaCH) Psychotherapy Clinic was created to address this need. Their team of clinicians offers high-quality, trauma-informed psychotherapy services that center the unique needs and strengths of each patient. 

The clinic reflects a values-driven, patient-centered model of care grounded in evidence-based practice and social work principles. From bereavement and chronic illness to complex trauma and anxiety, the clinic provides culturally responsive and accessible services for people of all backgrounds—whether or not they are already connected to Rush's broader healthcare system. 

What is the SWaCH Psychotherapy Clinic? 

The SWaCH Psychotherapy Clinic provides outpatient psychotherapy to adult patients and community members who are navigating mental health challenges alongside complex medical and/or social needs. All services are provided by licensed social workers (LSWs and LCSWs) who bring both clinical expertise and a deep commitment to equity, justice, and collaboration. Therapy is grounded in a person-in-environment approach, which means clinicians understand their patient’s mental health in the broader context of their relationships, family, community, and the systems they interact with.  

The Psychotherapy Clinic offers both individual and group therapy tailored to the patient’s needs and goals. Common reasons people seek care at the clinic include: 

• Adjustment to life transitions 

• Caregiver stress 

• Depression and anxiety 

• Chronic pain or illness 

• Grief and bereavement 

• Immigration and acculturation challenges 

• PTSD and trauma 

• Substance use concerns 

• Relationship issues and stress 

The team utilizes a range of evidence-based approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), psychodynamic therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based interventions. The clinicians bring a systems-focused perspective, understanding that many challenges people face are rooted in inequities built in broader social structures.  

Because the Psychotherapy Clinic is embedded within a large academic medical center, therapists are uniquely positioned to collaborate with care managers, physicians, and other health professionals across the Rush systems. This allows them to advocate for patients and coordinate care across departments, especially when mental health intersects with other chronic medical conditions.  Integration within Rush also provides therapists with greater opportunity to address systemic inequities and barriers, thus maximizing a patient’s ability to access quality care.  

A Values-Driven Approach to Care 

Every aspect of the Psychotherapy Clinic is rooted in the ethics and values of the social work profession: dignity and worth of every person, importance of human relationships, service, social justice, competence, and integrity. Therapists use a strengths-based lens to empower patients, helping them recognize how they’ve survived and adapted—and how those same strengths can support healing and growth. 

In addition to a social work and strengths-based lenses, other values held by the psychotherapy clinic team include: 

• Trauma-informed 

• Collaborative 

• Patient-centered 

• Competence 

• Systems-focused 

• Cultural humility 

• Social justice  

Meeting Community Needs Through Innovation and Intention 

The Psychotherapy Clinic operates with a thoughtfully structured team model that includes social workers, patient navigators, care managers, and intake specialists. A recent study conducted by the clinic explored what enables it to function effectively despite system-wide workforce and resource challenges. Through interviews with clinic staff and review of internal processes, several key factors emerged: 

• A reflective culture that values team feedback and shared learning 

• Flexibility to adapt operations in response to changing needs 

• Protection of clinician time and capacity, with realistic caseload expectations 

• Built-in supervision and consultation opportunities 

• Equitable therapist compensation 

• A collaborative team structure that supports therapists in focusing on care delivery through the integration of intake specialist, patient navigator, and care manager roles 

The Rush Psychotherapy Clinic intentionally designs workflows to support clinician wellbeing and prevent clinician burnout. This approach is increasingly relevant across the clinical social work profession as organizations look for sustainable ways to retain staff and deliver effective services. 

Whether someone is looking for support through grief, adjusting to illness, or healing from trauma, the SWaCH Psychotherapy Clinic at Rush is a powerful example of how trauma-informed, values-based social care can transform lives and communities. 

Legacy Mental Health Fellowship 

Founded in 2022 and in collaboration with the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, RUSH’s Department of Social Work and Community Health, and Chicago State University’s MSW Program, the Psychotherapy Clinic also houses our Legacy Mental Health Fellowship. This initiative supports emerging minority social work clinicians as they provide trauma-informed, culturally attuned services at RUSH and in community-based agencies in Garfield Park. You can read more in-depth about our Legacy Mental Health Fellowship  here.  

Learn more 

• RUSH Psychotherapy Clinic website - https://www.rush.edu/services/social-work-and-community-health-services/psychotherapy-clinic  

• To connect with someone on our team, call the Social Work and Community Health Helpline: (800) 757-0202 and choose Option 2 or visit our website.