Program Description

The Department of Behavioral Sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois is committed to the clinical practice of psychology, advancing psychological science through an active research program, and the advanced training of psychologists and physicians. The Department has six Sections including: the Sleep Disorders Service and Research Center, Psychosocial Oncology and Integrative Medicine, Neuropsychological Testing and Evaluation, Geriatric and Rehabilitation Psychology, Outpatient Psychotherapy/Behavioral Medicine, and Child/Adolescent Psychology.

The Department operates a highly competitive psychology pre-doctoral internship and has several post-doctoral fellowship programs in adult and child health psychology within our sections.

The Department has an active program of research, supported by both NIH and foundation grants, and considers research essential both to the science-based practice of psychology and to an understanding of the biopsychosocial nature of human health and functioning. The Department has particular research strengths in sleep disorders and bio-rhythms, neuro-cognitive psychology, stress and trauma, eating disorders and obesity, pain, depression in older adults, and coping with severe illness.

The Department is also home to the Traumatic Stress Center at Rush which uses a multidisciplinary approach to restoring full functioning and control to individuals with stress disorders. The Traumatic Stress Center has a strong program of research focused particularly on trauma in inner-city women, health-related trauma, and terrorism and war.

The Sleep Disorder Service and Research Center was the first such center in Illinois to be accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (then the American Sleep Disorders Association).

Patient care services in behavioral sciences include:

• Traumatic Stress Center, providing multidisciplinary evaluation and treatment of the psychological and medical conditions of patients experiencing traumatic stress.
• Sleep disorder service, offering comprehensive evaluation and treatment for the more than 80 known sleep disorders.
• Neuropsychological testing and evaluation of intelligence, cognition, attention, language, perception and memory.
• Comprehensive psychological testing and personality assessment.
• Outpatient psychotherapy services, including evaluation and treatment of a variety of psychological and health-related issues.
• Geriatric and Rehabilitation Psychology. Issues addressed include depression, anxiety, coping with illness or hospitalization, adjustment to loss, grief, changes in levels of independence and adherence to treatment.
• CIMP/Psychosocial Oncology, providing support services for those affected by cancer.
• Ongoing research, including investigations of quality of life issues, circadian rhythms and insomnia. To learn about research studies currently enrolling participants, call (312) 942-5932. Or click on the link at left for Clinical Trials.

Stevan Hobfoll, PhD, is chairperson of the Department of Behavioral Sciences. The department is the primary faculty home for behavioral scientists in Rush Medical College and in the hospital, where clinical members of the department hold staff appointments. For information about behavioral scientists, see the link at left for Find a Doctor.