Forest Institute
The School of Professional Psychology at Forest Institute was founded in 1979 to provide an alternative to the traditional teaching Doctor of Psychology programs of education. The programs were designed for individuals desiring an education to prepare them to serve as direct providers of mental health services rather than researchers or academicians. Programs emphasize a holistic approach to mental wellness grounded in the science and practice of clinical psychology.
Forest Institute operated the Robert J. Murney Clinic in Springfield, Missouri and was one of the few graduate programs in the US to offer its students a free-standing clinic for practicum experience. This "classroom” provided services to members of the local community and offered students the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom.
Forest also supported the Center for Innovation and Community Health, the Center for Continuing Education and numerous programs in the greater Springfield area. These programs are intended to fill needs for mental health services, training and consulting in the metro-area and the surrounding rural communities.
In 2007, its enrollment totaled 221 students, and it awarded 66 doctoral degrees that year. In 2003, its national rank as a doctoral program in psychology in the United States was 177 out of 200.
The school closed in the fall of 2015, citing financial difficulties. Transcripts and psychology internship/residency training records/verifications have become available through the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards Closed Record Verification Service http://www.asppb.net/?page=ClosedRecord
