The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Professor Claude Barbre Receives Award From the Harlem Family Institute

Margaret Morgan Lawrence Award Recognizes Outstanding Service

CHICAGO, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Claude Barbre, M.Div., PhD., LP., associate professor of Clinical Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP), and former executive director of the Harlem Family Institute (HFI), was honored at an event in New York City where he received The Margaret Morgan Lawrence Award for his many years of outstanding service to HFI and the children and families of Harlem. The award is named after Margaret Morgan Lawrence, M.D., the first African American psychoanalyst trained in the United States, and the first African American female pediatrician certified by the American Board of Pediatricians. HFI was founded in New York City in 1991 to serve impoverished and low-income children and their families, and to provide affordable high quality post-graduate training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy for mental health professionals, especially minority professionals who have been under-represented in the field.

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Working in Harlem since 1985, Dr. Barbre has participated in the life of HFI since 1993, serving as executive director for twelve years, and also as a psychotherapist, training supervisor, faculty member, and a member of its board of directors. During his tenure as executive director, HFI graduated 42 psychotherapists in the three and four-year programs, most of whom are African American and Latino/a, and completed nearly 60,000 therapy sessions with children who would not have had clinical services provided for them if not for the Institute's outreach programs.

"Claude Barbre is a pioneer and a special kind of leader," said Lee Jenkins, Ph.D., president of the HFI board of directors. "He often talks about and honors others, revealing what it is that animates another as if it were a discovery, a picture of the spirit within. Simply put, he is a person of deep spiritual reserves and belief in people. Through his selfless devotion, HFI developed an outstanding training program that has provided psychotherapy to scores of underserved school children and their families in Harlem."

In addition to receiving the award from HFI, the work of Barbre and many colleagues was acknowledged in a proclamation by the Council of the City of New York, recognizing the contributions of the Episcopal Social Services (ESS) that have helped "transform the lives and communities of New Yorkers in need." A certified hospital chaplain, Dr. Barbre was the director of the Lay Chaplaincy Program called Openings at Bellevue Hospital for ten years—a program sponsored by ESS and founded by fellow TCSPP professor Todd DuBose. During Dr. Barbre's tenure, the Openings program graduated over 50 lay chaplains from the New York City area.

"I am deeply honored to receive this award and recognition for work that has been so close to my heart for several decades," said Dr. Barbre. "It is especially poignant to me to receive an award named after Margaret Morgan Lawrence, a remarkable healer who taught all of us to identify the individual and universal patterns of strength and creativity in children and families."

In addition to his work with HFI, Openings, and a private practice in psychoanalysis, Dr. Barbre was the associate editor of the Journal of Religion and Health for fifteen years, and is also a four-time recipient of the international Gradiva Award in the Book, Article, and Poetry categories, presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis.

About The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Founded in 1979, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) is the nation's leading nonprofit graduate school dedicated exclusively to the applications of psychology and related behavioral sciences. The school is an active member of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology, which has recognized TCSPP for its distinguished service and outstanding contributions to cultural diversity and advocacy. The school's community service initiatives have resulted in three consecutive years of recognition on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service to disadvantaged youth. In 2009, the school was named to The Chronicle of Higher Education's annual list of "Great Colleges to Work For." Campuses are located in Chicago; in Los Angeles, Westwood, and Irvine, California; and the newest campus in Washington, D.C. Doctoral psychology programs and masters psychology programs are offered on-ground and in an online-blended format.

For more information about The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, visit www.thechicagoschool.edu. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gradpsychology. Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thechicagoschool.

SOURCE The Chicago School of Professional Psychology