Özgener: We produce projects that meet the needs of Izmir

The official opening of the Psychology Research and Application Center (PUAM), which was established within the body of Izmir University of Economics (IUE), was held in order to provide services to people in need of psychological support under the most favorable conditions. Drawing attention to the importance of the center, which was used by 222 people in 10 months, despite the restricted appointments during the pandemic period, Mahmut Özgener, President of IUE Board of Trustees said, “As a university, we will continue to produce projects that are beneficial to the citizens and meet the needs of Izmir.”

President Özgener and his wife Ayşe Özgener, a specialist psychologist, IUE Rector Prof. Dr. Murat Aşkar, members of the board of trustees, academics, students, and guests attended the opening of the Psychology Research and Application Center serving in the Adalet ve Demokrasi Park next to the IUE campus. After the opening, the delegation, who toured the center, received information from PUAM Director Dr. Yasemin Meral Öğütçü.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROJECT

Speaking at the ceremony, President Mahmut Özgener thanked Balçova Mayor Fatma Çalkaya for her support for the establishment of the center. Stating that PUAM is an exemplary project for university-city integration, President Özgener said, “The biggest problem of psychology students is that they did not have enough practice and did not meet with a client after graduation. IUE graduate students have the opportunity to practice in the center. Additionally, this center is a social responsibility project. Because we provide cheap-rate consultancy services to applicants. The interest shown by the people of Izmir also showed that our center meets an important need.”

WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TO IZMIR

Stating that they see the whole of Izmir as a campus and they prepare projects that prioritize the interests of the city, President Özgener said, “The university should not be just a guide; at the same time, it should be dynamic and always open to innovation and have an understanding that leads, produces projects, contributes to the city where it is located. This is the mission of our university and the basis of the Campus Izmir concept, which we started to implement by saying 'All of Izmir is our campus'. It is our responsibility to Izmir to be a university that leaves a mark in every part of the city and develops cooperation with institutions. Based on the idea of ​​creating an independent and free environment for clients, we wanted our center to be located outside the campus. The center will contribute greatly to the training of competent and expert clinical psychologists. We will continue to produce projects that meet the needs of Izmir and are beneficial to the citizens.”

A RESEARCH CENTER

IUE Rector Prof. Dr. Murat Aşkar said that PUAM is a research center that directs scientific studies in the field of clinical psychology. Prof. Dr. Aşkar said, “The center has a very comprehensive field of study. At PUAM, we conduct academic research involving different psychological diagnosis cases. Not only do we provide services to individuals in need of psychological support, but we also organize webinars and seminars on various topics within the center. One of the best examples of this is the psychological support seminars we organized for people affected by the Izmir earthquake in cooperation with the Izmir Chamber of Commerce. I can say that we have reached the point we aimed at the establishment of PUAM. We are proud to have established such a center that provides quality applied education and research opportunities to clinical psychology students, provides continuing education services to graduates and supports the community.”

52 ACTIVE CLIENTS

PUAM Director Dr. Yasemin Meral Öğütçü said, “We train specialists who are committed to ethical principles and provide quality mental health services at the same time in our center. We believe that the center will assume an important role in the field of education and practice in our country, thus becoming an institution that creates value for the society. For this purpose, we graduated 15 Master’s students with thesis with the title of 'clinical psychologist' in the 2020-2021 academic year. The interest of people in our center is also remarkable. The main topics for which support is requested are anxiety disorders, depression, and relationship problems with the effect of the pandemic. 222 people have received support from our center so far. Currently, 52 people continue to receive active support. A total of 1160 hours of sessions were held.”

APPOINTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE BY PHONE

PUAM, where face-to-face meetings as well as online sessions are held, provides service in an area of ​​approximately 300 square meters. In addition to 15 psychologists who are pursuing master's degrees, PUAM also has permanent clinical psychologist. In the center where there are 3 meeting rooms, a seminar hall and special waiting areas; IUE academics also serve clients if requested. You can get an appointment from the center by calling 0232 488 82 17.