Youth Psychotherapy Program (YPP)

The Youth Psychotherapy Program (YPP) was launched in 2017 to provide psychotherapy for disadvantaged youth who do not have access to ongoing, high-quality mental health treatment. To fulfill this mission, YPP has partnered with local high schools in high poverty neighborhoods and has enrolled students into the program that have experienced a wide range of trauma throughout their lives. Psychotherapy sessions are generally provided once or twice a week and are held in private office spaces in each student’s school. YPP therapists are licensed graduate-level psychologists, social workers, or physicians who have participated in the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia’s training programs.

To assess the effectiveness of the treatment we are our providing, we are conducting a research study in partnership with Chestnut Hill College using state-of-the-art questionnaires with both students and therapists throughout the students’ treatments that measure the following outcomes:

  • Increased ability to tolerate strong emotions

  • Symptom reduction including anxiety and depression 

  • Increased self awareness

  • Health of  interpersonal relationships

  • Engagement in communities and school attendance 

YPP leadership and therapists are strongly committed to providing psychotherapy to the students in our program. Our hope is that these youth will be able to escape from cycles of violence and poverty for themselves and their children. 

For more information or if you are interested in joining the YPP team, please contact Suzanne Benser, MD, at [email protected].

What does YPP look like in action? Hear from one of our YPP therapists.

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