Our Model of Education


For more than 30 years, The Chicago School has been known as an innovator in the field, working to push the boundaries and further the impact that psychology has on our world.

Our unique educational model—known as The Engaged Professional Model—is based heavily on learning through community service and on grooming students to be "engaged" and active participants in their communities, applying their knowledge and skills in new and powerful ways to serve the greater good.

From their first semester on campus, our students learn not only through their classroom work, but through an unparalleled range of real-world training experiences in diverse and challenging settings. They contribute their expertise in underserved communities, social service agencies, schools, hospitals, and even businesses—refining their professional skills while making a positive and lasting impact in the community.

The Engaged Professional Model re-defines the role of the professional. No longer limited to research or traditional clinical practice, engaged professionals are multiculturally and professionally proficient individuals who are integral parts of their communities, approach practice and scholarship from the broader view of innovators, transformers, and problem solvers, and use their disciplines to make positive and lasting impact on the world.


Overcoming Challenges Through Art Therapy

Umaimah Rasheed is helping Pakistani children with disabilities express themselves through art while securing funds for critical health care services they are typically denied.

Overcoming Challenges Through Art Therapy

Psychology Without Borders

Chicago School student Payal Beri is putting theory into practice. With the training she is receiving through The Chicago School’s Marital and Family Therapy program, Payal is helping address the unique psychological needs of refugees, disadvantaged children in Peru, and individuals with severe mental illness.
More about her story.

Psychology without Borders

Learning Skills for Living with Autism

Adolescence is hard enough for anyone, but for youth with autism it presents a unique set of challenges. Chicago School student Corey McDonald created a program for her middle-school-aged autistic students that is helping them learn relational skills and feel accepted among their peers.
Read more.

Learning Skills for Living with Autism