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Rutgers Partners with
Tourette Syndrome Association of New Jersey
To Create Treatment Program July 14, 2000 NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Adults and children suffering from Tourette Syndrome (TS) and their families will have access to a specialized treatment program beginning in September, thanks to a new partnership between Rutgers' Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) and the Tourette Syndrome Association of New Jersey Inc. (TSANJ). The Rutgers-TSANJ Therapeutic Program will be offered through the Psychological Clinic at GSAPP, which provides a variety of psychological services to the public. "This is the first time a Tourette Syndrome organization has partnered with a university-based psychological clinic to better serve the Tourette community," said Faith Rice, president of TSANJ. "There are an estimated 7,000 people in New Jersey believed to have full-blown TS and very few resources available to assist them. The clinic will serve as our central clearinghouse for referrals, treatment and information regarding TS." "This partnership will enable us to create specialized treatment programs to address the needs of Tourette patients and their families, provide a unique hands-on learning experience for our graduate students, and increase awareness of TS in the professional community," said Lewis Gantwerk, director of the Center for Applied Psychology at GSAPP. The Rutgers-TSANJ Therapeutic Program will offer individual and family therapy, programs for school-age children and adults with TS, social skills development sessions, referrals to physicians, and testing services. The program will also feature training and accredited workshops on TS and associated disorders for practitioners, physicians, educators and students. TS is an inherited neurological disorder characterized by repeated involuntary facial, head or body movements and uncontrollable vocal (phonic) sounds called tics, such as grunting, sniffing or barking. In a few cases, tics can include inappropriate words and phrases. Symptoms usually occur in early childhood, between the ages of 6 and 8, but can also appear during the teen-age years. Associated behaviors include obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD), learning disabilities (LD), difficulties with impulse control and sleep disorders. An estimated 200,000 Americans have full-blown TS, and as many as 1 in 200 show a partial expression of the disorder. Bonnie Robinson Cimring has been appointed as the program's clinical supervisor. Cimring is a psychologist with expertise in child development, impulse control disorders, parent training, and social and emotional learning. She works extensively with parents and children, and consults with school districts from pre-school through high school. Cimring will handle the daily operations of the program and direct a staff of five student-clinicians, all GSAPP doctoral students. The student-clinicians will work directly with individuals, families and groups in the program under Cimring's supervision. Program staff will undergo a training program developed jointly by TSANJ and GSAPP. Student-clinicians will earn practicum credits and a stipend, and must commit to the program for one year. The Psychological Clinic is at 152 Frelinghuysen Road in the Psychology Building on the Busch campus in Piscataway. The clinic provides out-patient mental health services for some 300 children, adults, families and groups annually, and offers practicum experiences for more than 100 graduate students in psychology. Fees are based on a sliding scale. For more information, visit the clinic's Web site, www.rutgerspsychservices.com or call (732) 445-6111. TSANJ is a statewide nonprofit organization whose membership includes 2,500 individuals with TS, their families and friends, and interested professionals. The mission of TSANJ is to support the needs of families with TS, to advocate for individuals with TS, and to educate the public and professionals on TS. For more information about TS, visit the TSANJ Web site, www.tsanj.org, call (732) 972-4459, or write TSANJ at 26 W. High St., Somerville, N.J. 08876. |
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