How Clinical Psychologists are Making a Difference for the Unhoused

by Keerthi Sriram

Much of the unhoused community is known to struggle with mental health issues, and despite this disparity, there seems to be little to no change being made in terms of access or engagement from the unhoused. Social programs regarding mental health for the unhoused do exist, except they miss one key component: clinical psychology placements. Unhoused individuals face poor health and trauma at high numbers, yet oftentimes, there are many barriers to their accessing the resources put into place. Some of these barriers include stigma against mental health, incomplete care for those with various needs, and drug use. In this study, individuals were doctorally trained in clinical psychology and worked in several clinical settings. Interviews were conducted with the people working there to assess the qualities they brought to the workplace. It was found that these clinical psychology placements were able to pass on their skills to several trainees, and be able to work as a sort of bridge between the unhoused perspective and the health perspective. These traits allow for the unhoused community to better access healthcare, and live to show that these services work when implemented with the workers being trained on the needed education.

References: Frith, H., John, M., Sharkah, L., & Iles, J. (2025). A Different Way of Working: Embedding Clinical Psychology Placements in Third Sector Organisations Supporting People Experiencing Homelessness. Health expectations : an international journal of public par

ticipation in health care and health policy, 28(3), e70334. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.70334