Why Support WSPP—Invest in Tomorrow's Mental Health Leaders

This section is designed to help you understand more about the WSPP mission, our impact in the communities we serve, and funding priorities of WSPP—and how your support directly contributes to addressing Wisconsin’s mental health care needs.

Below are common questions and key insights into WSPP’s work.

Click any question to learn more.

Tuition helps cover the school’s operating costs, but it doesn’t meet the full scope of how WSPP delivers our impact to students and communities.

To grow and sustain our vision, WSPP relies on the generosity of donors like you.

Philanthropic support fuels scholarships, expands access to clinical care, and strengthensthe training of future mental health professionals.

Yes. Over the past five years, WSPP has awarded nearly $1 million in scholarships to support psychologists in training. Yet, the public health need continues to outpace the number of professionals entering the field.

With your support, we are launching two new scholarships—targeting students from Northern Wisconsin and students who are underserved in healthcare—who are uniquely positioned to meet local mental health needs.

Your gift enables aspiring Clinical Psychologists to pursue graduate education and helps increase access to care across underserved communities in Wisconsin and beyond.

The WSPP Psychology Training Center is central to our hands-on training model and a vital resource for the local community. Demand for services continues to grow, and the clinic is currently subsidized in part by the school.

Your support helps us serve more individual patients and builds a foundation for long-term sustainability. Students offer services to individuals, families, children, and couples—while also supporting organizations like the Milwaukee Ballet and local LGBTQ+ groups.

In the future, we hope to compensate student clinicians and reduce their educational debt with your help.

Our vision is to prepare future practitioners for an increasingly multi-faceted and complex world—so they can make meaningful, lasting contributions to the communities they serve.

Forty of Wisconsin’s 70 counties have a shortage of mental health professionals—and many don’t have a single practicing psychologist. This results in long travel times for care, delays in treatment, and added pressure on primary care providers.

WSPP is the only institution in Wisconsin offering the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree. We graduate 12 clinical psychologists each year—more than any other program in the state—and play a vital role in closing the care gap.

WSPP’s holistic training approach blends academic rigor with real-world clinical experience and mentorship. Students receive hands-on training in our on-site clinic, serving adults, children, families, and couples.

All care is supervised by licensed psychologists on our faculty and is offered on a sliding fee scale to ensure affordability for the community and patients served.