Mission
The New Leaf Clinic is both a campus-based service and an educational project linking the academic curriculum to clinical practice. Its mission is trifold:
1. Service to W&M students and the local community
Clients' behaviors and attitudes relating to alcohol and other drugs (AOD) are assessed with research-validated instruments, and they are served with a brief intervention program using motivational interviewing techniques. Motivational interviewing is a cutting-edge, evidence-based intervention program that has proved effective for motivating change in substance use. It emphasizes clients' choices in controlling their own decision-making.
2. Research
The effectiveness of the counseling services is evaluated through a rigorous system of ongoing data collection and quantitative analysis. Our research contributes to the knowledge of motivational interviewing as a technique with the college population. Professors and students alike are well-known in the counseling community for their high research output grounded in real interactions with patients.
3. Training
New Leaf provides opportunities for the training of students in the Community and Addiction program. Students in the master's and doctoral-level programs learn how to counsel college students as part of their licensure to become counselors in a community agency setting.
