PAU Alumnus Elected to National Register of Health Service Psychologists Board of Directors

  Peter H. Marcus, Psy.D., a 2013 alumnus of the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists Board of Directors earlier this year.   The National Register is the largest credentialing organization for psychologists and psychology doctoral students in the United States. Dr. Marcus is faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and has an appointment as Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. He has been credentialed by the National Register since 2016 and his four-year term will have him serving from 2020-2024.   “The National Register is truly a powerhouse of an organization. It offers a clinical home for psychologists,” said Dr. Marcus. “No matter what’s happening in our field the National Register has its finger on the pulse. It’s provided so much to me throughout my education and career thus far and I want to give back.”   Dr. Marcus’s journey to psychology began with a dedicated meditation practice and a commitment to service. He states “I recognized the path from my previous career as a writer into a career as a clinical psychologist. In addition to his writing, he had volunteered at 826 Valencia, a nonprofit in the Bay Area dedicated to supporting under-resourced students with their creative and expository writing skills. He also volunteered at the Zen Hospice Project, a nonprofit focused on end of life care and grounded in compassion and service.   Through the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium Dr. Marcus was able to train at the Palo Alto VA System, an experience he calls “extraordinary.” He also worked at the John George Psychiatric Pavilion (now Hospital), an inpatient psychiatric facility, which gave him the direction he wanted to focus his career as a clinical psychologist: “I would show up at John George and recognize the ways in which underserved, at-risk and often marginalized individuals often lack direct access to the healthcare services they need most in their communities. These disparities often include limited or no access to psychological services.”   His work continues to focus on underserved populations, including people with substance use disorders, bipolar disorder, and families for whom substance use disorder are a significant issue.   Harkening back to his time in the Consortium Dr. Marcus said, “the training is incredible, the faculty is exceptional. I still remember many of my classes like they were last week. I felt heard and cared for at Palo Alto. It is an unbelievable training experience that just keeps getting better year after year.”    And now, as a new Board member of The National Register, Dr. Marcus says he would like to help the organization reach new audiences. “I want incoming graduate students to know about the National Register, to know about the many resources the organization offers, and that the National Register is there with you at every stage of your career.”