The Center for LGBTQ Evidence-Based Applied Research (CLEAR) is headed by Dr. Kimberly Balsam at Palo Alto University and includes 17 PAU faculty members as well as a postdoctoral fellow and a graduate student assistant.  It was founded in 2007 by Dr. Peter Goldblum with the vision that "every person - adult or child - will have access to the social and psychological resources necessary to construct affirming identities congruent with their deepest selves."  

 

In the sixteen years since its inception, CLEAR has provided funding and support for faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows at Palo Alto University to conduct research advancing the health and well-being of diverse LGBTQ+ populations as well as consultation and programming to disseminate research findings. CLEAR also enhances PAU’s commitment to diversity by advancing training on cultural competency to ensure that the next generations of clinical psychologists and counselors are prepared to meet the needs of these populations.

 

As CLEAR continues to evolve and expand, we remain focused on our specific goals to bring our vision to life:

• growing our capacity to conduct high-quality, leading-edge research that will advance the science on sexual orientation and gender identity-related issues;

• expanding training opportunities in research and its application to practice and policy at the pre- and post-doctoral training levels;

• providing a forum for thought leaders in the area of LGBTQ+ psychology to convene, share ideas, and develop scholarly and applied work; 

• providing consultation and education to community organizations seeking to improve their cultural competence with LGBTQ+ populations; and

• disseminating expertise in LGBTQ+ clinical psychology and counseling through our annual speaker series to bridge the gap between science and practice.

 

CLEAR’s ‘Small Grants Program’ was launched in November 2018 to provide funding for PAU faculty and students to conduct research that furthers CLEAR’s mission. Our first projects were funded in the 2018-2019 academic year and we have two application cycles per year.

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CLEAR is one of three entities at PAU focused on LGBTQ+ issues – the other two being the Sexual and Gender Identities Clinic, which serves as a specialty clinic within the Gronowski Training Clinic, and the LGBTQ+ Area of Emphasis in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. Together, these entities make PAU uniquely poised as a leading institution among Clinical Psychology training programs in the United States in research, training, and clinical work with LGBTQ+ populations.