Sarah Kirk, Ph.D.
- Director of KU Psychological Clinic
- Associate Director Clinical Psychology Concentration
Contact Info
Lawrence
1415 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045
Personal Links
Biography —
Dr. Kirk is a clinical faculty member and administrator. She directs all practicum activity, supervises, and facilitates clinical training opportunities. She also teaches graduate courses and provides professional development mentorship to students. Dr. Kirk has a background in pediatric psychology and enjoys working with children who have health concerns that intersect with psychological symptoms.
Dr. Kirk has a strong background working with persons of all ages with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and has worked a great deal with anxiety disorders and especially obsessive compulsive disorders and specific phobias using exposure and response prevention approaches. She conducts assessments of all types and especially enjoys cognitive, ADHD, and Learning Disability assessments.
Education —
Research —
As director of the KU Psychological Clinic I am most interested in promoting clinical training in our graduate program. Specifically, I am focused on increasing our students' assessment experiences, broadening their practicum experiences, and improving their use of technology as applied to clinical interventions. Additionally, I would like to evaluate evidence based treatments in our clinic.
Quality improvement and assurance is a principal goal for me, as well as developing measurements to promote the highest quality of care for our clients and training.
My research interests are in evaluating the graduate training process via outcome and competency based assessment. I am also interested in clinical outcomes, specifically functional outcomes for clients served in our clinic.
Teaching —
I teach Supervision and Consultation courses (theory, research and field practicum). I am also an active supervisor for practicum students in internal and external practicum and field practicum in supervision.
Selected Publications —
Sayegh, P., Vivian, D., Heller, M. B., Kirk, S., & Kelly, K. (2023, May 25). Racial, Cultural, and Social Injustice in Psychological Assessment: A Brief Review, Call to Action, and Resources to Help Reduce Inequities and Harm. Training and Education in Professional Psychology. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tep0000451
Russell, J., Clark, H., Taylor, H. & Kirk, S. (2022). Training in Professionalism: Finding a fluid and collaborative pathway. APTC Bulletin Summer/Fall 2022, p. 18.
Ethics Blog https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-ethical-professor/201805/3-…
Selected Presentations —
Pascale-Hague, D., Coutinho, M.T., Nye, S., Smith, L. & Kirk, S. (2025). Training the Next Gen: Navigating and Bridging the Generational Gap in Clinical Supervision, Association of Psychology Training Directors (APTC) Conference, Nashville, TN.
APTC Conference Saturday, March 11, 2023, 9:15-10:30am, 75 minute, Panel Presentation & Roundtable Discussions The Secret to Success: Self-promotion in Academic Settings Part 1-Panel: Barriers to Self-Promotion by Stephanie Graham, Avenues of Self-Promotion for Non-tenure Track Faculty by Emily Stafford, and Strategies for Tenure Track Faculty by Heidi Zetzer
Part 2: Topical roundtable discussions led by: Cynthia Gonzalez, Robert Heffer, Jr., Jacqueline Hersh, Sarah Beth Kirk, Debbi O’Brien, William Salton, Rachel Stephens, A. Jordan Wright, & Kimberly Zlomke
Kirk, S. (2023) noon-1pm Webinar for KPA Adult ADHD assessment: Challenges Practitioners Face
Kirk, S., Mosconi, M. & Swindler, S. (2023) ASD Behaviors in and out of the Classroom – 2 hour training for Engineering Department Retreat – U of Kansas 1/13/2023 G411 LEEP Bldg
Awards & Honors —
- Emily Taylor Center Recognition Award – Bernadette Gray-Little “Expanding the Reach” (2019)
- John C. Wright Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award (2019)
- Award for Teaching Excellence – Graduate Student nomination for teaching excellence awarded by the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Kansas (May 2011)
Service —
- Advisory Board Kansas Psychological Association - Academic and Research Representative
- Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board Licensed Psychology Advisory Committee
- Association of Psychology Training Clinics (APTC) - Assessment, Technology, and Competencies Committees
- KU Staff Senate
Memberships —
- American Psychological Association (Section IX of Division 12)
- Association of Directors of Psychology Training Clinics, APTC
- Kansas Psychological Association, KPA - Currently KPA – Academic and Research Representative and part of Advisory Board
- Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board Licensed Psychology Advisory Committee