The Underserved Meets Vision of Committed Clinician

Mark Hovee, Psy. D., was dedicated to becoming a clinical psychologist and serving the underserved, and in 1979 joined Food for the Hungry, an international partnership involving work on the Thai-Cambodian border. His experience helping survivors of the "killing fields" come to grips with their deadly experiences galvanized his resolve to make a difference in the lives of those in need. That, combined with counseling opportunities that seemed to come up every time he applied for a job, convinced Hovee that the combination of mental health counseling and service to the disadvantaged provided the career path that made sense to his heart. "When I first started studying to be a clinical psychologist, I knew I wanted to serve people who traditionally had no access to mental health care. I thought this meant I would end up in a foreign location, but then I realized that there was just as great a need here in the United States," said Hovee.

In 1997, around the time he received his doctorate in clinical psychology at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, Hovee found out about the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program, which had only recently been expanded to include mental health professionals. "I was quickly licensed in January 1998 because of a lucky break in requirements in Kentucky. And I was simultaneously accepted, to the day, by the NHSC into their Loan Repayment Program." Hovee chose to serve his three-year commitment at the Mountain Comprehensive Care Center in Prestonburg, Floyd County, Kentucky, where he had already gained experience and a special affinity for the people during an intern rotation for his graduate studies.

He has since moved on from Mountain Comprehensive Care, but decided to continue practicing among the poor people of the Kentucky mountains. He currently works in Paintsville, where he is one of only two psychologists in private practice. On top of his office work, Hovee's living room and study shelter yet another clinic. There, patients with problems ranging from anger management to divorce watch TV and chat while they wait to be seen in a practice with an authentic, "down-home" flavor. In addition, Hovee spends 10 hours a week working with prisoners at the Otter Creek Correctional Facility in neighboring Floyd County. And he carries a part-time teaching load of graduate psychology and counseling courses at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia.

Not just content to literally bring his work home, Hovee's vision of the role of the mental and behavioral health professional extends well beyond the parameters of his living room and Paintsville practice. "Clinical psychologists possess the kind of training conducive to fruitful negotiations and peacemaking, even at the international level." Leading by example, Hovee traveled to Russia to present at a conference about the possibilities for conflict mediation and resolution in impoverished and war-torn countries. Most recently, he contacted the Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI) to discuss the role psychologists might play in facilitating positive change and peace among Israelis and Palestinians.

In the midst of what is already a grueling schedule, Hovee astonishingly boasts a second career as an Army Reserve clinical psychologist. In January 2001, after serving for 18 years, he was commissioned as a first lieutenant and currently is awaiting notification of his promotion to captain.

Since the events of September 11, 2001, Hovee's interest in dealing with the psychological impact of terrorism has been galvanized into a commitment to "become part of a small team that is readily available for crisis situations that might occur around the country." With the threat of terrorism ever present across the Nation, it is good to know that Hovee's brand of active intervention is strategically positioned to revitalize the Nation should the need arise.

The NHSC salutes this remarkable clinician for his long-standing commitment to serving the underserved and his country in so many ways.

Learn about other NHSC success stories.