Founder & CEO
About Dr. Demarquis clarke
Dr. DeMarquis Clarke is a distinguished mental health clinician, academic leader, and administrator who serves as the Founder and CEO of the Institute for Relational Change. His leadership reflects a rare combination of rigorous academic scholarship and nearly three decades of frontline clinical experience.
After making history at Seton Hill University as the institution’s first Black earned-tenured Associate Professor and serving as Director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Dr. Clarke founded the Center for Relational Change, a group therapy practice composed of diverse mental health clinicians dedicated to providing systemic and holistic therapeutic services to clients across Pennsylvania. He later expanded this vision through the Institute for Relational Change, focusing on building a systemic clinical model that bridges family-based theory with accessible, community-centered healing.
Dr. Clarke earned his PhD from Syracuse University and his master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. His work is grounded in the belief that individual wellness cannot be separated from the health of relationships, families, and communities. Through clinical operations in both Pennsylvania and Mississippi, he brings a unique cross-cultural perspective to mental health care, enabling the Institute to provide services that are both culturally responsive and clinically excellent.
Beyond the traditional therapy room, Dr. Clarke has served as a consultant for the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and remains deeply committed to social justice, including advocacy related to racial equity, underserved communities, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. His leadership ensures that the Institute for Relational Change operates through a modern, inclusive, and trauma-informed lens.
Under Dr. Clarke’s guidance, the Institute has become a premier center for systemic care, relational training, and community healing, dedicated to the philosophy that lasting change begins within the relationships and connections we share.
Our Vision
We envision a future in which systems-based family therapy plays a central role in improving mental health outcomes, strengthening relationships, and expanding equity across communities. As a leader in clinical training and a provider of accessible, relationally focused care, the Institute for Relational Change aims to contribute to a world where every person has the opportunity to experience healthy, supportive, and life-giving relationships.
The Institute is dedicated to training the next generation of systemic, culturally responsive clinicians.
SUPPORT
Support individuals, couples, and families attend therapy
Expand
Expand community-based programs that reach underserved neighborhoods
Provide
Provide scholarships for emerging clinicians
Develop
Develop training programs grounded in equity, inclusion, and social justice
The Institute for Relational Change is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing therapy to underserved communities, and training the next generation of systemic, culturally responsive clinicians.
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contact
info@instituteforrelationalchange.org
412-212-8478
1789 S. Braddock Ave. Suite 350
Pittsburgh PA 15218