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Postdoctoral Fellowship

Overview

The Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program provides Postdoctoral Fellows with opportunities for advanced training in Health Service Psychology (HSP). Over the course of the year, postdoctoral fellows continue to enhance and solidify the development of clinical skills required for professional practice in psychology. These include

  • Skills to effectively respond to crisis situations during 8-hour on-call coverage.
  • Provide brief assessment and psychotherapy to a diverse student population.
  • Consult and collaborate with the interdisciplinary staff at CAPS and the campus community in meeting the needs of diverse students. 
  • Enhance clinical skills and treatment interventions.
  • Develop specialized skills in a chosen specialty area.

The Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program follows a developmental model that supports and builds on the knowledge postdoctoral fellows bring, and it provides opportunities to gain experience and training in multiple professional capacities. Postdoc fellows build competencies, confidence, and skills throughout the year to prepare them for full-time practice in college mental health.

Postdoctoral fellows provide 16-20 hours of clinical work per week. This includes weekly intakes and assessment, one 8-hour shift of on-call coverage that includes on-call emergency appointments, phone assessment and consultation with the Stanford community. Fellows will also provide time-limited, brief psychotherapy to Stanford students, group therapy and may carry up to two long-term, students.

Postdoctoral fellows receive two hours of clinical supervision, one hour of specialty supervision in their chosen specialty track, and one hour of case consultation per week. There will be quarterly evaluations with supervisors to monitor the development and readiness of fellows. Supervisors provide ongoing feedback on fellows’ strengths and areas of growth and provide regular feedback and evaluation of goals set for the training year. As professional autonomy increases, postdoctoral fellows graduate with developed competencies to practice as independent, professional psychologists.

Postdoctoral Fellows also attend two weekly staff meetings. See a  sample schedule.

Additionally, CAPS provides postdoctoral fellows an opportunity to select a year-long specialized training: gender and sexual Identities track, outreach track, or training track.

Specialty Tracks

CAPS Gender and Sexual Identities Track

The gender and sexual identities track provides fellows the opportunity to participate in a year-long specialized training experience on gender and sexual identities. Fellows will meet weekly for one hour of supervision with the specialty supervisor. Fellows who select this track will work together with Dr. Inge Hansen and the rest of the Weiland Health Initiative team to

  1. Provide clinical services for the LGBTQIA student community.
  2. Increase clinicians’ awareness and understanding of the spectrum of sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersecting identities.
  3. Create programs and activities that support the mental health and wellness of the LGBTQIA student community.
  4. Foster dialogue within the larger Stanford community around issues of sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersectionality.

Fellows in this track will attend a regular gender and sexual identities consultation group, and help to teach the 10-week gender and sexual identities clinical rotation attended by the doctoral trainees. Programs and activities that were offered during previous years of this track include

  • Opening dialogue on campus regarding LGBTQIA athletes.
  • Creating and evaluating clinician training programs on gender and sexuality.
  • Providing supervision for students who volunteer as HIV counselors.
  • Participating in an LGBTQIA field trip for doctoral trainees.
  • Improving systems to support students who are transitioning genders during their college years.

For more details about opportunities in the GSI track, please contact Dr. Hansen.

CAPS Training Track

The training track provides postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to learn about the coordination and management of an APA accredited training program from selection to orientation to planning and evaluation of the training program. Fellows will meet weekly for one hour of supervision with the specialty supervisor. Fellows who select this track will work with Dr. Mary Mendoza-Newman and other colleagues in the training committee to

  1. Develop an understanding of intern development and learn to assess competencies required for successful completion of the internship.
  2. Learn about the administration, management, and evaluation of a training program.
  3. Gain an understanding of the ethics and guidelines for training.
  4. Develop skills involved in the selection process.

The postdoctoral fellows’ duties will include involvement in several projects throughout the year such as

  • Participating in the internship and postdoctoral selection processes.
  • Updating the website to reflect changes to the training program.
  • Developing a training curriculum.
  • Assisting with aspects of writing a self-study for reaccreditation.

For more details about opportunities in the training track, please contact Dr. Mendoza-Newman.

CAPS Social Justice Outreach Track

The outreach track provides postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to provide consultation, education, liaison, and outreach to the Stanford community with a special focus on increasing understanding of social justice to develop skills in delivering outreach services to diverse and marginalized student communities. Fellows who select this track will work with Dr. Meag-gan O’Reilly and other colleagues to
 
  1. Establish, cultivate, and maintain CAPS liaison relationships with resident fellows/residential education, community centers, student groups, Student Affairs offices, academic departments, and other partners.
  2. Integrate knowledge and understanding of diversity and social justice into all stages of outreach programming.
  3. Professionally, and respectfully engage and facilitate diversity dialogues with others.
  4. Incorporate various theories and methods of program evaluation, and use this understanding to effectively evaluate and present their social justice project.

For more details about opportunities in the outreach track, please contact Dr. Meag-gan O'Reilly.

For more information about our Postdoctoral Psychology Fellowship, please see the  Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Manual.

Applying to the Postdoctoral Psychology Fellowship

Qualifications

  • A completed doctoral degree (Ph.D. /Psy.D.) in clinical or counseling psychology from an APA accredited graduate program
  • The completion of an APA accredited internship
  • Applicants must demonstrate strong interest and/or experience with college mental health, crisis intervention, brief therapy, consultation, working with diverse student populations, and an interest and experience in one of the specialized training areas mentioned above.

CAPS offers two full-time (40 hours per week), twelve month postdoctoral fellowship appointments beginning Monday, August 20, 2018 and ending Friday, August 16, 2019. The stipend for the fellowship is $53,406 for the year. This includes full benefits. For more information click here.  

Application Procedures

CAPS will use the APPIC Psychology Postdoctoral Application (APPA CAS), for postdoctoral applications. To apply for our postdoctoral fellowship, the following information must be uploaded in the APPA CAS by Friday, January 5, 2018:

  • A cover letter indicating your interests and goals for the postdoctoral fellowship year and how Stanford CAPS will help you achieve those goals. Clearly specify which track you are applying for.
  • A brief response to three essay questions in the APPA about brief therapy, diversity, and chosen specialty track.
  • A current vita reflecting all practicum work, psychology internship, and clinical training.
  • Three letters of reference (at least 2 from clinical supervisors familiar with your clinical work).
  •  A letter from your dissertation chair regarding your dissertation status and anticipated completion date. If your dissertation chair is one of your three letters of recommendation, this information can be included in that letter.

Please note that our application deadline is Friday, January 5, 2018 at midnight PST. In order for your application to be considered, all of your materials, including letters of recommendation, must be received by this date.

Applicants will be notified by late January 2017 of their application status. Phone or Skype interviews will take place the first two weeks of February. 

We will make offers on February 26, 2018 at 7 am PST. Once an offer is made to an applicant, the applicant may proceed with one of the following actions: accept the offer, decline the offer, or hold the offer for 30 minutes. If the position is held, it is considered frozen and cannot be offered to any other candidate during that time period. After 30 minutes, the applicant must either accept or decline, otherwise the offer is no longer valid. Thus, it is very important that you thoughtfully consul about whether or not you would like to be at Counseling and Psychological Services for your postdoctoral fellowship year. You may call the training director one hour after notification begins to inquire about your status in the process. We notify all applicants once all of our positions have been filled. After an applicant and CAPS come to an agreement, a formal offer letter will be mailed to the applicant who will then formally accept the offer in writing.

For more information about the postdoctoral selection guidelines please go http://www.appic.org/About-APPIC/Postdoctoral/APPIC-Postdoctoral-Selection-Guidelines.  You may also find Postdoctoral Training Resources at this APPIC link http://www.appic.org/About-APPIC/Postdoctoral.