Postdoctoral Fellowship

We provide post-doctoral training and supervision to clinical and counseling psychologists who have successfully completed their doctoral degree requirements.  Interest and experience working in a university counseling center are preferred.  Our goal is to further the training and development of competent generalists, as well as skilled clinicians, who are developing an area of expertise.  Within the context of the Primary Emphasis area, we also aim to provide post-docs with a range of clinical experiences based on areas of interest, potential gaps in training, etc.

As a part of our training program, we value a focus on self-examination. Post-docs are invited and expected to share personal reactions and to engage in a process of self-examination throughout the course of their post-doctoral year. This involves growing in one’s ability to provide interpersonal feedback to colleagues, including navigating differing opinions, perspectives, values, beliefs, ideals, as well as resolving challenging interactions (i.e., microaggressions), etc. 

Training Program Overview

Primary Emphases (Required)

• Clinical/counseling interventions
• Triage (i.e. phone screen appointments)
• Individual psychotherapy
• Group psychotherapy
• Single Session Support and Consultation
• Urgent evaluation/follow-up/stabilization and mental health consultation
• Multicultural counseling competence
• Consultation/Collaboration with psychiatric services
• Supervision (if available)
• Outreach

Secondary Emphasis (Choose One)

• Consultation/liaison/outreach
• Administration (e.g. Training)
• Research in applied settings
• Couples therapy
• Advanced assessment
• Specific areas of clinical competence (e.g. working with student-athletes, body image/eating disorders, sexual assault/relationship violence)

Post-docs are welcome to work with the Assistant Director, Training to develop a Secondary Emphasis not listed.

Supplementary Training Experiences

• System Orientation and Best Practices
• Professional Development Seminar
• Psychotherapy Seminar
• Staff Meeting (weekly)
• Staff Professional Development
• Case Consultation (weekly)
• Committee Participation

Our supervisory/training structure consists of the Assistant Director, Training (who also serves as the Director of the Doctoral Internship Program), Individual Supervisors, and Group Therapy Supervisors. The Assistant Director, Training, is responsible for developing training goals, overall program development and implementation, and the coordination and general supervision of post-doctoral activities. The Assistant Director maintains a close and active working relationship with post-docs on a regular basis. Supervisors are responsible for monitoring, supervising, and collaborating with the post-docs in each of their specific activities (e.g., individual counseling/psychotherapy, urgent evaluation/follow-up/stabilization, consultation/collaboration activities, etc.). The Assistant Director, Training and supervisors meet periodically to discuss post-doc progress. In addition, CAPS has a Training Committee that meets bi-weekly/weekly for an hour to discuss training issues more broadly. The Training Committee acts in an advisory capacity to the Assistant Director, Training with respect to the externship, doctoral internship and post-doctoral programs.

Post-doctoral fellows are assisted in developing at least a minimal level of proficiency in each of their areas through the training experiences described below. Progress in achieving proficiency is rated on a quarterly basis to be compliant with post-doctoral requirements for licensure in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. To successfully complete the program, post-docs must be able to perform relevant skills in each area without supervision by the end of the fellowship.  This translates to an overall minimum rating of 4 out of 5 on each of their performance evaluations in required areas by the end of the training year.

Primary Emphasis

Clinical/Counseling Interventions

Triage and Referral via Phone Screenings

Post-docs are expected to complete an average of 3 triage appointments each week.  Interviewing skills, risk assessment, accurate diagnosis, appropriate referrals for psycho-diagnostic testing, and arranging suitable disposition are all considered by our agency to be necessary skills for initial screenings. These skills are developed in individual psychotherapy supervision as well as through training seminars taught during the orientation period.

Individual Counseling/Psychotherapy

Individual counseling and psychotherapy, prominent functions of our agency, are considered a core part of post-doc training. Post-docs carry a diverse caseload of 10-15 clients per week and receive intensive individual psychotherapy supervision (two hours per week minimum) to support clinical growth in this area. While the majority of clients will be seen within our time-limited (6-9 session) model, there may be opportunities to see 1-2 clients on a long-term basis (e.g. occasional extended counseling for clients where clinical and/or financial need warrant such continued services, including individuals who have experienced sexual/relational violence).  Individual psychotherapy supervision may occur with a different supervisor for both six-month time blocks in order to provide a variety of therapeutic perspectives.  However, at times, post-docs may continue with the same supervisor. Post-docs have an opportunity to rank order their preferences for supervisors. Supervision assignments are made by the Assistant Director, Training, who takes these preferences into account whenever possible. Throughout the Fall and Spring academic semesters, post-docs participate in a weekly Psychotherapy Seminar to supplement clinical skillset and knowledge. Post-docs also meet weekly with other clinical staff in small groups where they can participate in consultation related to client care. 

Group Counseling/Psychotherapy

Penn State CAPS has one of the largest group therapy programs in the country. Post-doctoral fellows are active participants in this extensive program. Each post-doc will typically co-lead two groups with a senior staff co-leader in both the Fall and Spring academic semesters. Post-docs with significant prior group therapy experience may also become a senior co-leader with an extern trainee as part of the supervision experience. Group assignments will be made by the Group Therapy Coordinator in consultation with the Assistant Director, Training. Post-docs have an opportunity to rank order their preferences for groups. Co-leadership of groups forms a substantial component of the training experience. Each post-doc will receive supervision from their senior staff co-leader for each group being conducted or from another supervisor if they are co-leading with an extern. Each semester we typically offer 25+ groups. Post-doctoral fellows may also have the opportunity to develop and co-lead a group that is not currently provided that addresses a clinical need of the center.  This opportunity typically occurs during the summer academic semester.

Urgent Evaluation/follow-up/stabilization and Mental Health Consultation

This training experience is a natural next step in building upon the crisis intervention skills developed during one’s doctoral internship.  Post-docs will learn to strategically respond to demands for unscheduled CAPS services and will receive advanced training and experience in managing campus needs that require a rapid response.  In addition to seeing one routine urgent appointment per week, post-docs will allocate a two-hour block each week (Counselor on Duty Coverage) to manage incoming demands for rapid mental health consultation and intervention services.  An additional hour per week during the fall semester will be dedicated to training and ongoing support provided through group supervision.  This Advanced Crisis Skills training will help post-docs develop a clinical director’s perspective regarding campus coordination in emergent situations and in response to campus tragedies. Postdocs will also rotate with other staff in providing lunch coverage periodically over the course of the year and periodic urgent coverage on Friday afternoons. CAPS urgent evaluation system operates Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. There is not a 24-hour on-call system.

Single-Session Support and Consultations

CAPS staff offer drop-in consultation (also known as CAPS Chat services) to students for one-time 30-minute appointments to address a variety of concerns about self or others. Post-docs will provide CAPS Chat services for 2 hours per week to students.  This training experience allows post-docs to gain skills in brief, solution-focused clinical work and to gain familiarity with the wide array of services and organizations that serve students on this large university campus. 

Awareness of Differences/Multicultural Competence

While most of the Post-doctoral Program Emphases represent relatively discrete areas of service delivery, the Emphasis in Awareness of Differences/Multicultural Competence cuts across programmatic boundaries. Sensitivity to human differences is a fundamental tenet of our training program and center initiatives.  Post-doctoral fellow’s individual psychotherapy caseloads are expected to be diverse as it relates to cultural and identity factors over the course of the training year. Diversity and intersectionality of a client’s identity is discussed within individual supervision and the post-doc may bring case discussions to other training seminars and consultation opportunities as appropriate.  Additionally, post-docs will have opportunities to grow in their multicultural competence and cultural humility through participation with fellow staff members in book/podcast clubs (e.g., discussion of a book, show, or podcast surrounding an area of diversity), as well as through engagement in staff professional development trainings. As part of the orientation process, post-docs have the opportunity to meet with campus offices that provide programming for and services to minoritized student populations (e.g., Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, Multicultural Resource Center). As part of their outreach experience, post-docs may request to provide programming to specific offices, students groups, etc. when such opportunities are available.  A post-doc choosing the Consultation/Liaison/Outreach Secondary Emphasis may work with their emphasis supervisor to develop a liaison relationship and programming specifically tailored to meet the needs of a minoritized student group.  Our goal in this emphasis area is for post-docs to grow in their multicultural competence and cultural humility, to utilize supervision to recognize blind spots and hots spots in the work and to openly approach and address these in supervision for continued clinical growth.  

Collaboration with Psychiatric Services

Collaboration with the psychiatric providers on staff is an important part of the professional experience at CAPS. CAPS’ urgent evaluation system offers unique opportunities to learn when and how to make referrals for psychiatric hospitalization, as well as when to consult regarding severe symptom presentation.  Post-docs may also have the opportunity to sit in and observe psychiatric evaluations with clients they refer.  The generalist model of professional preparation demands broadly based exposure to a variety of major functions performed by fellow psychologists and licensed providers in other disciplines, in order to provide a wholistic approach to client care.

Supervision

Post-docs may have an opportunity to supervise one of the Center's externs during the Spring semester if enough extern supervisees are available. Post-docs providing supervision will be provided one and a half hours of group supervision on the process of supervision during the Spring semester with the center's extern coordinator and the Assistant Director, Training.  Externs are advanced doctoral students or Master’s Interns from local graduate programs.

Outreach

All post-docs will be involved in at least three outreach events each semester during their post-doc year and additional events over the summer as needed. Supervision, assistance with workshop design, and debriefing after events will be provided on an as-needed basis by the Assistant Director, Community Education and Outreach.

Secondary Emphasis (Post-docs can select one of the following concentration options)

During the training year, post-docs will develop an area of concentration that fits within the scope of our agency.  Time allotted for an emphasis area will be 8 hours per week. These areas include but are not limited to the following:

Consultation/Liaison/Outreach Concentration

Post-docs who opt to pursue outreach and consultation as an area of concentration will have the opportunity to develop a partnership with another organization, office, or group on campus. These partnerships typically include needs assessment, consultation, and development and participation of outward-facing outreach activities (e.g. workshop series, support groups, co-hosting large-scale events). Tasks related to the concentration may also include development of print or digital media related to their campus partnership or other topics of interest, engagement in administrative tasks related to improving the effectiveness of outreach within the CAPS system, and generation of other creative methods for addressing a need in the campus community. Weekly supervision will occur with the Assistant Director, Community Education and Outreach. In addition to these tasks, these post-docs will facilitate at least three formal outreach events each semester (an expectation shared by all clinical staff). Post-docs who are interested in presenting more outreach programs than the number required are always welcome to do so.

Administration

At times, post-docs may choose an administrative concentration. More recently, postdocs have chosen a Training Administration Concentration. This may include, but is not limited to: participating in the weekly Training Committee meeting; weekly concentration supervision with the Assistant Director, Training; enhancing extern, intern, post-doc, and staff recruitment; developing forms and/or assessments to monitor supervisee or supervisor performance; engaging in the application and interview process for internship and post-doctoral selections; supporting the Assistant Director, Training with tasks related to accreditation; supervising externs in the spring semester (when available); and providing didactic seminar trainings to the externs and/or interns on areas of developing expertise.

Advanced Assessment Concentration

Post-docs selecting the Assessment Concentration will have an opportunity to provide assessments under the supervision of one of the assessment supervisors, as well as engage in specific projects regarding assessment administration.  Post-docs selecting the Advanced Assessment Option would need to have previous exposure to cognitive, achievement and personality testing so that they can build on prior experiences in assessment.  Post-docs can choose to focus on a specific area of assessment (e.g. providing personality testing for diagnostic clarity or rule outs).

Research in Applied Settings

CAPS is home to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH), with CAPS' own Brett Scofield, Ph.D. as Executive Director. Postdocs who opt to pursue research as an area of concentration will collaborate with CCMH, which is a practice-research network that comprises over 650 counseling centers, including Penn State. CCMH annually collects data from over 150,000 clients in a standardized aggregate dataset. The research concentration may include, but is not limited to: participating in weekly meetings with CCMH's team to discuss research projects, being involved in supervising interns on their Program Evaluation project, and opportunities to conduct research for publication or presentation using CCMH and/or other data. This position is flexible and may be adjusted to meet individual interests and goals.

Couples Counseling/Therapy

Post-docs who select the Couples Counseling/Therapy concentration option will have a maximum of 4 couples included in their individual therapy caseloads.  Individual or group supervision for couples work is provided weekly for 60-90 minutes depending on the number of trainees choosing this concentration.  Two hours of didactic instruction is also provided per week for post-docs to engage in readings, trainings, etc. related to couples therapy.  A 6-hour didactic seminar is provided at the beginning of the fall semester to all post-docs interested in learning more about couples therapy.  There may also be an opportunity to co-lead a relationship clinic the spring semester with a staff member. 

Specific Areas of Clinical Competence

Working with Student-Athletes

Penn State is a Division I university. Housed at our main campus (University Park) are 31 NCAA varsity teams, many of which contend consistently for national titles. Additionally, many of our student-athletes compete for Olympic and pro sport contention.

CAPS provides clinical mental health treatment along with general wellness, mental performance enhancement, and mental health awareness support for our student-athletes. We often partner with the Athletics Department for trainings, outreaches, and individual case consultation based on needs.

A post-doc with an interest in growing their expertise in working with student-athletes will have various opportunities that have been carefully designed to create a scaffolded and well-rounded training experience for a future career in clinical sport psychology. Firstly, a post-doc would consult weekly with the CAPS Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) Psychologist, and as a post-doc, would carry several student-athletes on their routine caseload. The consultation would switch domains every-other-week to allow for discussing clinical work with student-athletes one week, to learning about traditional sport psychology work in the following week. We often find that performance enhancement concerns are interwoven with clinical concerns for student-athletes and thus can be an important supplement within the clinical care. In addition to this, a post-doc would co-facilitate an outreach to all first-year student-athletes with the ICA Psychologist in the fall and spring semester, along with designing and presenting on a sport psychology topic of their choice to CAPS staff in the summer semester. Post-docs may observe and co-present other outreaches and team interventions during the training year with the ICA Psychologist depending on their interest and development (e.g., observing a team practice, doing team mental temperature checks throughout the year, doing trainings for athletics staff based on need, etc.). Along with these opportunities, post-docs also have the chance to coordinate care directly with team coaches, trainers, team physicians, performance psychology personnel, and athlete academic support services based on student need. There will be opportunities to engage with projects and events occurring within the partnership between CAPS and the Athletics Department to be determined as the year progresses. Finally, as a member of the Big 10 Conference, CAPS ICA Psychologist sits on the Big 10 Mental Health and Wellness Cabinet with sport psychology professionals from all other Big 10 institutions. A post-doc with interest in working with student-athletes would be able to observe a committee meeting during their training year. To learn more about care for student-athletes at CAPS, check-out this section of our website.

Eating Disorders

Post-docs interested in working with eating disorders can choose to have their secondary emphasis in the treatment of eating disorders, which would involve a caseload of clients presenting with disordered eating, opportunities  to co-lead an Eating Disorder Recovery Group or Eating Disorder Skills Clinic with one of our staff members who specializes in treatment of eating concerns, and have the opportunity to be involved in the Penn State HEALS (Healthy Eating and Living Support) team meetings. Penn State HEALS is a multidisciplinary team of physicians, dieticians, and mental health providers working together to guide and support students as they make changes for healthier eating and living. In addition to the clinical and consultative components of this concentration, post-docs also will receive supervision from a staff member specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, will engage in didactic readings and trainings, and have the opportunity to provide outreach presentations/trainings to Penn State CAPS staff and community providers in the area of body image and eating disorders.

Sexual Assault/Relationship Violence

Post-docs interested in working with students that have experienced sexual assault or relationship violence will have a certain number of their counseling hours reserved for work with this population coming to our agency in order to deal with the trauma of these experiences. Furthermore, an opportunity exists to co-lead a Women’s Empowerment Group with a CAPS clinician who specializes in working with survivors of sexual assault/relationship violence.

In addition to clinical work experiences, those who choose this concentration will also have dedicated time for didactics, trainings, and self-directed learning in areas of growth and other interests. The post-doc will work closely with a senior staff member, receiving additional supervision for consultation, didactic discussion, and further support for client-related concerns/needs. The post-doc will also participate on the Purple Team Committee which focuses on sexual assault survivors under title IX offenses. There are other possibilities to gain more experience and participate in activities such as sitting on a community task force for Centre County’s sexual assault and domestic violence team if interested. Past post-docs in this concentration had opportunities to create and present professional development trainings for staff and community psychologists in areas of trauma work and more advanced interventions and work closely with their concentration supervisor to develop other materials for staff on subjects that they were particularly passionate and interested in. This concentration provides many possible experiences in the area of trauma that can be shaped by your goals and aid in developing expertise in this area.

Note: Other areas of clinical competence may be developed through consultation with the Assistant Director, Training. Individual therapy caseloads, types of groups co-led and types of outreach programs may possibly be tailored to develop an area of concentration.

Supplementary Training Experiences

System Orientation and Best Practices

Post-docs are introduced to our program through a two-and-a-half-week orientation period. The orientation process serves to acquaint post-docs with the University, the Center, and the Training Program. In addition, it includes a three to four-hour workshop on ethical and legal issues related to the practice of psychology, a three-hour workshop on suicide prevention and hospitalization, potential assessment training if that is a concentration being chosen, and other areas. In addition, there is training in our scheduling program and record keeping system, and other relevant policies and procedures. Post-docs have an opportunity to meet with potential supervisors and group co-leaders and to rank order preferences before supervision and group assignments are made. Finally, the orientation period affords the opportunity for post-docs to become acquainted with Center and staff and to become comfortable in new surroundings and to learn about other important offices on campus.

Professional Development Seminar

The Assistant Director, Training and another senior staff member meets with the post-docs for a professional development seminar on a bi-weekly basis throughout the year. These meetings provide post-docs with an opportunity to discuss reactions to the post-doc, and provide a forum for discussing professional perspectives gained during the post-doc year, and to prepare for entry into the employment market. Guest speakers may share perspectives on academic careers and private practice.

Psychotherapy Seminar

The Psychotherapy Seminar focuses on a range of topics relevant to psychotherapy at CAPS. CAPS staff members with specific areas of clinical interest/expertise are invited to present and also offer consultation to post-docs around the topic area. This seminar provides post-docs with an opportunity to examine their own clinical work and gain a greater understanding of both technique and conceptual understanding of various presenting concerns, as well as delve deeper into specific topic areas.

Staff Meeting (weekly)

Post-docs are included in our all staff meetings and are given the opportunity to participate actively in staff discussions.

Staff Professional Development

In addition to training experiences specifically designed for the post-doc, post-docs also participate in Staff Professional Development during the academic year.  Professional Development trainings take place in the early fall, again between fall and spring semester, and again after spring semester. These training modalities typically cover not only ethical and legal issues and multi-cultural issues, but often heavily emphasize clinical intervention models and strategies. Other Program Emphases are also frequently covered.

Case Consultation (weekly)

Post-docs join other staff members for weekly case consultation. This provides an opportunity to share about one’s clinical work and receive feedback from staff with differing areas of clinical interest and expertise. It also creates an opportunity for post-docs to become acquainted with staff members they may not have routine contact with during the training year.

Committee Participation

Post-docs have the opportunity to join a committee at CAPS.  Committee meeting schedules vary from weekly, to bi-weekly, to monthly.  Which committee a post-doc joins is determined by their chosen Secondary Emphasis and committee openings for new members.

Doctoral students in APA or CPA accredited Clinical and Counseling  Psychology programs who are completing their doctoral internships in APA accredited internship programs and who will be done with their dissertation by the time the program starts are eligible to apply. Please read our policy regarding former CAPS clients applying for training positions.

The Post-Doc Year

August 8, 2023 - August 7, 2024

Stipends and Benefits

The stipend for the 2023-2024 training year is $49,964. Post-docs are entitled to full university employee benefits, including health insurance and vacation.

Application Procedure

The three openings are listed as a Psychologist 2 position. Applications are due on Thursday, January 5, 2023. Application review will begin on Friday, January 6, 2023, and will continue until the positions are filled. In addition to the online application process, candidates should also upload 3 letters of reference and transcripts of graduate work. At least two letters should be from supervisors familiar with the applicant’s most recent clinical work. At least one letter of reference should be from someone in the applicant’s doctoral program. Please refer to the job link for this position to apply.

Please note: Penn State appointments conform to a variety of requirements, including legal eligibility for employment in the U.S. (sometimes called the I-9 requirement) and a background check that verifies that educational credentials are valid and that candidates have no criminal or other record that would preclude employment in the University’s judgment. Please refer to Policy HR99 (Background Check Process). The outcome of these background checks has the potential to preclude appointment. 

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. The Pennsylvania State University does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802; tel. (814) 863-0741.

The Pennsylvania State University does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802; tel. (814) 863-0741.

Please note that the first two and a half weeks of the Fall semester will be devoted to an orientation to the University, the agency, and the program. Topics covered during this orientation include ethical and legal issues related to the practice of psychology, a three-hour workshop on suicide prevention and hospitalization, assessment training (if choosing this concentration), outreach training, group therapy, and other areas. What follows is a breakdown of time for the Fall semester following the two-and-a-half week orientation. The Spring semester schedule looks similar to Fall. 

Grand Total: 40 hours weekly

Note: Some evening time may be involved for outreach programming and seminar readings. Post-Docs not opting to specialize in Consultation/Outreach will be expected to do at least 3 workshops/semester. IF there are enough externs for post-docs to supervise in the Spring semester, schedules will be adjusted accordingly. Post-docs receive 1.5 hours of Supervision of Supervision weekly. Additionally, 1-1.5 hours per week is spent providing supervision to the extern.

Additionally, the Secondary Emphasis is ~8 hours per week.  To accommodate this, Direct Service hours may be distributed differently depending on the specific type of Secondary Emphasis, additional supervision/consultation hours for the emphasis will be added, and administrative time will be allotted for didactics/projects.

Summer Session 

If available, Post-Docs may select an optional rotation at Career Services during the Summer semester.  If a post-doc selects this option, they will have a somewhat different summer schedule than those not opting to do the rotation.

Grand Total: 40 hours weekly

Note: A certain amount of flexibility exists within direct service requirements and the total number of hours may be distributed differently according to individual needs. Additionally, the Secondary Emphasis (~8 hours weekly) continues during the Summer semester.  To accommodate this, Direct Service hours may be distributed differently depending on the specific type of Secondary Emphasis, additional supervision/consultation hours for the emphasis will be added, and administrative time will be allotted for didactics/projects.