Post Doc Fellow

Albany Medical College – Department of Psychiatry is accepting applications for post-doctoral fellow positions in clinical psychology. Tracks include college mental health, eating disorders, and inpatient and outpatient psychotherapy and testing.

About the Role

Fellows are given the opportunity to assume multiple roles within an academic psychiatry department including supervision of psychology practicum and interns, research, and leadership and development of psychotherapy groups. The fellowship program is designed to prepare fellows to function as capable professional psychologists. Effort is made to customize tracks to the knowledge and training needs of each fellow.

Responsibilities

Clinical Activities

• Maintain an outpatient caseload throughout the training year, conducting psychotherapy and psychological assessment.
• Serve a diverse population presenting from childhood to geriatrics with a range of psychiatric issues including mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, personality disorders, polysubstance dependence, and co-morbid health related issues (e.g., HIV).
• Provide individual, couple, and family therapy to adults and children, as well as medical students, residents, and other graduate students.
• Participate in group therapy opportunities.
• Rotate on the inpatient psychiatry service (part-time, approximately eight hours), working in multidisciplinary teams providing brief therapy, group therapy, psychological assessment, and consultation services.
• Work in the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) Clinic (for child and adolescent fellows), treating children with disruptive behaviors and other comorbid diagnoses such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, child maltreatment, anxiety, and/or additional developmental concerns.
• Receive specialty training in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for those interested in becoming PCIT-certified.

Teaching

• Teach one or two courses during the year, including formal seminars and brief practice-based didactics for psychiatry, psychology, and medical student trainees.
• Potential seminar topics include:
  • Research Design & Methodology
  • Behavioral Theory and Behavior Therapy
  • Cognitive-Behavior Therapy
  • Human Development
  • Psychological Testing
• Serve as research mentors for advanced psychiatry residents (PGY-2, 3 & 4) completing research projects required for residency graduation.

Supervision

• Carry a supervision caseload during the training year, including long-term individual supervision, assessment supervision, and/or group supervision with trainees in psychiatry, psychology, mental health counseling, or social work staff.
• Work with one or two trainees in a supervisory capacity and receive administrative supervision/oversight from the director of training.
• Receive a minimum of three hours of supervision per week, one of which is individual supervision. Additional supervision may be scheduled as needed for specific tasks.
• Participate in faculty peer supervision meetings.
• Track and review clinical and supervisory hours.

Research

• Participate in ongoing departmental research and produce a scholarly project by the end of the training year (e.g., a paper, poster, Grand Rounds talk).
• Develop and conduct projects of personal interest and/or value for the department.
• Engage in scholarly activities such as involvement in departmental training initiatives, quality improvement, and collaborative clinical and research initiatives with other Albany Medical Center departments.
• Assist in mentoring psychiatry residents on their academic projects.
• Receive support and mentoring for scholarly activities and attend Research Committee meetings.

Didactics and Professional Development

• Develop a self-directed educational plan under the advisement of a mentor and/or the Director, ensuring core domains (e.g., professional ethics, supervision, cultural diversity) are covered.
• Participate in continuing education through:
  • Albany Medical Center Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds
  • Department training days or sponsored workshops
  • Individually scheduled lectures/talks for fellows (e.g., psychology licensure, topics in supervision)
  • Weekly seminars and case conferences
  • Self-study or distance learning (as arranged with program faculty/Director)
  • National and/or regional conferences or workshops

Qualifications

Recognizing their junior faculty status, fellows are given an initial faculty appointment as an instructor in the Albany Medical College Department of Psychiatry.