Post-Doctoral Fellowship
SCS, ranked one of the best College Counseling Centers in the nation by the Gourman Report (1997, 1998) and in operation for over 50 years, is a comprehensive student mental health clinic that is available to all undergraduate and graduate students matriculating at The University of Chicago. We provide individual, couple and group counseling, crisis intervention, academic skills assessment, alcohol/drug abuse intervention, psychopharmacology, consultation to faculty and staff, and 24-hour/365-day emergency on-call phone service.
Students served are adolescents and adults who bring with them a range of psychological difficulties that are very similar to what one would see in a standard outpatient clinic. And as a highly competitive, internationally recognized university, there is a great deal of ethnic diversity within the student body and the students seeking services at the clinic.
SCS offers training opportunities to pre-doctoral clinical psychology trainees seeking an advanced psychotherapy externship and post-doctoral trainees. 3 externs and 1-2 post-docs will be selected annually to train with our highly accomplished staff, which possesses a wide range of theoretical orientations and clinical interests.
Since trainees are not expected to provide the bulk of services at SCS, they have the opportunity to be immersed in a supportive, nurturing and intellectually challenging environment that should serve as an excellent segue to their future professional life.
The post-doctoral position comes with a salary of $27,000 plus benefits. The post-doc will have his/her own office with a phone, computer, and University e-mail address. Training with respect to our electronic medical record system and scheduling program will be provided. The post-doc starts September 1st and concludes August 31st. Working 40 hours per week, the post-doc will accumulate approximately 2000 hours of supervised experience that is required to sit for the State licensing exam.
Direct Service Activities
Psychotherapy (12–15 hrs per week)
Given the amount of students served at SCS, a brief treatment model is the norm, with approved exceptions made when clinically appropriate. However, post-docs will be allowed to carry 4 extended psychotherapy cases as a way of gaining a more intensive clinical experience. Selecting good long-term cases will be determined collaboratively between the post-doc and his/her primary supervisor.
ADHD Screening Protocol (4-6 hrs per week)
Post-docs at SCS will be expected to have skill in administering basic assessment tools used for the diagnostic screening of ADHD. The psychologist who runs this program will offer instruction and supervision on utilizing the testing material and writing reports.
Intake (3–5 hrs per week)
Intake assessments are performed on every student seeking services at SCS for the purpose of getting a rough diagnostic impression and making appropriate dispositions. This activity will help post-docs get acquainted with the diagnostic spectrum seen at SCS, as well as the clinical specialties of SCS staff members. Additionally, with SCS serving as the gate-keeper to students seeking long-term treatment through the University Student Health Insurance Plan (USHIP), post-docs will become familiar with SCS’s referral process and extensive referral network.
“Let’s Talk” Counseling Services (3–4 hrs per week)
Adopted from Cornell University’s Counseling Center, this innovative program involves the creation of 3 drop-in offices on campus (International House, the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and Rockefeller Chapel) to assist students who might be reluctant to seek psychological services through traditional means by offering more informal contact that may serve as a prelude to seeking services at SCS. This program is run by SCS and is partially staffed by post-docs.
Leading/Co-Leading Introduction to Stress Management Workshops (varies)
This interactive workshop empowers students to more effectively manage the stress of daily life. Training and supervision is provided by the counselor who runs this program.
Group Psychotherapy (varies)
While individual/couple psychotherapy is predominant at SCS, there are a variety of opportunities for trainees to co-lead groups with staff or another trainee. Post-docs will be required to participate in 2 groups over the course of the academic year, one of which he/she will be responsible for developing, marketing and leading.
Secondary Supervision of Extern (5–15 hrs per year)
Post-docs will have the opportunity to provide an extern with 1 hour of weekly secondary supervision in order to become acquainted with having a supervisory role and responsibilities. This supervision will be monitored by the post-doc's primary supervisor.
Day-Call Emergency Coverage (2 qrts/year)
Post-docs will be part of the rotating staff on-call system, setting aside time to see emergency walk-in appointments during standard business hours.
Outreach (varies)
SCS is committed to doing more outreach on campus in order to increase our visibility and accessibility to those who might be reluctant to seek help from SCS. With the assistance of staff, post-docs will be expected to assist at pre-planned presentations and “tabling events”, as well as to develop 1 outreach program on his/her own to be completed during the winter or spring quarters. Additional supervision will be provided as needed.
Administrative Time (2–3 hrs per week)
Time will be allotted for post-docs to complete necessary paperwork: progress notes, termination summaries, referrals, etc…
Other Training Possibilities
Supervision of Career Advising and Planning Services (CAPS) Trainee (1 hr per week)
At the request of CAPS, a separate department on campus, responsible for guiding arts and sciences undergraduates and graduates in career development, a post-doc will have the opportunity to provide supervision to one of their trainees, if the post-doc is an LPC or LCPC.
Co-Leading Psychotherapy Seminar (1.5 hrs per week)
Under certain circumstances, a post-doc and Psychiatric Fellow can co-lead the seminar during the winter & spring quarters, carrying the responsibilities of determining guest speakers (with the assistance of the Training Director) and scheduling case presentations.
Family Resource Center (varies)
Workshops and lectures can be offered to The Family Resource Center, whose mission is to create a welcoming space where families from the university community can access resources, information, and supportive programming and services. The Center is administered by the Office of Graduate Affairs. The space includes a private space for nursing and changing a baby, playroom with new toys and books, email access, and a place for babysitting exchanges. In the past, SCS has run workshops on preparing for a 1st child and parenting toddlers.
Participation on Training Committee (varies)
Post-docs can participate in the interview and selection process of trainees for the following academic year.
Participation on Wellness Committee (varies)
A growing initiative by SCS to promote primary prevention of mental health issues, post-docs can help plan and implement wellness programming during the year with a committee comprised of members from a variety of departments on campus.
Clinical Training Activities
Individual Supervision (2 hrs per week)
Post-docs will receive 2 hours of individual supervision per week, 1 by a primary supervisor and 1 by a secondary supervisor. The primary supervisor will track the post-doc’s experience for the entire 12 month commitment, while the secondary supervisor will be a “rotating” supervisor who will provide specialty supervision in clinical areas of interest. Post-docs are encouraged to receive secondary supervision from a variety of staff in order to increase their breadth of experience at SCS.
Clinical Case Conference (1.5 hrs per week)
Post-docs will participate in weekly staff meetings that includes staff case presentations and invited guest speakers who address a variety of issues related to student mental health and well-being.
ADHD Consultation Group (3x/quarter)
Post-docs will be part of a subgroup of SCS staff, including psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists who review case material for determining dispositions when students seek help for ADHD. The group determines whether testing or a medication consultation is warranted. This group also meets monthly with University of Chicago neuropsychologist Scott Hunter, PhD, as a consultant.
Grand Rounds (1 hr per week)
Post-docs are permitted to attend Grand Rounds at the Department of Psychiatry on Thursday at noon, where guest speakers from across the country, discuss a variety of research and clinical topics.
Application Process
The application process for post-doctoral applications is handled through the University of Chicago Human Resources Department at http://jobs.uchicago.edu/. The position will be listed sometime in February as a "Clinical Psychology Trainee" position, but fulfills post-doctoral requirements for state licensure in psychology.
Trainee Evaluation, Grievance & Due Process Procedures
At the end of each quarter, the trainee will receive a formal written evaluation on his/her performance in all areas of training by his/her primary supervisor. Performance evaluations will be discussed by the SCS Training Committee to insure that high ethical & clinical standards are being maintained and that all trainee expectations are being met. In the event that there is a problem with a trainee’s performance, SCS has in place Grievance and Due Process Procedures that clarify remediation steps. These procedures are in place to insure fair and equitable treatment of all trainees and staff at SCS. All trainees are expected to be acquainted with SCS policies & procedures as outlined in our Policies & Procedures Manual that is distributed at the Trainee Orientation.
Additionally, trainees will evaluate their primary supervisor at the end of each quarter so as to insure that their expectations are being met. In the event that there is a problem with a supervisor, the Director of Training will first attempt to resolve it by informal means and, if necessary, a Grievance and Due Process Procedure.
