Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory

Elements of quality clinically focused postdoctoral training

Clinical Child/Pediatric Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowships 

Children’s Mercy Kansas City will offer six Postdoctoral Psychology Fellowships for the 2025-2026 training year. 

1. Clinical Child/Pediatric Psychology specialized to the fellow’s interests (2 positions, 1 year) 

2. Clinical Child/Pediatric Psychology- Emphasis working with Eating Disorders (1 position, 1 year) 

3. Pediatric Psychology- Emphasis working with Gastrointestinal Conditions (1 position, 1 year) 

4. Clinical/Research Child Psychology- Emphasis in Autism and Developmental Disabilities (1 position, 1 or 2- year option) 

5. Clinical Child/Pediatric Psychology/Research Fellowship in Pediatric Pain (1 position, 2 years) 

Children’s Mercy Kansas City Division of Developmental and Behavioral Health 

Children’s Mercy serves a diverse population of children, adolescents, and families from a four-state region and is nationally ranked among the best children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. For more information regarding Children’s Mercy, please visit our website at http://www.childrensmercy.org. 

The postdoctoral psychology fellowship program provides advanced training in psychological assessment, treatment, consultation, and interdisciplinary collaboration in the context of a dedicated pediatric medical center. Fellows participate in didactic training, including case conferences, DEI/ advocacy seminar, grand rounds, supervision seminars, and other educational programming. Optional experiences include fellows joining existing research projects as well as supervision of an advanced level graduate practicum student. The program strives to facilitate a well-balanced set of clinical and professional skills to prepare fellows for successful careers as psychologists within academic medical centers, primary care clinics, private practice, and a variety of other settings. 

Applicants must have: 1) attended an APA-accredited doctoral graduate program in clinical or counseling psychology 2) completed an APA-accredited internship with a clinical child or pediatric focus; and 3) completed all requirements for the doctoral degree prior to beginning the fellowship. The position’s starting date is typically in early August. Salary is competitive with benefits provided. See the Children’s Mercy website for details: https://www.childrensmercy.org/professional-education/training-programs/fellowship/psychology-training-programs/postdoctoral-psychology/. 

1.  Clinical Child/ Pediatric Psychology, specialized to the fellow’s interests (12 months, 2 positions). Fellows can focus clinical training with children and adolescents through participation in up to seven half day clinics with a variety of opportunities consisting of a combination of psychological assessment, therapy, consultation, and interdisciplinary teamwork. The fellow has the opportunity to develop a specialized training experience designed to fit the individual’s training and career goals. Experiences may include the following: ADHD, Autism, weight management, feeding, interdisciplinary primary care, children with medical complexities, or general child clinical psychology (e.g. attention deficits, learning problems, developmental disabilities, anxiety and depression, and behavioral problems), inpatient consultation/liaison, primary care consultation, pain management, solid organ failure and transplant, endocrine/diabetes (including gender health), rheumatology, dermatology, sports medicine, early neurodevelopmental assessment, hematology/oncology, nephrology, gastroenterology, neurology/rehabilitation (including TBI and concussion) and/or neonatal intensive care. 

2. Clinical Child/ Pediatric Psychology- Emphasis working with Eating Disorders (12 months, 1 position). Fellows will spend 4 to 8 half day clinics within the transdisciplinary outpatient Eating Disorders Center (EDC), which serves a diverse population of patients, ages 8-18, with a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder, addressing these symptoms as well as comorbid conditions. Fellows also have the opportunity of providing inpatient services to patients medically admitted due to complications of an eating disorder. Depending on fellow interests, several complementary clinical experiences are offered. These would be 2 to 4 half day clinics per week, for either 4-month or 12-month rotations and are offered within clinics serving those with pediatric feeding disorders, gender health, Type 1 Diabetes, and/or functional abdominal pain. Additionally, optional research opportunities are available through participation with ongoing projects within the clinics. 

3. Pediatric Psychology Fellowship - Emphasis working with Gastrointestinal Conditions (12 months, 1 position). Fellows can focus clinical training in pediatric gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease, celiac, short gut/intestinal rehabilitation, liver disease, polyposis, rumination, motility disorders, complex feeding disorders, and disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs) associated with abdominal pain. This position will include direct clinical care of children and adolescents within our innovative interdisciplinary programs for these conditions. Clinical activities, provided on both the outpatient and inpatient basis, include targeted psychosocial screening for initiating/maintaining factors for GI symptoms, provision of routine psychoeducation and anticipatory guidance to families, brief cognitive-behavioral intervention with patients and parents, promotion of adjustment to chronic illness, collaboration around adherence and transition/transfer issues, and motivational interventions, as well as care coordination and intervention with schools and other medical professionals. The fellow will be provided the opportunity to train in biofeedback during the fellowship year if desired; work toward certification also may be available to those who qualify. Relevant educational opportunities will be available within the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition, in addition to shared educational experiences with other psychology fellows within the Division of Developmental & Behavioral Health. Research is a required component of this fellowship; emphasis is on training in clinical-translational research and quality improvement methodologies with opportunities available in DGBIs, procedural pain management, adherence, transition to adult care, feeding, and caregiver wellbeing. 

4. Clinical/Research Child Psychology- Emphasis in Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (12 OR 24 months, 1 position). Applicants should indicate interest in either a 1-year fellowship (primarily clinical) or a 2-year fellowship (50% clinical, 50% research) specializing in children and adolescents with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities (Autism/NDD). Clinical training opportunities include: 1) differential diagnostic evaluations for youth presenting with a question of possible autism and other differential/co-occurring diagnoses; 2) delivery of evidence-based interventions (e.g., parent-mediated interventions, such as RUBI and Project ImPACT); and 3) provision of behavioral consultation across a range of other formats/clinical needs (e.g., toilet training, weight management, Down Syndrome Clinic, etc.). Research training opportunities include: 1) contributing to ongoing Autism/NDD research through programs including via the Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Research Network (DBPNet) and the CDC-funded Study to Explore Early Development; 2) development of new projects leveraging existing clinical/research resources; and 3) mentored manuscript and grant writing. Previous training in autism assessment (e.g., ADOS-2) and intervention (e.g., parent training and other evidence-based interventions) for youth with developmental disabilities is desired. Ideal candidates for the two-year position will have prior experience conducting relevant Autism/NDD research. 

5. Clinical Child/Pediatric Psychology/Research Fellowship in Pediatric Pain (24 months, 1 position). This is a two-year, 50% research/50% clinical fellowship. The objective of the fellowship is to prepare the fellow for an academically oriented career in pediatric psychology, with a focus on pain management. The fellowship provides an opportunity for clinical training in interdisciplinary pain assessment and management in several settings, including outpatient clinics (Comprehensive Headache Clinic, Amplified Pain Clinic, Complex Pain Management Clinic), an intensive outpatient pain rehabilitation program (Rehabilitation for Amplified Pain Syndrome/RAPS program), and the hospital (Sickle Cell Integrated Persistent Pain program, pain consultation/liaison service), as well as opportunities for working with other pediatric specialty populations. Research opportunities include participating in and adding to ongoing research comprised of a broad range of pain research topics and methods, including comparative efficacy research of nonpharmacological approaches for pain management, digital technology for pain assessment and management, mechanistic studies on pain and its treatment, secondary data analysis of patient-reported outcome data, and pain measure development. Opportunities are available for leading independent research projects, presenting and publishing data, and mentored grant writing.