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Mississippi State Hospital Postdoctoral Fellowship in Forensic Psychology

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Mississippi State Hospital
Whitfield, Mississippi

Starts on Monday, August 30, 2027

Applications due Thursday, January 1, 2026

This training experience is not an APPIC Member program and is not APA Accredited. Applicants should be aware that this training experience has not undergone a formal external quality review process.

Elements of quality clinically focused postdoctoral training

This training experience is a planned and programmed sequence of training that aims to ensure preparation for advanced practice rather than one that is focused on providing supervised hours for licensure. Yes

This training experience ensures that training takes precedence over service delivery regarding the nature, content, volume, and quality of the postdoc’s activities. Yes

This training experience ensures that postdocs receive at least two hours of individual supervision per week for the duration of the experience. Yes

This training experience is administered by a doctoral-level licensed psychologist who directs and organizes the training experience and its resources, is responsible for the selection of postdocs, and monitors and evaluates the goals and activities of the experience. Yes

This training experience has two or more doctoral-level licensed psychologists who have sufficient time to provide quality supervision and training.   Yes

This training experience includes regularly scheduled structured educational activities that help postdocs its defined goals. These activities may include didactics, seminars, case conferences, and/or research activities. Yes

This training experience has written Due Process and Grievance procedures. Yes

This training experience has the stable and necessary financial (e.g., stipend) and physical resources (e.g., computers, physical space) needed for effective training. Yes

Mississippi State Hospital’s (MSH) Forensic Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship is a full-time, 12-month program offering advanced training in criminal forensic evaluation within Mississippi’s only public-sector inpatient forensic psychiatric system. Forensic Services spans three buildings and includes maximum- and medium-security units with a total of 105 beds: 90 for men and 15 for women. The new maximum-security building opened in June 2025. Forensic Services provides three services: inpatient and outpatient forensic evaluations, court-ordered competence-restoration treatment, and treatment for long-term patients adjudicated Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) or Not Competent and Not Restorable (NCNR). 

Fellows join the Forensic Evaluation Service, a team of psychologists who conduct pretrial inpatient and outpatient evaluations for adult felony defendants referred by Circuit Courts in all 82 Mississippi counties. The team also evaluates juveniles whose cases have been waived to adult criminal court. Common referral questions include competence to stand trial and mental state at the time of the alleged offense(s) ("M'Naghten Analysis"). Other referrals include competence to waive or assert constitutional rights, including Miranda rights; capital sentencing and mitigation; pretrial intellectual disability evaluations in capital cases (“Atkins evaluations”); and violence or sexual violence risk assessments. Most of the Fellow’s time is spent conducting forensic evaluations and clinical interviews, administering psychological testing (including specialized forensic assessment instruments), writing reports, and observing expert testimony. Fellows accompany evaluators to court, complete at least two mock testimony exercises, and may testify in competency hearings or trials if subpoenaed.

Fellows receive at least 2 hours of face-to-face clinical supervision each week from a licensed psychologist, with additional supervision and training from board-certified forensic psychiatrists. Fellows attend a weekly Landmark Case Seminar covering case law, ethics, and sociocultural factors in forensic treatment and assessment. Fellows also participate in weekly professional development seminars and give presentations during the training year, and may attend grand rounds with MSH’s psychiatry residency program.

Additional training opportunities may include competence-restoration groups or individual sessions, psychotherapy with long-term patients, behavior intervention planning, multidisciplinary treatment team participation, supervision of doctoral practicum students, performance improvement or program evaluation projects, and participation in the Transfer Advisory Panel and other hospital committees. Competence-restoration work is required during at least the initial part of the fellowship for Fellows without prior experience in this area. Opportunities to observe or participate in private contract evaluations, including postconviction and federal cases, may also be available. These experiences vary based on patient population, the Fellow’s interests and experience, and available resources. The fellowship prepares psychologists for independent forensic practice, provides supervised postdoctoral experience toward meeting eligibility requirements for licensure, and develops skills and experience relevant to future pursuit of board certification in forensic psychology.

If you have any questions or would like to review our 2027-2028 program brochure, please email the training director, Dr. Howard, at stephanie.howard@msh.ms.gov. 


Additional Information

Agency Type
State Hospital
APPIC Membership
No
APA Accredited
No
Recognized Specialty
Forensic Psychology
Emphasis or focus area
Assessment
Other Emphasis
Forensic criminal evaluations
Research Time
Less than 25%
Training Director
Stephanie M. Howard, Psy.D.
Contact Email
stephanie.howard@msh.ms.gov
Contact Phone
601.351.8115
Virtual Interviews
Available
Duration in Months
12
Hours Per Week
40
# of Licensed Supervisors
4
Number of Positions
1
Applications recieved last year
6
Accepts Int'l Students
No
Stipend
$66,944
Will follow APPIC Selection Standards
Yes
Estimated offer date
Monday, February 8 2027
Created Date
Friday, December 2 2016
Fringe Benefits
The start date is flexible for the postdoctoral fellowship, with individuals typically starting in late August or early September. The tentative start date is 8/30/2027. Benefits include major medical insurance; options for dental, vision, and life insurance; sick leave; personal leave; administrative leave for professional trainings, access to the MSH Employee Assistance Program (EAP); 10 paid holidays per year; 5 paid professional development days per year; and contributions to the state retirement fund (payments into the fund may be refunded or rolled over into another retirement account at the end of the fellowship year if the resident does not remain a Mississippi State employee). A complete description of benefits can be found at http://msh.state.ms.us/ employment.htm.
Research opportunities
Mississippi State Hospital (MSH) has an internal IRB. There are also several universities within the area that have their own IRBs. Research is not a focus of this postdoctoral program, but the opportunity to conduct research may be available if there is interest.
Application Instructions
Applicants should submit the following materials via e-mail (preferred) or regular mail to Dr. Howard: • Cover letter, including a personal statement regarding the applicant’s interest in the field of forensic psychology; • Current curriculum vitae; • Three (3) letters of recommendation, with at least one (1) from an internship supervisor; • Unofficial graduate school transcripts from doctoral program; • Two (2) de-identified clinical writing samples (Preferably previous forensic evaluations, such as competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, etc.). If applicants do not have previous forensic experience, a thorough psychological evaluation/report (that includes psychological assessment) may be submitted. Contact information: Stephanie Howard, Psy.D. Mississippi State Hospital P.O. Box 157-A, Building 51 Whitfield, MS 39193 stephanie.howard@msh.ms.gov

This record was last updated on Thursday, October 29, 2026

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