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Vanderbilt University Counseling Center Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Service Psychology

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Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Starts on Monday, August 11, 2025

Applications due Friday, January 10, 2025

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 oof 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

The Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program at Vanderbilt University Counseling Center (UCC) is pleased to offer three (3) full-time, 12-month paid fellowships within two areas of emphasis, a Generalist Track and Athletics Track, for the 2025-2026 training year. The UCC provides comprehensive mental health services to the vibrant and diverse undergraduate, graduate and professional Vanderbilt student population. Under the supervision of senior licensed psychologists, postdoctoral fellows assume many of the functions and responsibilities of UCC clinical staff and are afforded ongoing opportunities, both formal and informal, for collaboration and consultation with a wide-range of mental health providers including psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers, licensed psychologists, as well as a multitude of campus partners. Fellows bring a variety of strengths and make valuable contributions to the community of care at the center, and UCC training staff seek to provide a depth and breadth of training experiences that both support and challenge fellows as the cultivate their overall professional identity and meet their hours towards licensure. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

Primary responsibilities for fellows in both the Generalist and Athletic Tracks include: 

  • Provision of individual and group psychotherapy
  • Same-day urgent care services
  • Outreach to the campus community 
  • Participation in staff meetings, group case conferences, and division-wide trainings
  • Participation in a monthly fellowship seminar
  • Completion of a Fellowship Project
  • The provision of supervision and mentoring of other trainees (based on availability)
  • Two hours of individual supervision and one hour of group supervision on a weekly basis

Training Areas of Emphasis (Generalist and Athletics): 

Although fellows in both the Generalist and Athletics tracks have similar core responsibilities, the primary office location, student populations, outreach initiatives, and supervisory and assessment opportunities, will vary depending on the area of emphasis.

Generalist Track (2 positions available):

  • The Generalist Track is intended for individuals seeking advanced training to build a career and assume leadership positions within a fast-paced, multidisciplinary counseling center setting.
  • Fellows in this track will be primarily located at the UCC and will gain experience working alongside a large, fast-paced, multidisciplinary team environment with a wide-range of presenting concerns. The UCC has a high utilization rate (~25%) among university students.  
  • Fellows will also have opportunities to participate in specialty treatment teams (urgent care, trauma, outreach); cultivate liaison relationships with specific departments and campus partners; provide psychological testing and assessment services; and provide group supervision for practicum trainees

Athletics Track (1 position available):

  • The Athletics Track is intended for an individual seeking specialized experience providing sport psychology and mental health services to NCAA student-athletes.
  • The fellow in this track will spend 60% of the week working alongside the Sport Psychology team, which is fully embedded within the Vanderbilt Athletic department, and 40% of the week at the UCC providing comprehensive mental health services to university students.
  • Fellows will also have opportunities to consult with sports medicine staff and coaches; participate in interdisciplinary treatment teams; and develop athlete-specific outreach, education, and team-based interventions.

Qualifications of Applicants: 

Candidates must have completed all requirements for a doctoral degree in Counseling or Clinical Psychology from an APA or CPA-accredited program and an APA or CPA-accredited doctoral internship by the start date of the fellowship. Prior experience or interest in working with students in a university/college mental health setting is preferred. 

Stipend: $61,008

Benefits: Health insurance with optional dental and eye-care benefits (employee contribution is required for all insurance programs); vacation and sick leave; professional development time; and university vacation and holidays. 

Start date: August start date is preferred but a later start date is negotiable.

About Vanderbilt: 

Vanderbilt University, located in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, is a private research university situated on a 330-acre campus near the thriving city center that serves 13,000 students. Vanderbilt offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees to a diverse range of students and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelors, masters, education specialists and doctoral degrees, including for medicine and law. The university is committed to and is making significant efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in terms of both students and staff. Consistent with institutional initiatives, the University Counseling Center seeks to recruit and train postdoctoral fellows from diverse backgrounds who have interest in providing culturally aware services that honor and respect all aspects of identity and culture.

If you have any additional questions please contact: Ruth Howard, PhD (ruth.howard@vanderbilt.edu) (615) 322-2571 Vanderbilt University Counseling Center 2015 Terrace Place Nashville, TN 37203

Additional Information

Agency Type
University Counseling Center
APPIC Membership
Yes
APA Accredited
No
Other Emphasis
3 positions available: 2 with a Generalist Track emphasis and 1 with an Athletics Track emphasis
Research Time
Less than 25%
Training Director
Ruth Howard, PhD
Contact Email
ruth.howard@vanderbilt.edu
Contact Phone
615-322-2571
Virtual Interviews
Virtual Only
Duration in Months
12
Hours Per Week
40
# of Licensed Supervisors
12
Number of Positions
3
Applications recieved last year
9
Stipend
$61,008
Will follow APPIC Selection Standards
Yes
Estimated offer date
Thursday, February 15 2024
Created Date
Monday, February 27 2017
Unfilled Positions
0
Fringe Benefits
Health, vision, dental insurance is available with employee contribution
Research opportunities
Fellowship Research Project: Fellows are expected to contribute to the center through the completion of a fellowship project. Like the clinical training at the Vanderbilt UCC, this project is considered to be flexible enough to allow the fellow to pursue particular areas of interest and should be grounded in or informed by existing research/literature. The fellowship project will be undertaken with the aim of enhancing the clinical, administrative, and/or organizational goals of the center. Group therapy initiatives, Outreach presentations, organizational assessment, and comprehensive literature reviews of pertinent clinical phenomena are only some examples of possible fellowship projects. Fellows will be able to discuss their project ideas with their assigned research supervisor at the beginning of the training year, followed by the creation of a more formal and comprehensive outline of the plan, which is ultimately reviewed by the project supervisor and UCC Training Director before the project is initiated.
Additional Comments
Admission requirements include completion of all professional doctoral degree requirements from an APA/CPA-accredited doctoral program and an APA/CPA-accredited doctoral internship. This is defined as having either the diploma in hand on the first day of the fellowship or a letter from the Director of Graduate Studies verifying the completion of all degree requirements pending institution graduation ceremony. Please note that passing a criminal background check is also a requirement of employment. This will be performed before the first day of employment. The standard background check consists of a criminal check (including both county and federal levels) as well as a social security check. If a background check is communicated as “met criteria,” then this means that there are no criminal records present, or it has met the requirements of the university. If a background check has returned with criminal records present, it goes through a review committee to determine if the individual is eligible to move forward with employment. The review committee has specific criteria that they look for, such as severity of the charge(s), length of time that’s passed, repetitive charges, etc. The applicants may also access their background checks through their account in the vendor’s website. If you have additional questions, you can reach out to our HR Pre-Employment Background Check team at pebc@vanderbilt.edu. Employment is contingent on passing the background check. No prospective fellow has ever been refused employment as a result of the background check, but it is a possibility.
Application Instructions
Applications are currently being accepted for all three (3) of the postdoctoral fellowship positions for the 2025-2026 training year. Applicants interested in either/both of the Generalist and Athletics Tracks are encouraged to apply by Friday, January 10, 2025. However, the positions will remain open until filled. To apply for the position, please send an email to Ruth Howard, Ph.D., Associate Director for Training (ruth.howard@vanderbilt.edu) with the following application materials attached: 1. CV 2. A letter of interest 3. Two letters of recommendation (at least one from the applicant’s internship site)

This record was last updated on Tuesday, December 10, 2024

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