Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory

Elements of quality clinically focused postdoctoral training

The Emory School of Medicine Postdoctoral Residency Program in Health Service Psychology is based in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Pediatrics, Rehabilitation Medicine, and Neurology. The Residency Program strives to provide exemplary postdoctoral training consistent with a scientist-practitioner-educator-advocate model. The training is designed to be developmental and contextual in nature and is centered on the individual needs and goals of each postdoctoral resident. There is a shared value on social justice among the faculty and the residents and a genuine commitment to honoring diversity and inclusiveness. The overarching aims of Emory’s Postdoctoral Residency Program in Health Service Psychology are to ensure that long-term, residents are prepared to: (1) function as competent and capable psychologists who engage in a broad array of evidence-based health service psychology activities; (2) serve as collaborative, ethical, and culturally-competent team members, leaders, and advocates in diverse settings; and (3) navigate career choices across their professional lifespan that are consistent with their passions and that meet the needs of the public in an evolving disciplinary and professional landscape. In keeping with these overarching aims, the program's learning experiences are designed to ensures that residents attain advanced competence and demonstrate capability in the following areas: Professionalism, Communication and Interpersonal Skills, Individual and Cultural Diversity, Ethical and Legal Standards, Integration of Science and Practice, Assessment, Intervention, Consultation & Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills, Research, and Supervision. Four categories of learning experiences are offered in the program: delivering direct service, participating in research, providing supervision, and engaging in professional development. 

We offer training at the following sites: (1) Grady Hospital: (a) adults with serious mental illness working on inpatient units, psychosocial rehabilitation program, and outpatient community mental health clinic; (b) suicidal adults; (c) trauma related clinical research; (d) forensic psychology (program that meets criteria for the ABFP 5-year experience waiver); (e) consultation-liaison service and Long COVID clinic; (2) Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - (a) pediatric consultation-liaison focused on hematology-oncology, cardiology and heart transplantation, and gastroenterology; (b) outpatient behavioral health; (c) clinical assessment and diagnosis and intervention for autism spectrum disorders, complex behavior problems, and feeding disorders at the Marcus Autism Center; and (d) pediatric neuropsychology; (3) Emory Brain Health Center: (a) assessment and intervention for young people with neurobehavioral exposure to alcohol and other drugs, (b) OCD and anxiety, (c) couple and family intervention; and (4) Department of Rehabilitation Medicine - neuropsychology.

 All residents participate in a weekly seminar that focuses on supervision, the diversity of career opportunities, other aspects of professional development such as board certification, and social justice advocacy. They also attend other educational activities including seminars and grand rounds. Each resident is assigned two professional development mentors, of their choosing, whose role is to assist them in making career decisions and securing employment. They all are required to take the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) during the first six months of the residency. START DATE IS FLEXIBLE FROM JULY THROUGH THIRD MONDAY IN SEPTEMBER.

While the training structures and experiences remain intact, the postdoctoral residency program has adapted the training experience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All postdoctoral residents are required to show proof of vaccination (including booster) for COVID-19 for prior to beginning their training and will be expected to receive any additional required vaccinations related to the virus. Psychology residents are regarded as essential employees, which means that they are expected to conduct their clinical roles and responsibilities in accordance with institutional policies and safety protocols of the University and clinical settings in which they are completing their training. A hybrid model of on-site face-to-face and telehealth/video conference clinical and training activities is being employed. The extent to which activities are in-person versus virtual depends on the site and the activity. When working on-site, residents are required to adhere strictly to the safety policies and protocols of the clinical sites and are provided with the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to conduct their work. Decisions about on-site versus remote training via telehealth are subject to change as institutional policies and safety protocols evolve in response to changes in local COVID-19 pandemic conditions and indicators.