Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory

Bespoke Healing is a small private practice in the Andersonville neighborhood that primarily serves Chicago's queer community in-person and via telehealth. Our clients often reach out to us because they're seeking a relationally-oriented, trauma-informed therapist who is active in sessions and understands what it is like to be a queer person in the current political climate. Bespoke Healing strives to be a sex-positive, fat-positive space where folks can come home to themselves as people and professionals.

Experienced, intentional supervision

For Founder Dr. Fern Pinkston (she/her), training is a genuine calling and a way to pay it forward to fellow first-generation business owners. While these days she finds herself working primarily with queer artists, organizers, and folks in leadership, Dr. Pinkston was trained as a generalist. She has worked in community mental health, residential, and university counseling settings in addition to her 8 years in private practice. She has been involved in the education of future psychology professionals for nearly a decade as a clinical supervisor, professor, and Training Director. Dr. Pinkston currently teaches coursework on diversity/cultural foundations, trauma, gender/sexuality, group psychotherapy, and humanistic-existential interventions to masters- and doctoral-level students. 

Our fellowship program is also supported by contracted clinical supervisor, Dr. Caleb Chadwick (he/him) of The Argonne Center. Dr. Pinkston and Dr. Chadwick share a common training ethos and collaborate closely to provide a supportive, cohesive experience for Fellows. However, Dr. Chadwick also owns his own private practice and can therefore offer an outside perspective and additional example of policies, procedures, and brand identity. Granting Fellows access to multiple perspectives allows them to form their own impression of best practices while encouraging healthy critical thinking and engagement.

While we take our work seriously, we also model authenticity through playfulness and humor. We value working relationships that allow for personal-professional integration and warmth. If we're doing our job well, Fellows feel both supported and challenged while guided by seasoned professionals familiar with the developmental stages and caseload trends across a training year in private practice.

Our "why"

Bespoke Healing was born out of equal parts passion, naïveté, and the COVID-19 era pause in student loan payments. It was clear from the beginning why more psychologists don't start their own practice, as it can be a daunting, opaque process despite the obvious benefits of flexibility and financial freedom. Diversifying the field starts with developing the skill set and self-trust of early-career professionals who do not come from generational wealth or privilege. Thus, the Bespoke Healing Fellowship Program was created to provide high-quality clinical training while also demystifying the process of owning a business for recent graduates looking to start their own practice. 

Our ideal candidate

This fellowship program is ideal for self-starters interested in honing their skills to work with queer/poly/kinky folks in both individual and couples/relationships modalities. Experience providing gender-affirming care will be considered an asset. No prior experience in private practice is required. Prospective trainees should have an interest in learning the ropes of private practice ownership, as well as a commitment to achieving financial success while serving Bespoke Healing's core clientele of working-class queer individuals through a combination of insurance, full fee, and sliding scale. Past finalists have also been able to demonstrate comfort and interest in trauma-informed, relational work that integrates relational-cultural, liberation, humanistic-existential, narrative, feminist, and queer theories. While we aim to serve folks interested in starting their own practices, our training program also serves as excellent preparation for working in administrator or supervisor roles at other group practices or institutions. 

Training activities

Fellows spend the majority of their time in direct clinical service. Bespoke Healing uses a hybrid model; that is, Fellows are afforded the opportunity to provide therapy and complete their supervision and administrative duties both in-office and in a private, work-from-home space. They also receive:

- 2 hours per week of individual in-person supervision focusing on clinical work and professional development

- 1 hour a week of group supervision in community with trainees at other neighborhood queer-focused practices

- Regular peer support in years with a cohort (Note: Bespoke Healing often takes on a Post-Masters Fellow)

- Quarterly field trip experiences to non-clinical spaces with a similar mission and clientele to inspire future brand identity and a sense of place within the larger community

Our program also provides furnished office space, support building a caseload, and a tried-and-true timeline to efficiently obtain licensure. Fellows record their sessions to facilitate the development of a niche and new clinical skill sets (e.g., couples/relationship work).

Compensation

Full-time Postdoctoral Fellows on average earn $55,000/year based on a competitive fee split plus a $2500 Wellness Fund designed to encourage time off and support Fellows as they build their caseload. Past Fellows have tended to see 18-20 clients per week, with some electing to see more based on their bandwidth and financial goals.