Introduction
Introduction
Two Clinical/Counseling Post-doctoral Fellow Positions are available for 2012-2013. These post-doctoral positions are designed for individuals who are interested in meeting the requirements for licensure and working in an academic setting which combines clinical work with training, supervision, teaching and scholarship. The full-time post-doctoral fellowship is a one year position beginning August 6, 2012 or as negotiated. The 2000 hour postdoctoral program meets all requirements for licensure in the State of Georgia, including 2 hours a week of scheduled supervision. All postdoctoral fellows are supervised by senior psychologists who have been licensed for more than 3 years.
The training program focuses on developing advanced practice skills necessary to function as a counseling center clinician. Clinical training emphasizes culturally informed, use of self to further the supervisory and therapeutic process (e.g., Baldwin, 2000; Wells & Bell-Pringle, 2004; Wosket, 2000). This model integrates psychodynamic, developmental, and relational approaches to supervision and clinical intervention. Full-time fellows schedule approximately 18 hours a week in individual, group and couples therapy, psycho-educational programming, initial assessments and emergency coverage. In addition, postdoctoral fellows work closely with the Integrated Alcohol and Other Drug Program (IAOD) which emphasizes education, intervention and treatment for students in the university community. Upon completing their postdoctoral training, fellows are excellent candidates for a University Counseling Center Psychologist position with either a general focus or an addiction subspecialty. Each fellow is also assigned one or two practicum students to supervise over the year. Through various seminars, apprenticeships and mentoring relationships the fellow is guided in skill development related to supervision of practicum students and psycho-educational programming. The postdoctoral training program includes individual supervision from at least two seasoned psychologists, group supervision of supervision, group psychotherapy, crisis response, and trauma seminars.
The Post-doctoral Fellows work in close collaboration with the clinical staff of the Counseling and Testing Center and function as a professional with many of the same responsibilities as the senior staff at the Center. Fellows attend all weekly clinical services, training and professional development meetings and case conferences.
Philosophy of Training
Postdoctoral programming and training processes are based upon a training model that values mutuality, appreciation of diversity, use of self as instrument and experientially-based learning, in addition to a developmentally-sequenced approach to learning. The program emphasizes the development of the person of the therapist and how and when to use self-disclosure and counter-transference reactions to better understand and empower clients. Specifically, guided by these values, the postdoctoral program focuses on the development of the postdoctoral fellow as an increasingly effective generalist practitioner by identifying and building upon professional strengths and refining and expanding: (1) clinical and supervisory practice skills, (2) professional identity, (3) psycho-educational programming and delivery skills, and (4) teaching through supervised experience, staff development, case conferences, modeling and mentoring/apprenticeship.
The supervision model embraced by postdoctoral supervisors focuses on empowerment through self-reflection in action, learning by doing and receiving feedback, recognizing and building on individual strengths, and use of a developmental approach to learning and practice. Mutuality is reflected in the assumption that the greatest growth is facilitated when learning and feedback are reciprocal and ongoing between the postdoctoral fellows and training supervisors in a supportive atmosphere of honest self-appraisal. Co-therapy and co-presentation experiences provide especially useful opportunities for the realization of this learning format. Evaluative and informational feedback processes are structured both formally and informally to be reciprocal. Following a developmental approach, postdoctoral fellows contract for more structured learning experiences where and when needed to reach independent competence.
Clinical supervisors attend to many levels of the postdoctoral fellow’s development, including adjustment to the agency or role transition, clinical skills, relationship to colleagues, career development, and “use of self” as an instrument of change. Transitions are viewed as critical growth periods for the fellow which need to be explored, understood and integrated into the evolving professional identity of the fellow. Supervisors formally and informally consult with each other on a regular basis to exchange insights and feedback regarding the fellow’s needs and progress in the training program.
The value of thoughtful and relevant integration is reflected in all aspects of the postdoctoral program. For example, the training director with the help of other supervisors integrates feedback from the fellow, the fellow’s supervisees, and other training faculty into continuous program modifications. In addition, integration is reflected in the underlying assumption that different theoretical orientations are needed and valued for their varying contributions to the effective treatment of individuals from different cultures present in a range of psycho-social problems. Furthermore, all training processes and programming (as all clinical practices) are guided by the science of psychology while the science of psychology, reflected in the research and scholarly pursuits of the faculty, is influenced by practice. In addition, all programming is intended to integrate an appreciation for the dignity and worth of the individual.
