The post-doctoral program in psychology is a forty hours per week program that runs for 24 months.In addition to clinical work, all fellows will participate in the following:

Weekly:

• 3 hours individual supervision
• 1 hour group supervision
• 1.5 hours clinical team meeting
• 3.0 hours Core Seminar, led by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. and Trauma Center faculty
• hour specialty project meeting (dependent on current grant funding)
• 1 hour research meeting

Monthly:

• 1.5 hour Lecture Series
• Professional Development seminar

Note: Fellows may participate in additional seminars or meetings, dependent on specialty track, availability of advanced seminars, and/or participation in grant-funded projects.

The Core Curriculum

Core Seminar - Held Monday mornings from 9:30-12:30, this weekly seminar provides fellows with a theoretical framework for trauma treatment, as well as a rich case study population drawn from the experiences of a diverse practitioner pool. Faculty and guest lecturers are invited to speak on a wide range of theoretical approaches and treatment options. This seminar is led by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. and Margaret Blaustein, Ph.D., and includes presentations by many of the faculty.

Monthly Lecture Series - As Medical Director, Dr. van der Kolk either speaks personally on his research or trauma theory, or invites colleagues in the trauma field do the same. These lectures occur once a month on Thursday afternoons between 1:00-2:30 and draw a wide audience from the Boston psychological community.

Additional seminars are often offered through The Trauma Center's Training Institute, and fellows are encouraged to participate in advanced trainings and consultation opportunities throughout the year.

Supervision

Each fellow will be assigned a minimum of three clinical supervisors, one of whom will be designated a primary supervisor. Additionally, each fellow will meet individually on a quarterly basis with the Director of Training and also periodically in a group format with other fellows.

Consultation - Opportunities for consultation on dissociative disorders, EMDR, childhood trauma, and other areas are also available.

Fellowship Tracks

Clinical work is conducted with children, adolescents, and adults. Fellows who have experience with children and adolescents only, as well as those with experience with all three populations, will be considered.

Two tracks will be offered beginning in 2008-2009. Both fellowship positions will be salaried half-time (20 hours/week) at a $40,000 FTE (i.e., $20,000 salary) with benefits.  The remaining time will be funded via fee-for-service clinical assignments, including therapy and evaluation sessions; fellows may anticipate approximately $12,000 FFS income during their first year, with increased fees typical during the second year.

Track #1: Specialization in GLBT Services

The fellow in this track will spend 2 days/week working in partner programs administered by JRI Health, a division of the Justice Resource Institute.  The fellow will spend a portion of their time in a community-based healthcare setting Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center; which specializes in provision of services to young adults (ages 13-29) who fall outside of more traditional healthcare settings for a variety of reasons, including homelessness; involvement in street life and the sex industry; and being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender and, therefore, at risk of not receiving culturally and clinically appropriate services.  At this site, the fellow will function as part of a multidisciplinary team, providing individual and group outpatient mental health services.  The fellow will also spend a portion of their time at a drop-in center for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning young people between the ages of 13 and 25 Boston GLASS.

Track #2: Clinical/Research Services

The fellow in this track will be funded 16 hours per week as a research assistant on the array of projects currently funded at the Trauma Center at JRI.  Current projects with which the fellow may be involved include a youth violence prevention program funded by the CDC; projects funded through the Trauma Center’s role in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network; evaluation of the role of yoga as a treatment for PTSD; and the validation of a proposed Developmental Trauma Disorder for the DSM-V.