Postdoctoral Fellow - University Counseling

Boston College Introduction

Founded in 1863, Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university located six miles from downtown Boston with an enrollment of 9,654 full-time undergraduates and 5,072 graduate and professional students. Ranked 37 among national universities, Boston College has 923 full-time and 1,336 FTE faculty, 2,822 non-faculty employees, an operating budget of $1.4 billion, and an endowment in excess of $3.9 billion.

Job Description

Postdoctoral Fellow (2 Positions)

Fellowship Overview
The fellowship provides postdoctoral trainees in clinical and counseling psychology a concentrated advanced training experience with a focus on emerging adult mental health.

University Counseling Services (UCS) is a relatively large, fast-paced, multidimensional, and highly utilized health delivery system with the primary responsibility of addressing the mental health needs of the Boston College student community. A committed staff of psychologists, social workers, and medication prescribers provide a wide range of direct clinical services.

Training Philosophy and Structure

The training program is progressive and developmental in nature, with the goal of aiding Fellows in forming fuller professional identities and fostering readiness to become independent practitioners.

At the core of a Fellow’s training are:

• Individual and group treatment
• Crisis interventions
• Individual and group supervision
• Consultation
• Ongoing discussions addressing social and cultural dynamics
• Participation in the teamwork of the department

All training occurs within a strong generalist perspective. UCS emphasizes psychodynamic, developmental, and culturally informed approaches in formulating client difficulties. The program prioritizes brief, focused approaches to treatment while maintaining flexibility to provide open-ended treatment, particularly for clients with the greatest needs and/or the fewest resources.

Clinical Population and Institutional Context

Fellows gain experience with the unusual diagnostic and treatment challenges posed by clients who present as both high performing and diagnostically complex.

Boston College students are bright, talented, and diverse. The student body includes individuals from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences, and the graduate population in particular reflects a notably global community. Clients seeking clinical services are articulate, motivated, and still shaping key aspects of their identities.

At an institutional level, Boston College is invested in the integration of students’ intellectual development with their personal formation.

Training Outcomes

Through the fellowship year, Fellows:

• Attain advanced clinical skills with an emerging adult population manifesting the broad spectrum of psychopathology.
• Advance their formulation and treatment planning skills significantly.
• Develop an understanding of the intersections of psychopathology with developmental and multicultural forces.
• Develop expertise in the challenges prevalent in mental health practice within an institution of higher education.

Fellows inevitably acquire considerable depth and breadth in their treatment and consulting skills and typically complete the eleven-month fellowship year with a consolidated sense of their professional competence and personal career direction.

Expected Annual Salary $54,176

Requirements

Candidates must be eligible for postdoctoral training following completion of a doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology, including successful completion of internship prior to the start of the fellowship.

Closing Statement