Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Postdoctoral Fellowship Description: Clinical Focus
Title:
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Stress Disorder (APA Approved)
Site:
Providence VA Medical Center
Providence, Rhode Island
Supervisor(s):
Clinical: William Unger, Ph.D., Heather Frank, Ph.D., Christy Capone, Ph.D.
Research: TBD depending upon research interests
Fellowship Aims:
1. To provide the Fellow with post-doctoral training in the area of post-traumatic
Stress (PTSD) in an outpatient setting.
This will include: (a) a complete and thorough understanding of the nature of
PTSD, Dual-Diagnosis (e.g., alcohol and substance use disorders), and comorbid psychiatric disorders; and (b) an understanding of the full range of
clinical services typically required for the assessment and treatment of PTSD.
2. To provide the Fellow with clinical training in psychological assessment,
diagnostic evaluation, individual, family, and group therapy, as a member of a
multidisciplinary treatment team of the Providence VA Medical Center PTSD
program.
3. To increase the Fellow’s knowledge and competencies with clinical research.
This will include conducting data analyses and preparing manuscripts on
existing data sets, critical reviews of articles and book chapters on PTSD, and
attendance at research meetings.
Fellowship Timeline
This is a one-year Fellowship. The Fellowship will initiate September 1, 2014 and conclude August 31, 2015.
Research, Academic/Didactic and Professional Training Activity Plan
Twenty percent of the Fellow’s time will be devoted to research, academic/didactic, and professional training
experiences. The Fellow will participate in the following activities:
1.
Review of the Literature: The Fellow will complete readings on relevant historical
and contemporary literature pertaining to theory, clinical practice, and research with
PTSD. The Fellow also will be exposed to methodological/ pragmatic issues in
conducting PTSD research. The Fellow also will become familiar with: (a) the major
classes and types of drugs commonly prescribed for PTSD, including specific drug
action, clinical purpose, and possible side effects; and (b) medical conditions
commonly experienced by veterans with PTSD and their role in the development of
emotional and/or behavioral disorders (2 % time).
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Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Postdoctoral Fellowship Description: Clinical Focus
2.
Lecturing/Staff Development: The Fellow will have opportunities to provide inservice training to hospital staff, and participate in community speaking engagements,
according to his/her interests and need (1 % time).
3.
Manuscript Preparation and Submission:
The Fellow will initiate and collaborate on manuscript preparation and submission of
journal articles, and panel/poster submissions at a regional or national conference, in
the area of PTSD (8 % time).
4.
Grant Writing: For those Fellows interested in learning about writing a grant,
seminars and mentoring opportunities are available with senior psychologists within
the Department of Psychiatry. In this case, the Fellow will develop a grant idea and
submit a grant proposal by the end of the Fellowship term (5 % time). Note that if the
fellow does not write a grant, this time can be allocated to manuscript preparation or
study coordination.
5.
Ad Hoc Reviewing: For those Fellows interested in learning about the editorial
review process of manuscripts submitted to refereed journals, ad hoc reviewing
opportunities may be made available with her research mentors (1 % time).
6.
Post-Doctoral Seminars: The Fellow will have the option to participate in the PostDoctoral Seminar Series through the Brown University Post-Doctoral Training
Program, the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Grand Rounds Series,
and the Adult Track Seminar Series. The Fellow will also participate in the local VA
Colloquia series for VA Post-Doctoral Fellows. The Fellow will be encouraged to
participate in the Core Seminar Series (2 % time).
7.
Licensure as a Psychologist: The Fellow will make application for licensure in the
State of Rhode Island and work towards successfully negotiating all aspects of the
licensure process, and obtain licensure as a psychologist in the state (1 % time).
Clinical Activity Plan
Eighty percent of the Fellow’s time will be devoted to clinically related activities. The Fellow’s clinical
activity will be through the PTSD Clinic at the Providence VA Medical Center. In order to ensure that a high
level of clinical training in the area of PTSD is provided, the following activities will be required:
1.
Membership in the Multidisciplinary Treatment Team: The Fellow will actively
participate in referral development, intake of referred patients, admission diagnostic
conferences, weekly treatment review meetings, crisis clinic, conferences, and followup contacts with veterans and their families (15 % time).
2.
Clinical Assessment: The Fellow will conduct diagnostic evaluations and/or
psychological assessments of veterans at the PTSD Clinic. This will include: (a)
competence in the selection, administration, scoring, and interpretation of
psychological tests commonly employed with PTSD patients; (b) competence in
integrating data and preparing written reports; and (c) competence in the oral
presentation of psychological test findings to the multidisciplinary team, referral
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Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Postdoctoral Fellowship Description: Clinical Focus
sources, and community agencies involved with the patient, and the patient’s family
(10 % time).
3.
Behavioral Assessment: The Fellow will actively participate in the development,
implementation, and supervision of strategies for analyzing treatment effectiveness
(5% time).
4.
Treatment: The Fellow will provide individual, family, and group psychotherapy
services to PTSD veterans and their families within the PTSD outpatient program.
The Fellow will demonstrated competence in cognitive-behavioral methods and have
familiarity with specific topics such as coping skills training, anxiety management,
and goal setting. The Fellow will demonstrate competency in developing evidencebased treatment plans that specify measurable benchmarks for treatment success and
that reflect working knowledge of several different theoretical models (40 % time).
5.
Consultation: The fellow will demonstrate the ability to function as independent
clinicians within the context of an interdisciplinary team and the broader general
medical hospital setting. His/her interactions with other providers will demonstrate an
understanding of the responsibilities and limitations of a psychologist in a general
medical and psychiatric setting. She/he will be adept at reformulating referral
questions into testable clinical hypotheses. She/he will make appropriate referrals for
additional assessment from other specialty providers and then use the results to guide
diagnostic formulation and treatment planning and implementation. The fellow will
have the ability to maintain accurate records and to document case formulations,
assessment results, treatment plans, and progress notes in a timely, concise, and clear
manner. The fellow will be able to discuss relevant aspects of patients’ diagnosis
(10 % time).
Supervision and Evaluation
Clinical supervision will be provided in the form of one-hour weekly individual supervision blocks with
licensed clinical psychologists on site. An additional hourly block will be offered for academic/research
supervision. The Fellow also will have access to several additional forums for direct and indirect supervision
through optional participation in regularly scheduled rounds and treatment teams with members of the
multidisciplinary team.
The Fellow and supervisors will develop fellowship goals and learning objectives early on in the first year. At
the midpoint and conclusion of the Fellowship, the Fellow and supervisors will provide formal performance
evaluations and evaluations of the program relative to the goals and learning objectives of the Fellowship.
Resource Requirements
The Fellow will be provided with the following resources:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Office space on the VAMC
Telephone
A personal desktop computer with internet access
Access to copying equipment
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