Educational Goals
The Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow will have a strong interest in working with acute, transdiagnostic psychiatric populations and a specific passion for high-risk suicide prevention. The fellow will be housed within the Behavioral Health Partial Hospital (BHP), a transdiagnostic, CBT-based program serving approximately 700 patients annually. The fellow will provide both group therapy and individual therapy to BHP patients.
In addition, the fellow will serve as a clinician on a High-Risk Suicide Consultation Group. The ultimate mission of this group is to enhance knowledge and implementation of evidence-based, suicide-specific psychosocial interventions across acute and subacute care settings. The fellow may conduct psychotherapy consultations for inpatients identified as high risk for suicide and, when applicable, follow their care through transition into the BHP.
To meet these goals, the fellow will receive training in evidence-based suicide-specific interventions including the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS), Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention (BCBT), Safety Planning Intervention (SPI), and Means Safety Counseling. The fellow will also participate in the consultation group's ongoing activities, including biweekly suicide-focused workgroup meetings, quarterly Mortality & Morbidity (M&M) conferences, and hospital-wide suicide prevention trainings (1-2 per year).
Caseload
Postdoctoral fellows will provide individual therapy to BHP patients, lead BHP group therapy, and provide suicide-specific consultation to BHP staff and other McLean units as appropriate.
Supervision
The fellow is provided with one to two hours of individual supervision for BHP cases, 1 hour of suicide-specific supervision, and 1 hour of weekly group supervision with licensed clinicians. Supervisors hold academic appointments at Harvard Medical School and are licensed psychologists. The fellow also has the opportunity to provide peer supervision to a psychology trainee if in line with their training goals.
Treatment Setting
Since 1811, McLean Hospital has been a world leader in the treatment of mental illness , research into the causes of mental illness, and the training of generations of mental health care providers. The hospital offers a full continuum of care including inpatient, acute and longer-term residential, partial hospital, and outpatient services.
The Behavioral Health Partial Hospital Program (BHP), located on McLean's Belmont campus, treats people struggling with mood and anxiety disorders, depression, personality disorders, bipolar spectrum disorders, and thought disorders. The approximate length of participation is three weeks (15 consecutive business days). The program is available in person only and operates Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 3pm. The BHP emphasizes group therapy, structure, and skill building, with intensive daily treatment programming designed to reduce symptoms and meet individual treatment needs. Each patient undergoes a thorough initial assessment to create a personalized care plan based on specific diagnoses and symptoms, aiming to support stabilization and tailored treatment goals. Clinicians help patients build coping skills using cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). We also integrate the systems model, focusing on patient-family and patient-community relationships, as well as positive psychology to enhance strengths and well-being. In addition to group therapy, treatment includes medication consultations, individual therapy, case management, and aftercare planning.
Physical Requirements
PostDoctoral Fellow Clinical Psychology • Belmont, MA, United States