Department/Unit:

Psychiatry General

Work Shift:

Day (United States of America)

Albany Medical College – Department of Psychiatry is accepting applications for post-doctoral fellow positions in clinical psychology. Tracks include college mental health, eating disorders, and inpatient and outpatient psychotherapy and testing. Fellows are given the opportunity to assume multiple roles within an academic psychiatry department including supervision of psychology practicum and interns, research, and leadership and development of psychotherapy groups. The fellowship program is designed to prepare fellows to function as capable professional psychologists. Effort is made to customize tracks to the knowledge and training needs of each fellow.

Clinical Activities

Fellows are expected to maintain an outpatient caseload throughout the training year, conducting psychotherapy and psychological assessment. The Albany Medical Center Physicians Group serves a diverse population presenting from childhood to geriatrics with a range of psychiatric issues including mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, personality disorders, polysubstance dependence, and co-morbid health related issues (e.g., HIV). Services provided include individual, couple, and family therapy to adults and children, as well as medical students, residents, and other graduate students. Opportunities for group therapy are also available. Fellows may rotate on the inpatient psychiatry service.

This is a part-time assignment totaling approximately eight hours. In this context, fellows work in multidisciplinary teams providing brief therapy, group therapy, psychological assessment and consultation services.

Child and adolescent fellows will have an opportunity to work in our Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) Clinic. The PCIT Clinic treats children with disruptive behaviors and other comorbid diagnoses such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, child maltreatment, anxiety, and/or additional developmental concerns. Specialty training in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is available for Fellows interested in becoming PCIT-certified.

Teaching

Teaching and mentoring roles may be assigned at various points during the year distributed between fellows based on interest and department scheduling. Generally, fellows can expect to teach one or two courses during the year. This may include formal seminars, as well as brief practice-based didactics (serving psychiatry, psychology, and medical student trainees). Residency program seminars taught by fellows may include:

Research Design Methodology

Behavioral Theory and Behavior Therapy

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy

Human Development

Psychological Testing

Fellows also function as research mentors for advanced psychiatry residents (PGY-2, 3 4) as they complete research projects required for residency graduation. Recognizing their junior faculty status, fellows are given an initial faculty appointment as an instructor in the Albany Medical College Department of Psychiatry.

Supervision

Fellows may carry a supervision caseload during the training year. This may include long-term individual supervision, assessment supervision, and/or group supervision, with trainees in psychiatry, psychology, and mental health counseling, or social work staff. Fellows may work with one or two trainees in a supervisory capacity during the year and will receive administrative supervision/oversight from the director of training.

Post-doctoral fellows are provided a minimum of three hours of supervision per week, one of which is in the form of individual supervision. Additional supervision may be scheduled as needed for specific tasks (e.g., psychological assessment, teaching, etc.). Likewise, opportunities exist for group supervision (Fellows may participate in faculty peer supervision meetings). Fellows are responsible for tracking and reviewing clinical and supervisory hours.

Research

Opportunities within the department exist for either collaborative or independent research. At minimum, fellows are encouraged to participate in ongoing departmental research and produce a scholarly project by the end of the training year (e.g., a paper, poster, Grand Rounds talk, etc.). Fellows are also highly encouraged to develop and conduct projects of personal interest and/or value for the department. Other scholarly activities include involvement in departmental training initiatives, quality improvement, and collaborative clinical and research initiatives with other Albany Medical Center departments. Fellows are also asked to assist in mentoring psychiatry residents on their academic projects. Fellows are provided support and mentoring for such scholarly activities and have opportunities to attend and participate in Research Committee meetings.

Didactics and Professional Development

The fellowship utilizes a Continuing Education (CE) based model for didactic offerings. This approach models the experience of practicing professionals who maintain responsibility for self-directed learning, attend trainings/workshops, and work to remain current with developments in the field. Specifically, Fellows are expected to develop a self-directed educational plan under the advisement of a mentor and/or the Director. Coordination of educational plans is essential to ensure that core domains (i.e., professional ethics, supervision, cultural diversity) are adequately covered over the course of the training year. Fellows have opportunities to participate in continuing education by participating in:

Albany Medical Center Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds

Department training days or sponsored workshops

Individually scheduled lectures/talks for fellows (e.g., psychology licensure, topics in supervision)

Weekly seminars and case conferences

Self-study or distance learning (as arranged with program faculty/Director)

National and/or regional conferences or workshops

Thank you for your interest in Albany Medical Center!​

Albany Medical is an equal opportunity employer.

This role may require access to information considered sensitive to Albany Medical Center, its patients, affiliates, and partners, including but not limited to HIPAA Protected Health Information and other information regulated by Federal and New York State statutes. Workforce members are expected to ensure that:

Access to information is based on a “need to know” and is the minimum necessary to properly perform assigned duties. Use or disclosure shall not exceed the minimum amount of information needed to accomplish an intended purpose. Reasonable efforts, consistent with Albany Med Center policies and standards, shall be made to ensure that information is adequately protected from unauthorized access and modification.