Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

At Tompkins and Associates, we value high-quality training for postdoctoral psychologists who come from Clinical, Counseling, or School Psychology programs. We expect postdocs to have completed their doctoral degree, including successfully defending the dissertation, prior to starting the fellowship training. Postdoctoral Fellows receive appropriate training to sit for the EPPP and apply for licensure as Clinical Psychologists in the state of IL upon completion of the program. Associate Psychologist positions are offered to successful Fellows at the conclusion of the training year.

Clinical Training

We provide postdoctoral fellows with the opportunity to work with children, teens, and families for individual therapy, family therapy, and parent coaching services. Most clients present with concerns about anxiety, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, depression, mood disorders, and interpersonal issues.

We believe that your postdoctoral training year is an opportunity to fine-tune your clinical skills, gain experience in areas of specialty, and begin to develop your unique professional voice and identity. As such, we work with trainees to tailor the clinical experiences to meet your individual goals for training.

We prioritize the use of evidence-based therapy interventions, including Play Therapy, CBT, ACT, and DBT. Trainees receive an immersive experience in which they learn about these theories and implement their strategies with children and teens. We also use evidence-based parenting interventions such as Parent Management Training and Co-Regulation Therapy.

In addition to clinical skills, trainees are expected to develop high-quality documentation skills through completing intake assessments, case notes, treatment plans, and discharge summaries. Trainees will occasionally be asked to provide treatment summaries to support clients’ services in other settings. When appropriate, trainees will engage in consultation and case management with other providers in the community, including physicians/pediatricians, psychiatrists, school staff, and mental health providers.

Assessment Training

Clinical Psychology Postdocs are also expected to conduct comprehensive neuropsychological assessments with a pediatric population. Postdocs should be experienced in administering, scoring, and interpreting a wide range of tests, including:

• WISC/WAIS
• WIAT
• GORT
• MIGDAS 2
• CPT/CATA
• DKEFS
• Nepsy 2
• Baileys 4
• MACI 2/MPACI
• PAI A
• BRIEF 2
• Conners CBRS
• MASC 2
• Projective measures (TAT, Rorschach, drawings)

Additionally, postdocs are expected to write comprehensive and integrative reports that prioritize case conceptualization, diagnostic accuracy, and digestible information that is helpful and easy for parents, educators, and other providers to understand and implement recommendations.

Supervision

Our supervision model is highly supportive, educational, and professional. We pride ourselves on training the next generation of excellent child and adolescent psychologists. As such, supervision typically begins with a focus on intensive training in clinical theory and skills, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Developmental Theory
• Attachment Theory
• Family Systems Theory

We utilize a variety of media in supervision, including didactic training, reading books/articles, and experiential learning through sessions and supervision. We prioritize case conceptualization skills during the training years because we strongly believe that accurate conceptualization leads to the best-designed treatment plans, interventions, and client experience.

We believe that your postdoctoral year is a time to polish your professional skills, gain experience in areas of specialty, and develop your unique professional voice and identity. Through your supervision and training, you will learn more about yourself as a professional to help guide you toward your future as an independently practicing psychologist.

Additionally, we provide time to study and prepare for the EPPP as well as access to study materials. Typically, our fellows work together to study and provide one another with accountability in EPPP preparation.

Interested Postdoctoral Fellows also have the opportunity to provide mentorship and to participate in the co-supervision of clinical psychology externs.

Postdoctoral Fellow Expectations

Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellows are expected to meet all graduation requirements of their graduation program and to comply with all office policies for Tompkins. Postdoctoral Fellows can apply for either a full-time training position (1 year of training) or a part-time position (2 years of training) and are required to offer evening and/or weekend appointments to accommodate client schedules.

We offer Postdoctoral Fellows the opportunity to tailor their training experience to suit their professional goals by allowing them to see more therapy or more assessment cases. For example, if a fellow is interested in gaining more experience in assessment, they can see two testing cases per week and 10-12 therapy clients. Alternatively, a fellow interested in more therapy training can see up to 25 therapy clients per week and 1 assessment case per month. The exact ratio of assessment to therapy is discussed and agreed upon prior to starting the fellowship and expectations are outlined. The most successful postdoctoral fellows have an interest in doing both assessment and therapy.

Trainees will:

1. See up to 25-30 client hours per week
2. Conduct a minimum of 1 psychological assessment per month.
3. Receive 1 hour of individual supervision from a fully licensed clinical psychologist
4. Receive 1 hour of group supervision including all clinical psychology trainees and licensed clinical psychologists in the office
5. Participate in professional development offered
6. Engage in clinical training evaluation at least 2 times during the training year
7. Create a plan to study for and take the EPPP upon completion of postdoctoral training hours.