Clinical Psychology Training Programs
Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program
The Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program was formally established during the 1992-1993 academic year.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program
The Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program was formally established during the 1992-1993 academic year.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program
Elissa Jelalian, PhD, Director
History
The Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program (PFTP), within the Clinical Psychology Training Programs at Brown: A Consortium of the Providence VA Medical Center, Lifespan, and Care New England, was formally established during the 1992-1993 academic year and listed as a professional psychology postdoctoral training program by APPIC at that time. By centralizing the operations in 1992, the PFTP became a Brown University Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior (DPHB) program rather than a hospital-based program. The PFTP also established an administrative structure, as well as policies and procedures for all fellowships. In addition, the Consortium's name was changed from “Internship Consortium” to “Training Consortium” in 1992 in recognition of the equal emphasis of the program on predoctoral and postdoctoral training.
The PFTP includes four Divisions: the Clinical Psychology Program (CPP), Clinical Child Psychology Specialty Program (CCPSP), Clinical Neuropsychology Specialty Program (CNSP), and Research Fellowship Program (RFP).
What's It Like to Move to Providence for Training?
Just ask research fellow Sugandha Gupta, Ph.D., a self-described "Jersey girl" who’s lived in New York City and Chicago and moved here with her partner, a “Philly boy.”
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When they first explored Providence, Sugandha and her partner decided Federal Hill was their neighborhood: “There's a lot of places to eat, fun bars, a nice bakery or two.”
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The next challenge was to find an apartment with generous light for her “plant children." She says, “I can live here if they can live here.”
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Sugandha’s dad helped her move into the new apartment. Then they promptly hit the beach. Hello, Ocean State!
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In her first few weeks, Sugandha was still scoping out the best parking spots for work. But on sunny days, she ditches the car, throws her flats in her backpack, and takes in views of the Providence River on her walk to work.
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Sugandha's assessment of Providence? Neighborhoody like Chicago, proud of its history like Philadelphia, and friendlier than Manhattan. “This could be a place where I grow roots and stick around a little longer,” she says.
Administration
The PFTP is coordinated by the Clinical Psychology Training Programs at Brown: A Consortium of the Providence VA Medical Center, Lifespan, and Care New England. The Consortium is centrally controlled through a Training Committee within the Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior (DPHB) of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. The Training Committee is the central coordinating body of the program's policies and goals. Elissa Jelalian, PhD provides oversight over all postdoctoral training within the Consortium. Five postdoctoral fellows (one from CPP, CCPSP, CNSP, and two from RFP) are elected each year to represent the fellowship class at the monthly Training Committee meetings.
Postdoctoral fellow selection and evaluation of the postdoctoral fellow's performance is the responsibility of the primary faculty supervisor at the specific hospital where training is provided with oversight provided by the Training Committee. Each hospital is administratively independent and each site provides sole financial support for its postdoctoral fellow.
Diversity
The Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior is committed to promoting attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion in training and clinical services, providing ongoing educational opportunities for trainees and faculty, and promoting awareness of issues of diversity within all training sites. Please visit our Diversity site for more information.
Training
Elissa Jelalian, PhD provides oversight over all postdoctoral training within the Consortium including the four Divisions of the PFTP: the Clinical Psychology Program (CPP), the Clinical Child Psychology Specialty Program (CCPSP), the Clinical Neuropsychology Specialty Program (CNSP), and the Research Fellowship Program (RFP).
Maintenance of Records
The manager of the Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program (PFTP) is responsible for maintaining records of all current postdoctoral fellows and alumni. Performance evaluations for all of the postdoctoral programs (Clinical Psychology Program (CPP), Clinical Child Psychology Specialty Program (CCPSP), Clinical Neuropsychology Specialty Program (CNSP), and Research Fellowship Program (RFP)) are stored through MyEvaluations, our secure, online electronic evaluation system. Upon completion of the fellowship, all PFTP records are archived to the Brown University secure server.
All postdoctoral fellows currently in training have an active file stored on the Brown University secure server. This record includes: 1) the postdoctoral program application, 2) their Individualized Training Activities, 3) additional information of note (e.g., request for verification of postdoctoral fellow status for loan deferment, reference letters provided by the Director of Training for any purpose during the fellowship year), and 4) Postdoctoral Fellowship Description. MyEvaluations records of 6-month and end of fellowship evaluations for the CPP, CCPSP, CNSP, and RFP are maintained electronically and separately through a password-protected server and are stored in the postdoctoral fellows’ files as well.
All Training Program files and directories are saved on the Brown University secure server, which is backed up every 4 hours. Brown University’s secure server (Files.Brown.EDU\DFS) environment utilizes data snapshot (Volume Snapshot Service or VSS) and data replication (EMC Isilon/SyncIQ) for data protection. Formal complaints against the CPP, CCPSP, CNSP, and RFP are kept on file, electronically, within the Training Office of the PFTP indefinitely.
To be considered a postdoctoral fellow, the trainee must have met all requirements for their doctoral degree, including successful defense of the doctoral dissertation (which includes submission and final approval by the dissertation committee of any changes requested at the time of the dissertation defense). In rare cases, an applicant has not completed all degree requirements as expected, prior to the agreed upon start date. In such cases, hospitals may allow the applicant to work as staff under a title other than postdoctoral fellow (e.g. Research Associate) until they complete requirements for their doctoral degree. Only after the degree has been awarded, will they begin the PFTP and receive the title of postdoctoral fellow.
Postdoctoral fellows who wish to apply for licensure are advised that state licensing boards may or may not recognize clinical hours accrued prior to the official university degree granting date if it is later than the date the dissertation committee and chair signed their approval of the final dissertation.
In order to be considered a postdoctoral fellow, the trainee must spend at least 60% of the time at a Brown-affiliated hospital with a Brown faculty member. Postdoctoral fellows may spend up to a maximum of 40% of the time at another site, if this has been 1) agreed upon with one’s individual faculty mentor, 2) approved by the CPP/CCPSP/CNSP/RFP Director, and 3) approved by the Training Committee. The Training Committee typically approves time off-site if 1) it is at another university and 2) it involves research related to the main area of study as one’s postdoctoral fellowship experience. Clinical activities that occur off-site may be approved only if the placement is supervised by a Brown faculty member within the consortium. [Due to covid-19, training activities, including research and clinical activities, may be modified (transitioned to remote or in-person) in accordance with supervisor, local, institutional, and governmental policies and guidelines for mitigating coronavirus spread]
In order to graduate from the program as a postdoctoral fellow and receive a certificate of completion, the fellow must complete a full calendar year in the fellowship with a doctoral degree.
The Clinical Psychology Program (CPP), Clinical Child Psychology Specialty Program (CCPSP), and Clinical Neuropsychology Specialty Program (CNSP) are listed as a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).
Clinically focused fellowships are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).
The Clinical Psychology Program (CPP) was re-accredited in 2016; our next site visit will be in the academic year 2022.
The Clinical Neuropsychology Specialty Program (CNSP) is accredited as a specialty program in clinical neuropsychology.
The Clinical Child Psychology Specialty Program (CCPSP) is accredited as a specialty program in clinical child psychology.
Questions related to the program's accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation:
Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Phone: 202-336-5979 / E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org
Web: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation
The Brown Clinical Psychology Training Consortium is a member of the Academy of Psychological Clinical Science (APCS) and promotes a clinical science approach to training.