Our postdoctoral fellowship goes beyond traditional on-the-job training; we are deeply committed to providing high-quality education. The program is designed to support the acquisition and demonstration of advanced competencies required at the postdoctoral level, utilizing diverse methods that align with our clinical child specialty, program aims, competencies, and learning elements. Below is a comprehensive range of learning experience offered to support the postdoc in their development and attainment of advanced competence in each competency domain.
Delivering Direct Services
Our Postdoctoral Fellowship in Psychology offers immersive, hands-on clinical training with a strong emphasis on the development of core competencies in assessment, intervention, consultation, and interprofessional collaboration. Fellows receive structured support to grow professionally, with dedicated training in key expected competency areas: Integration of Science and Practice, Ethical and Legal Standards, Individual and Cultural Diversity, Professionalism, Communication and Interpersonal Skills, Assessment, Intervention.
Outpatient Clinical Care
Postdoctoral fellows provide direct outpatient care in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) Clinic, delivering evidence-based interventions and assessments. They work with a diverse patient population ranging in age from 2 to 25 years, including toddlers, children, adolescents, and transition-age youth. Common presenting concerns include:
- Mood and anxiety disorders
- Trauma
- Life-threatening behaviors
- Disruptive behavior disorders
- Family conflict and relational issues
Postdocs are trained across a range of clinical services, including individual, group, and family psychotherapy, parent education and support, school consultation and advocacy, and diagnostic clarification.
Postdoctoral fellows spend at least 55% of their clinic time engaged in direct outpatient clinical care, balancing evidence-based psychotherapy and psychological assessment. Fellows participate in both general outpatient services and specialized rotations to become well-rounded clinical child psychologists.
Our fellowship program provides intensive, hands-on training in several high-demand areas of child and adolescent mental health, addressing the growing national shortage of psychologists with specialized expertise in DBT and PCIT. Fellows are prepared to become competent, independent clinicians equipped to lead in evidence-based practice, grounded in both scientific knowledge and real-world application.
Postdoctoral fellows receive focused training in the following specialty areas:
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
- Family Therapy
- Assessment and Psychological Testing
Beyond the core specialty areas, fellows also have opportunities to apply a range of evidence-based psychotherapies, including:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Family Systems Therapy
- Parent Management Approaches
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Clinic
Postdoctoral fellows participate in a year-long Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) rotation (one morning per week), receiving comprehensive training in the assessment and treatment of adolescents and young adults with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and life-threatening behaviors, including suicidal ideation and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI).
Fellows receive DBT-specific didactics and supervision alongside a psychiatry fellow, led by DBT-Linehan Board of Certification (DBT-LBC) certified psychology faculty member, Dr. Ventura.
As part of this rotation, fellows will:
- Co-lead weekly young adult DBT skills groups
- Provide individual DBT therapy
- Collaborate with a multidisciplinary treatment team, including psychiatric providers and DBT-LBC-certified faculty
The primary goal of this rotation is to develop proficiency in DBT principles, the Biosocial Theory of BPD, and strategies for helping youth and families manage life-threatening behaviors and build a life worth living. Fellows gain advanced clinical skills in a recognized, evidence-based treatment model, preparing them to serve as DBT-informed clinicians across diverse mental health settings.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Clinic
Postdoctoral fellows participate in a year-long Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) rotation (one morning per week), receiving comprehensive training in the assessment and treatment of young children with disruptive behavior disorders. Training emphasizes the use of live coaching, in-room observation, and adherence to PCIT fidelity standards.
Fellows receive PCIT-specific didactics and supervision from PCIT International-certified clinicians, including faculty member Dr. Schroeder, ensuring a high-quality, evidence-based training experience grounded in developmental and behavioral science.
As part of this rotation, fellows will:
- Provide live parent coaching through a one-way mirror using a bug-in-the-ear system
- Conduct behavioral assessments and track treatment progress using standardized PCIT tools
- Collaborate closely with PCIT-certified faculty and members of a multidisciplinary care team
The primary goal of this rotation is to develop proficiency in PCIT principles and behavioral parent training strategies, helping families reduce disruptive behaviors, strengthen the parent-child relationship, and support positive developmental outcomes. Postdocs gain advanced clinical skills in a gold-standard, evidence-based intervention model, preparing them to deliver PCIT-informed care across a variety of clinical and community settings.
Family Clinic
Postdoctoral fellows participate in a year-long Family Therapy rotation, attending 2.5-hour multidisciplinary group supervision sessions twice per month alongside psychiatry fellows and psychology faculty. These sessions provide immersive, hands-on training in delivering family-based interventions within a collaborative clinical setting.
During the rotation, postdocs initially observe a psychology faculty member leading family therapy sessions through one-way mirrors or video monitoring. Over time, fellows gradually assume the role of co-leading family sessions with psychiatry fellows, receiving real-time feedback and supervision to refine their clinical skills.
The Family Therapy Clinic offers opportunities to work closely with families, exploring family-of-origin dynamics and multigenerational processes that impact relationships and presenting problems. Postdocs apply family systems approaches to address a broad range of clinical issues, including divorce, life transitions, parenting challenges, chronic illness, phobias, and suicidality.
Training includes didactics (e.g., video series) to deepen understanding of family systems theory and evidence-based interventions. Fellows develop key competencies in case conceptualization, systemic intervention, and outcome evaluation—preparing them to deliver effective, systemic care in collaborative clinical settings.
This rotation equips postdocs with advanced clinical skills in family therapy, preparing them to deliver effective, systemic care in multidisciplinary mental health settings.
Assessment and Psychological Testing
Postdoctoral fellows participate in a year-long assessment rotation, dedicating approximately 1.5 days per week to psychoeducational and psychological testing. Fellows typically carry one testing case per week, allowing ample time for scoring, conceptualization, and report writing. This rotation provides comprehensive, hands-on experience conducting evaluations for individuals approximately aged 2 to 25, including cognitive, emotional, academic, behavioral, and personality assessments. In addition, fellows receive training in the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) alongside ADOS-certified faculty member Dr. Hume, further enhancing their competencies in developmental assessment and differential diagnosis.
The clinic offers access to a broad range of standardized testing materials and resources to support fellows in delivering high-quality assessment services. Fellows learn to administer, score, and interpret various instruments, integrating results into thorough, clinically relevant reports.
This rotation prepares postdocs to become proficient, well-rounded clinical psychologists skilled in delivering psychological assessments that inform diagnosis, treatment planning, and educational recommendations across diverse clinical settings.
Research
Research opportunities, both independent and in collaboration with existing projects, are an integral component of our postdoctoral program. Each postdoc is allotted a minimum of 2 hours per week for scholarly activities. Primary research areas in our child program include the assessment and treatment of youth with life-threatening or disruptive behaviors, the impact of adverse childhood experiences and trauma, mindfulness interventions, and polyvagal theory-based interventions. The clinic also hosts an ongoing PCIT research study examining changes in parental oxytocin levels, contributing to a growing body of work on the biological mechanisms underlying parent-child interventions. Postdocs will receive supervision in their research, emphasizing the Integration of Science and Practice, focusing on Research competencies, and incorporating other relevant competencies as appropriate.
Teaching and Supervision
Postdoctoral fellows will gain valuable supervision and teaching experience through multiple structured opportunities. Fellows co-lead a weekly, 1-hour group psychotherapy supervision session with a psychology faculty member for psychiatry fellows and may also provide individual therapy supervision to psychiatry fellows as appropriate.
In addition, fellows will have the opportunity to deliver lectures to medical students, psychiatry residents, and fellows, as well as provide didactic instruction to faculty, fellow postdocs, and other trainees. These educational experiences are tailored to align with each fellow’s areas of interest and the specific learning needs of their audience.
These opportunities help fellows build confidence and competence in academic teaching, clinical supervision, and interdisciplinary collaboration, while also supporting the development of core expected competencies in Teaching/Supervision/Mentoring and Leadership.
Engaging in Professional Development
Three types of learning experiences fall within this rubric: supervision, didactics, and preparing for the marketplace. When taken together, these experiences address these the competencies: Integration of Science; Practice Ethical and Legal Standards; Individual and Cultural Diversity; Professional Values, Attitudes, and Behaviors; Communication and Interpersonal Skills; Assessment; Intervention; Consultation and Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Skills; and Leadership.
Supervision
Postdoctoral fellows receive 3 hours of individual supervision per week: one hour for clinical psychotherapy cases, one hour for assessment cases, and one hour for research. Supervision covers clinical work, training goals, research, and topics related to ethics, diversity, interdisciplinary skills, and professional development.
The individual supervisor is selected during orientation by the training director based on the postdoc’s area of specialty and faculty availability. Supervision times are scheduled at times that are convenient for the clinic, postdoc, and faculty member. Supervision meetings will focus on discussion of current therapy and assessment cases, as well as issues related to setting training goals, and overall professional development. Individual supervision may also involve live supervision or review of video or audio recordings of therapy sessions at the supervisor’s discretion. Postdocs will be supervised by licensed faculty psychologists, including a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification Certified Clinician and PCIT International-certified clinicians.
In addition to individual supervision, postdocs participate in a multidisciplinary group supervision experience with psychiatry fellows at the Family Therapy Clinic, attending 2.5-hour sessions twice a month.
Postdoctoral fellows participate in twice-monthly Case Conference meetings with the therapy team—including psychology faculty and master’s-level therapists—to discuss clinical cases, review treatment plans, exchange insights, and explore diverse therapeutic approaches. These seminars provide a collaborative forum to share intervention strategies, enhance clinical skills through peer feedback, and engage in critical discussion—all in support of delivering comprehensive, high-quality care to youth and families.
Supervisors maintain professional responsibility for the cases being supervised by reviewing and co-signing treatment notes and bills, as well as any other paperwork required for therapy cases (e.g., insurance paperwork, advocacy letters, etc.).
Multidisciplinary Didactics
The CAP Division, located in the Department of Psychiatry, facilitates frequent interdisciplinary collaboration and joint learning experiences with residents and fellows in child and adolescent psychiatry (e.g., didactic seminars, Family Therapy Clinic, DBT didactic seminar, etc.).
Postdoctoral fellows engage in weekly interdisciplinary didactic seminars held every Monday from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, alongside child and adolescent psychiatry fellows, psychiatry residents, and medical students. Additional didactic training occurs twice monthly through the Family Clinic seminar and weekly in the DBT and PCIT Clinics, both in collaboration with psychiatry fellows.
The didactic curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), therapeutic techniques, licensure preparation, ethics, diversity and cultural competence, professional development, and interventions for special populations and children. Additionally, postdocs attend monthly Grand Rounds hosted by the UF-Jacksonville Department of Psychiatry. A sample schedule is available for reference.
Postdocs participate in a monthly Therapy Seminar dedicated to psychology-specific topics. These sessions feature presentations by the therapy team on clinical interventions, and postdocs are encouraged to actively contribute by leading discussions and sharing their own clinical insights and intervention strategies.
Preparing for the Marketplace
Postdocs will participate in psychology-focused didactics designed to equip them with essential tools for a successful transition into independent practice. Topics include EPPP preparation, malpractice risk and liability insurance, licensure processes across jurisdictions, financial wellness with an emphasis on loan management, and strategies for identifying and engaging with professional organizations. Designed to enhance practical readiness, this learning experience supports the professional, ethical, legal, and financial competence of early-career psychologists as they enter the professional marketplace.