Postdoctoral Fellowship in Trauma and Child Welfare

04 Dec 2023    

Fellowship Overview:

All Star Children’s Foundation in Sarasota, FL (www.allstarchildren.org) is offering a 1-year, full-time Postdoctoral Fellowship in Trauma-Informed Care. The Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship at ASCF is a 12-month, full-time position that provides advanced specialty training in assessment, consultation, intervention, and systems collaboration with child welfare-involved children and families. The Postdoctoral Fellow serves as a member of ASCF’s Multidisciplinary Treatment Team, providing clinical services to children residing on ASCF’s campus and in community foster care placements. Fellows receive live, individual, and group supervision for assessment and intervention activities and additionally participate in weekly case conferences and seminars.

The Fellow’s primary clinical activities include the following:

• Psychological Assessment and Consultation (Approx. 50% of time)
• This includes comprehensive case/records review; consultation with multidisciplinary teams within and outside of ASCF regarding care planning and progress of clients; trauma screening and assessment for children/youth just entering out-of-home care; comprehensive psychological assessment of developmental, learning, socioemotional, and behavioral concerns; and report writing.

• Therapy and Intervention (Approx. 30% of time)
• The fellow provides evidence-based, trauma-informed treatment for children ages 2-18 and their families with child welfare involvement. ASCF clinical staff have advanced training and expertise in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). The fellow gains exposure to these models through group supervision and case conferences and has the option to receive advanced training from certified trainers in one or more of these models.

• Learning Activities (Approx. 20% of time)
• The fellow receives a combination of individual, live, and group supervision for intervention and assessment activities and participates in weekly Multidisciplinary Case Conferences to review client progress and collaborate regarding care. Additional opportunities exist to receive formal training in PCIT, TF-CBT, and EMDR; facilitate community trauma training initiatives for foster parents and case managers; and supervise clinical activities of interns.

The Fellowship position is designed to fulfill licensure requirements in the State of Florida by the end of the fellowship year. Fellows completing this position will be well-prepared for a career providing broad clinical services to underserved populations with a past/current history of trauma and adversity. They will also graduate the Fellowship with an advanced knowledge of the child welfare system and systems navigation and advocacy.

Application Information:

ASCF accepts applications from applicants who have completed (1) an APA-accredited doctoral program in clinical, counseling, or school psychology; (2) an APA-accredited doctoral internship; and (3) all requirements for Ph.D. or Psy.D. graduation prior to the start of fellowship. Fellows must complete all doctoral degree requirements from an APA/CPA-accredited program prior to beginning their fellowship at ASCF.

Applicants should submit the following application materials to Kristin Hoffman, Ph.D., at KristinH@allstarchildren.org:

1.) Curriculum Vitae

2.) Cover Letter describing background, interests, training goals, and fit for position

3.) Three letters of recommendation emailed directly to Dr. Hoffman

4.) De-identified psychological evaluation report written by the applicant

All Star especially welcomes applicants who share our commitment to trauma-informed practices. Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in All Star’s Trauma-Informed Workgroups, which focus on promoting client voice and choice and fostering a culture of physical and psychological safety, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Both in-person and virtual interviews will be provided based upon applicant preference.

For any questions regarding the position, please contact Kristin Hoffman, Ph.D., at KristinH@allstarchildren.org or 941-217-6503.

About All Star Children’s Foundation:

The mission of All Star Children’s Foundation (ASCF) is to build brighter futures for children in foster care through innovation, science, and compassion. ASCF is situated on a 5‐acre campus that includes a Pediatric Mental Health Treatment and Research Center, along with 6 single‐family foster homes. Foster parents and children living on the campus receive a broad range of supportive, wraparound services from a multidisciplinary team of trauma‐informed providers, which includes psychology, social work, psychiatry, pediatrics, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy. This team additionally provides consultation, assessment, support, and intervention through outpatient services to families in the community with child welfare involvement.