Postdoctoral Fellowship in Geropsychology-
General Clinical Focus
The Training Year
Training at the IOA involves a 12-month commitment that begins the first week in July and ends in June of the following year. The Fellowship is full-time (40 hours per week). Orientation will take place in the first two weeks of July. Postdoctoral Fellows have 2 weeks of vacation over the course of the year. However, vacation time may not be used during the final month of training.
Reimbursement
Postdoctoral Fellows will be employed as Psychological Assistants in the department of psychology and will receive a salary of $18,000 per year.
Goals of the Fellowship
This fellowship is designed for post-doctoral clinicians who have an interest in various aspects of geropsychology; including both psychotherapy and neuropsychological assessment. As a senior trainee, the postdoctoral fellow is expected to play a leadership role in the overall psychology training program. At the conclusion of the training year, the Fellow should expect to have gained the following knowledge and experience:
- A solid understanding of the aging process and its related developmental challenges.
- Assessment skills in differential diagnosis of the dementing conditions, functional evaluations, and the interface between neuropsychology, medicine and social work.
- A sophisticated understanding of the major medical and psychological problems faced by older adults.
- An introduction to supervision and training issues; including some opportunities to assist in the provision of direct consultation and training for predoctoral and practicum-level psychology students.
- An in-depth understanding of the ethical and legal issues that come with the practice of geropsychology; including issues related to both elder abuse and capacity.
- An expanded sensitivity to the issues sometimes faced by older adults from non-dominant cultures
- The ability to modify assessment batteries for clients from non-dominant cultures and those with sensory deficits
- The ability to work comfortably and to consult with other professionals and with non-professional caregivers
- Comfort working in non-traditional settings, such as residential communities, clients homes, and day programs
- Development of the various professional skills needed to administer neuropsychological batteries, write reports, and consult with referring parties around complicated and complex geriatric assessment cases.
- Development of a solid professional identity and comfort with appropriate levels of clinical authority as a postdoctoral clinician. Also, it is the department’s policy to support postdoctoral fellows in whatever ways possible around attainment of licensure (e.g. study time off, consultation with staff, etc.).
Fellowship Responsibilities
As part of the requirement for successful completion of our post doctoral training, fellows have a number of responsibilities. There is a minimum time commitment of 40 hours per week for 50 weeks in a calendar year. Specific responsibilities include the following:
- 12-18 hours per week providing individual psychotherapy in patients’ residences (private homes, residential care facilities, skilled nursing facilities) or at our clinic.
- Administration, scoring, interpretation and report construction of a variety of assessment batteries suitable for a geriatric population (6-10 hours per week).
- Provision of test results and treatment recommendations to clients and their caregivers.
- Consultation to Adult Protective Services and provision of assessment and consultation for clients who have been victims of elder abuse.
- Participation in 4 hours of training per week and at least 2 hours of individual supervision.
- Accurate and timely completion of necessary paperwork
- An introduction to supervision and training issues; including some opportunities to assist in the provision of direct consultation and training for predoctoral and practicum-level psychology students.
- Consultation with other professionals.
- Taking a lead role in the development of agency relationships with various offsite residential communities and providing psychological services (consultation, group psychotherapy, individual psychotherapy, testing) in these same settings.
Application Procedures
Applicants must demonstrate a strong interest in geropsychology and neuropsychology, as demonstrated by completion of appropriate graduate studies/internships.
To apply for an interview, please send your curriculum vitae, a letter of interest, a sample of a neuropsychological testing report, and two reference letters to:
Tom Cicciarelli, Psy.D.
Director, Department of Psychology
IOA – Department of Psychology
3330 Geary Blvd., 3-E
San Francisco, CA 94118
Or call (415) 750-4180, ext. 209
Email: tcicciarelli@ioaging.org