Post-doctoral Training
After students graduate from a doctoral program in professional psychology, they take the EPPP and seek licensure in the state where they are working or wish to work. Currently, most states require that, before this happens, early career psychologists spend a year or more receiving supervision for their clinical work. This year preparing for licensure is known as the postdoc year. It can be completed in the context of a regular job or in a formal postdoc position. Planning ahead for the postdoc year is important because, in the majority of cases, psychologists will not yet be making as much money as they will be when they become licensed. However, for those who have taken out loans, payments will start coming due at some point within this year. Thus, planning on how to fund your education comes into play again (see the section on Debt and Income). Also, it is good to be aware that, depending on your area within psychology or on your own personal training needs, you may need to seek a postdoc position in a different geographic area from internship (see the section on Internships), your graduate school, and/or the area where you wish to eventually seek licensure.
I. Licensing
Licensing is the process by which psychologists demonstrate that they are ready to practice independently (i.e., without the frequent supervision needed by students). It can be challenging to determine exactly what the requirements for licensure are, because requirements are administered by state and provincial Psychology Boards, not by a central agency. Indeed, job applicants may often run into trouble trying to get licensed in a state different than the one they were trained in, because of those different requirements and the fact that states count different types of experiences differently.
Very often, a post-doc is required to obtain licensure. The involves a period of time, usually full-time work, in supervised clinical practice. Typically, pay for post-docs is less than a licensed psychologist makes doing the same type of work.
II. Differing State Requirements
Rather than having a national licensure system, psychologists’ licenses are given out by each state. Similar to lawyers having to pass the bar exam in the state they wish to work, becoming licensed as a psychologist in one state does not automatically entitle you to become licensed in another. In fact, in moving their practices between states, some psychologists find that they are required to take additional courses or receive additional supervision in order to become licensed in their new location. This is why it is important to know the specific licensure requirements for the state in which you would eventually like to work. Even though licensure is well into the future for current applicants, it is helpful to know that, for example, California requires coursework on spousal/partner abuse while Massachusetts requires coursework in racial/ethnic bases of behavior. It is also important to check these requirements periodically throughout your training in order to make sure you are fulfilling your state’s specific prerequisites for clinical hours, supervision, etc.
II.I Where to find your state’s requirements
Licensure requirements are listed on the website for each state’s board of psychology. For a summary of and links to all of the state requirements, visit the web site for the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.
II.II. States that do not require a Postdoc
Currently there are a few states that allow psychologists to take the EPPP and seek licensure immediately after graduating from a doctoral program provided the student’s internship met certain requirements. Consequently, these states do not require a postdoc year. They are:
Alabama
Arizona
Indiana
Maryland
North Dakota
Ohio
Utah
Washington State
III. Finding a Postdoc The process for finding a postdoc position is different from that of finding an internship. Some students find the postdoc process easier because there are more opportunities available for postdocs than there are for accredited internships. At the same time, the process can also be more difficult because the procedure for applying to postdocs is a lot less formal.
III.I. The Postdoc Trap
"’Master's-level people could get licenses and see patients independently but I couldn't, even though I've got more education and training," says Decancq, now a licensed clinical psychologist …. ‘Meanwhile I'm just sitting there watching my loans getting bigger and the interest piling up.’" (Clay, 2000 p. 1)
In psychology, the “postdoc trap” refers to a Catch-22 that some new psychologists encounter following graduation—namely, they are not qualified for jobs or independent practice because they do not have a license, yet they need the additional hours and supervision before they can obtain this license (Clay, 2000). This trap occurs for a number of reasons. First, as already mentioned, most states require a year or more of supervised clinical hours after an individual obtains his or her degree. However, health care and managed care organizations may be reluctant to hire these new graduates because they cannot bill insurance for the work of unlicensed providers. Similarly, the time it takes to supervise a postdoc trainee takes away from licensed staff’s ability to see clients and bill for those hours. Some psychologists in this situation begin seeking out unpaid positions in order to get the necessary experience. Others resort to paying a licensed psychologist for supervision to offset that psychologist’s lost income. This arrangement actually goes against the supervision regulations of many states. Although how one navigates the postdoc year depends a lot on an individual’s circumstances, we assume that most new graduates want to avoid taking such extreme and financially punishing measures. Thus, the rest of this section will focus on obtaining a formal postdoc, i.e. a paid position that is designed for new graduates to help them meet licensure requirements and obtain additional training.
For more personal stories of students caught in the postdoc trap, see the article that appeared in the APA’s Monitor on Psychology here.
III.II. Formal Postdocs
Formal postdocs exist in a wide variety of settings. Institutions may solicit applications for postdocs in a similar manner to how they recruit interns. Formal postdocs may also appear and disappear from year to year depending on grant money and other funding that is available to the institution.
1. Specialty Postdocs. There are few specialties within psychology where formal postdocs are more common, or even required to pursue professional credentials such as boarding. Boarding is an optional, but often advantageous step for psychologists--particularly those who want to base their practice in a specialty area like clinical health psychology or forensic psychology. For more information on specialties, boarding, and requirements, visit www.abpp.org. As an example of how boarding relates to the postdoc experience, psychologists who wish to become board-certified neuropsychologists must complete a formal postdoc in neuropsychology. During this training experience, they will receive advanced training and supervision from other boarded neuropsychologists. These specialty areas often have listservs and other ways of advertising open postdoc positions.
2. Accreditation of Postdocs. The APA accredits some postdoc positions, just like it accredits internships. However, currently, pursuing an unaccredited postdoc is not likely to limit a psychologist’s career in the same way that completing an unaccredited internship will. No states require an accredited postdoc for licensure, and no large employers of psychologists (e.g. the VA) require this step. There has been some mention of requiring all steps of training—the graduate program, the internship, and the postdoc—to be accredited by the APA in order to receive licensure. However, the field is a long way from implementing this type of requirement, especially at the postdoc level.
3. Resources for finding Formal Postdocs. Because the process of applying for postdoc positions is generally less formal than applying for internships, there are several resources for finding openings.
a. APPIC. APPIC (The Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers) lists several available postdoc positions in their directory.
The directory functions in the same way as it does for internship positions. However, there is no match process for applying to postdocs. Instead, APPIC recommends that postdoc sites make offers to applicants along a certain timeline.
b. Listservs. Several divisions of the APA maintain active listservs that will announce postdoc positions as they become available. To find divisions and listservs that fit your specific clinical area, check out APA’s page here.
c. NIH. The NIH (National Institute of Health) employs several postdocs from year to year. Postions at NIH are often especially appealing for those who wish to gain additional research experience post-graduation in preparation for applying for academic jobs. The listings for NIH postdocs can be found here.
Finding a postdoc position can be a trying time for any new psychologist. However, postdocs also offer great opportunities to extend clinical and research training in new directions and/or to develop a specialty area before seeking licensure.
I. Licensing
Licensing is the process by which psychologists demonstrate that they are ready to practice independently (i.e., without the frequent supervision needed by students). It can be challenging to determine exactly what the requirements for licensure are, because requirements are administered by state and provincial Psychology Boards, not by a central agency. Indeed, job applicants may often run into trouble trying to get licensed in a state different than the one they were trained in, because of those different requirements and the fact that states count different types of experiences differently.
Very often, a post-doc is required to obtain licensure. The involves a period of time, usually full-time work, in supervised clinical practice. Typically, pay for post-docs is less than a licensed psychologist makes doing the same type of work.
II. Differing State Requirements
Rather than having a national licensure system, psychologists’ licenses are given out by each state. Similar to lawyers having to pass the bar exam in the state they wish to work, becoming licensed as a psychologist in one state does not automatically entitle you to become licensed in another. In fact, in moving their practices between states, some psychologists find that they are required to take additional courses or receive additional supervision in order to become licensed in their new location. This is why it is important to know the specific licensure requirements for the state in which you would eventually like to work. Even though licensure is well into the future for current applicants, it is helpful to know that, for example, California requires coursework on spousal/partner abuse while Massachusetts requires coursework in racial/ethnic bases of behavior. It is also important to check these requirements periodically throughout your training in order to make sure you are fulfilling your state’s specific prerequisites for clinical hours, supervision, etc.
II.I Where to find your state’s requirements
Licensure requirements are listed on the website for each state’s board of psychology. For a summary of and links to all of the state requirements, visit the web site for the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.
II.II. States that do not require a Postdoc
Currently there are a few states that allow psychologists to take the EPPP and seek licensure immediately after graduating from a doctoral program provided the student’s internship met certain requirements. Consequently, these states do not require a postdoc year. They are:
Alabama
Arizona
Indiana
Maryland
North Dakota
Ohio
Utah
Washington State
III. Finding a Postdoc The process for finding a postdoc position is different from that of finding an internship. Some students find the postdoc process easier because there are more opportunities available for postdocs than there are for accredited internships. At the same time, the process can also be more difficult because the procedure for applying to postdocs is a lot less formal.
III.I. The Postdoc Trap
"’Master's-level people could get licenses and see patients independently but I couldn't, even though I've got more education and training," says Decancq, now a licensed clinical psychologist …. ‘Meanwhile I'm just sitting there watching my loans getting bigger and the interest piling up.’" (Clay, 2000 p. 1)
In psychology, the “postdoc trap” refers to a Catch-22 that some new psychologists encounter following graduation—namely, they are not qualified for jobs or independent practice because they do not have a license, yet they need the additional hours and supervision before they can obtain this license (Clay, 2000). This trap occurs for a number of reasons. First, as already mentioned, most states require a year or more of supervised clinical hours after an individual obtains his or her degree. However, health care and managed care organizations may be reluctant to hire these new graduates because they cannot bill insurance for the work of unlicensed providers. Similarly, the time it takes to supervise a postdoc trainee takes away from licensed staff’s ability to see clients and bill for those hours. Some psychologists in this situation begin seeking out unpaid positions in order to get the necessary experience. Others resort to paying a licensed psychologist for supervision to offset that psychologist’s lost income. This arrangement actually goes against the supervision regulations of many states. Although how one navigates the postdoc year depends a lot on an individual’s circumstances, we assume that most new graduates want to avoid taking such extreme and financially punishing measures. Thus, the rest of this section will focus on obtaining a formal postdoc, i.e. a paid position that is designed for new graduates to help them meet licensure requirements and obtain additional training.
For more personal stories of students caught in the postdoc trap, see the article that appeared in the APA’s Monitor on Psychology here.
III.II. Formal Postdocs
Formal postdocs exist in a wide variety of settings. Institutions may solicit applications for postdocs in a similar manner to how they recruit interns. Formal postdocs may also appear and disappear from year to year depending on grant money and other funding that is available to the institution.
1. Specialty Postdocs. There are few specialties within psychology where formal postdocs are more common, or even required to pursue professional credentials such as boarding. Boarding is an optional, but often advantageous step for psychologists--particularly those who want to base their practice in a specialty area like clinical health psychology or forensic psychology. For more information on specialties, boarding, and requirements, visit www.abpp.org. As an example of how boarding relates to the postdoc experience, psychologists who wish to become board-certified neuropsychologists must complete a formal postdoc in neuropsychology. During this training experience, they will receive advanced training and supervision from other boarded neuropsychologists. These specialty areas often have listservs and other ways of advertising open postdoc positions.
2. Accreditation of Postdocs. The APA accredits some postdoc positions, just like it accredits internships. However, currently, pursuing an unaccredited postdoc is not likely to limit a psychologist’s career in the same way that completing an unaccredited internship will. No states require an accredited postdoc for licensure, and no large employers of psychologists (e.g. the VA) require this step. There has been some mention of requiring all steps of training—the graduate program, the internship, and the postdoc—to be accredited by the APA in order to receive licensure. However, the field is a long way from implementing this type of requirement, especially at the postdoc level.
3. Resources for finding Formal Postdocs. Because the process of applying for postdoc positions is generally less formal than applying for internships, there are several resources for finding openings.
a. APPIC. APPIC (The Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers) lists several available postdoc positions in their directory.
The directory functions in the same way as it does for internship positions. However, there is no match process for applying to postdocs. Instead, APPIC recommends that postdoc sites make offers to applicants along a certain timeline.
b. Listservs. Several divisions of the APA maintain active listservs that will announce postdoc positions as they become available. To find divisions and listservs that fit your specific clinical area, check out APA’s page here.
c. NIH. The NIH (National Institute of Health) employs several postdocs from year to year. Postions at NIH are often especially appealing for those who wish to gain additional research experience post-graduation in preparation for applying for academic jobs. The listings for NIH postdocs can be found here.
Finding a postdoc position can be a trying time for any new psychologist. However, postdocs also offer great opportunities to extend clinical and research training in new directions and/or to develop a specialty area before seeking licensure.