Job Description

Larabida Chicago Child Trauma Center

Post-Doctoral Position Announcement

Position Description:

La Rabida Childrens Hospital is offering 1-2 full-time fellowship positions in the Childhood Abuse and Trauma postdoctoral training program. The fellowship begins September 2, 2025 and concludes August 31, 2026. Administered under the auspices of La Rabidas Behavioral Health Division, the Chicago Child Trauma Center (CCTC) offers a well supervised training experience for developing pediatric and child clinical psychologists in trauma assessment and intervention.

Setting Description:

La Rabida hospital is a recognized leader in the treatment of abuse and trauma, and serves as a model for hospital-based programs nationwide. Graduates of our fellowship program find employment in a wide range of settings, including pediatric hospitals; community mental health centers; child guidance facilities; public agencies dealing with physical and sexual abuse; academic settings; and private practices specializing in child psychology.

Program Philosophy and Our Patient Population: The CCTC serves survivors of sexual abuse, physical abuse, exposure to domestic violence, neglect, exposure to community violence and medical trauma, as well as children in the foster care system. Abuse and trauma-related services are provided at the hospital, the Child Trauma Centers satellite office, and on a community outreach mobile unit that serves Chicago Public Schools. The training model provides a supportive clinical experience with a strong educational component. Postdoctoral candidates will receive exposure to a wide variety of treatment modalities including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC) model, Child-Parent psychotherapy (CPP), assessment and treatment for children with sexualized behavior problems, Judith Hermans trauma-focused phase oriented approach for complex trauma, as well as a family systems approach. Realizing that children and their families function in a larger community and societal context, the La Rabida Chicago Child Trauma Center (CCTC) maintains close working relationships with the many systems involved with our patients (for example, schools, social service agencies, the juvenile justice system, and others). The CCTC strives to maintain an ecological approach to the care of our patients and their families, with a focus on culturally responsive conceptualization, cultural humility, and working to understand the potential challenges and impacts of structural racism and other intersecting forms of structural oppression. Our approach includes factors affecting an individuals development ranging from environmental stressors and intrapsychic influences to family function to extremely broad socioeconomic and cultural pressures.

Position Duties and Responsibilities: The fellowship is a full-time program. Clinical activities may include the following:
Clinical interviews/clinical consultations
Conducting trauma-focused assessments
Crisis intervention
In-patient, trauma-focused consultations/liaison to medical staff
Trauma-focused Psychotherapy
Groups Mental health & trauma screenings to Chicago Public School students 
Clinical responsibility and supervision for all cases rests with our staff of licensed clinical psychologists. Postdocs are provided with approximately at least two hours of individual supervision, and one hour of group supervision per week. They also attend all clinical staffings. Supervisors are assigned according to their areas of expertise. Each fellow receives supervision from multiple training staff members.
Supervision may take place in a variety of formats including

• Traditional report
• Apprenticeship
• Co-therapy/shared sibling cases

In addition, fellows may have the opportunity to provide supervision to advanced practicum externs. Fellows may also have the opportunity to complete a "quality project," which may include a research component.

Special Note:

Additional adjustments related to COVID-19: All employees at La Rabida Children's Hospital are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 by their start date and to receive the annual flu vaccine (with medical or religious exemptions available, per approval and in exceptional circumstances). We are currently offering behavioral health services face-to-face with some telehealth visits in emergencies or when warranted based on patient/clinical needs and the current COVID risk levels. The CCTC is also conducting meetings, didactics, and supervision in a hybrid schedule with some in-person meetings to support team bonding and team building, but again, with flexibility to make quick changes based on current COVID risk levels. Finally, CCTC is adhering to local and CDC guidance around masking and social distancing, in order to support staff and patient safety.

Qualifications:

Qualified applicants must have completed, or be currently completing, an APA-approved pre-doctoral internship with child training. Experience working with children/adolescents with trauma histories is also required.

Perks and Benefits:

Stipend: stipend: $58,032

Postdoctoral fellows are eligible for health insurance, PTO (Paid Time off) benefits, 5 Education Conference Days, and Education Conference Registration Reimbursement

Application Materials:

To apply, interested applicants should send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendations (directly from the letter writers). Deadline is December 15th, 2024.

Send applications to:

Sangeeta Bookseller, Psy.D., Clinical Training Supervisor and Coordinator

Email: Sbookseller@larabida.org

Job Tags

Full time, Apprenticeship, Internship, Private practice, Local area,

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