The Postdoctoral Fellowships in Clinical Neuropsychology (Adult and Pediatric tracks) at Dartmouth Health provide advanced training in clinical neuropsychology. The training model and goals/objectives conform to the Houston Conference guidelines for specialty training in clinical neuropsychology, the APA Division 40 guidelines for postdoctoral training in neuropsychology, and the APPCN domains and standards. The program is a member of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN).
View the Postdoctoral Fellowships in Clinical Neuropsychology Handbook (PDF)
Program overview
Our Postdoctoral Program in Clinical Neuropsychology is a fellowship that begins upon completion of the internship year. This means that the postdoctoral fellow has already been granted their doctoral degree and completed all doctoral requirements. The overarching goal of the program is to produce outstanding scientist-practitioners, rigorously trained for advanced practice in clinical neuropsychology and to practice under the highest standards of professional conduct and ethics.
Program goals
Fellows participate in individual and group supervision where they have the opportunity to interact with faculty and interdisciplinary teams. Supervision occurs on-site where the fellow delivers services and is provided by faculty members who are familiar with the fellow's work. Each fellow has a minimum of two faculty neuropsychology supervisors for individual supervision. Clinical supervised experience includes direct, formal contact with faculty who is licensed as a psychologist in New Hampshire, and is responsible for the educational development and guidance of the supervisee. Supervision shall consist of at least two hours per week of face-to-face clinical supervision with one of the supervisors, for a total of at least 96 hours per year. The fellowship also provides continuous evaluation and feedback. Periodic meetings with the individual’s supervisors and program director offer more structured mutual evaluation and opportunities to discuss professional development issues. The supervisor has professional responsibility for all services provided to patients.
The fellowship involves the following specific goals and objectives, achieved through supervised clinical and research experiences, as well as didactic experiences:
- Develop a broader and deeper foundation in assessment, diagnosis, intervention, consultation, and research. To achieve this goal, fellows:
- Complete at least 2 years of supervised clinical experience; a year of supervised clinical experience shall include at least 1500 clock hours, with up to 2000 hours of training per year.
- Participate in supervised neuropsychological service delivery to a wide range of patient populations.
- Participate in an organized sequence of educational experiences, including seminars, colloquia and workshops on clinical research, theoretical and practical applications of clinical neuropsychology and neuropsychiatry, and professional development and ethics.
- Gain experience and exposure to clinical issues involving working with diverse patient populations and cross-cultural factors (e.g., socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, national origin).
- Develop advanced knowledge, understanding, and conduct consistent with Professional ethics as outlined in the American Psychological Association Code of Ethics, in line with the NHPA Administrative Rule Mhp 501.02 as well as ethical issues specifically related to the practice of neuropsychology. This is accomplished through didactic experiences, as well as discussion in individual and group supervision settings of ethical issues arising from specific clinical cases.
- Participate in ongoing clinical research. Instruction occurs through conferences, seminars, individual and group supervision, and collaboration with faculty and other staff members.
- Participate in continuous evaluation and feedback. Periodic meetings with the individual's supervisors and the training director offer more structured, mutual evaluation and opportunities to discuss professional development issues.
Formal evaluations
Formal written evaluation of the postdoctoral fellow’s development of knowledge and skills in core competencies in neuropsychology is provided every four months throughout the fellowship. Supervisor(s) will meet with the fellow if at any time they are rated by faculty as demonstrating knowledge and/or skills below expectations for their level of training. Supervisor(s) will meet with the fellow to review the evaluation and modify or develop training goals as needed to address any concerns. This process is designed to help ensure the fellow achieves the competencies needed for the practice of clinical neuropsychology by the end of fellowship.
Facilities
Our primary program site is housed in the Department of Psychiatry at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. Each fellow has a shared office with a computer, as well as access to shared spaces such as testing rooms and the Brain Imaging Laboratory (with several workstations). There is a broad array of assessment instruments available in the department and the fellows have access to libraries at DHMC, New Hampshire Hospital, and Dartmouth College (including electronic access to a large array of journals).
Benefits
Health insurance and personal time off (sick leave, vacation time, time for professional development). The stipend is set based on the annual rates in accordance with the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award.