The Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship training program is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and listed in the Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory. We are committed to the active recruitment of diverse fellows and encourage applications from historically underrepresented and minoritized groups, women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and others who would bring broadly diverse perspectives and experiences.
Applicants are welcome to access our publicly available training handbook here.
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) is located in Lebanon, New Hampshire. DHMC is the regional academic medical center where faculty and trainees of Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth provide direct care to patients from throughout New England. DHMC is also considered the academic home of the postdoctoral fellowship program, and serves at the educational hub for the program. Postdocs complete their didactic training elements at DHMC as well.
The Department of Psychiatry maintains an outpatient practice in child and adult services and manages the hospital's psychiatric inpatient and partial hospitalization units. Outpatient services follow a specialty care model comprised of an Anxiety Disorders Service, Mood Disorders Service, and Behavioral Medicine Service. Psychiatric emergency services are provided through the hospital's emergency department. The Department of Psychiatry also provides a neuropsychology service. Approximately 10,000 patients per year receive some type of service from one of the Department's units at DHMC. Approximately 4,000 adults and 1,300 children receive outpatient medication management and psychotherapy per year. The Department of Psychiatry also has integrated services into specialty medicine settings. Currently, services have been integrated into nine unique settings (e.g., Department of Gastroenterology, the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, and the Center for Pain and Spine), and is staffed by approximately 17 faculty members. Faculty and trainees in the embedded space provide a range of services from brief disease-specific psychotherapy, to pre-procedure evaluations and participation in multidisciplinary clinics.
Core training curriculum
Program goals and objectives
The goal of our fellowship is to provide excellent training opportunities that prepare clinical psychologists for the next stage of their professional life. Our training faculty aim to guide fellows as they craft their career. Fellowships are designed for one year to provide sufficient clinical hours for licensure in New Hampshire. Although research is not required for fellows, participation in ongoing research in the department is strongly encouraged. Each fellowship position consists of a primary clinical specialty emphasis. Fellows have the opportunity to designate a secondary clinical area in which they can receive supplemental training. For the 2024-2025 training year, fellows can select Anxiety Disorders, Digestive Health, or Child and Pediatric Psychology as the specialty emphasis and select a secondary emphasis in one other area. Interested applicants should specify the emphasis area when applying (Anxiety Disorders, Digestive Health, or Child and Pediatric Psychology).
Graduates of our program are expected to utilize current psychological science in their clinical activities, including assessment, diagnosis, consultation, and treatment. To achieve this goal, fellows will participate in weekly didactic learning experiences provided by core faculty from the training program, adjunct faculty, and invited lecturers. Fellows are strongly encouraged, but not required, to demonstrate proficiency in scholarly activities through manuscript development, research proposals, and participation in the psychotherapy services journal club.
Training content includes theory and research, assessment, intervention, and consultation from a cognitive-behavioral perspective. Core training goals include professional development, management and collaboration concerning common and rare ethical dilemmas, and clinical research methods. Learning is experiential and consists of individual supervised clinical services, weekly clinical didactics, clinical case conferences, psychotherapy services journal club, grand rounds, participation in collaborative research projects, and teaching/supervising experiences. Fellows receive specialized training and function in an increasingly independent capacity over the training year.
Clinical instruction occurs through individual supervision, didactics, conferences, and day-to-day collaboration with senior staff members. Fellows receive training in both individual and group treatment formats. Supervision occurs on-site at DHMC. Each fellow has a minimum of two hours of individual supervision by two licensed faculty psychologists. Other specialists such as psychiatrists, neurologists, and surgeons may provide substantial mentoring as well. The supervisor has professional responsibility for all services provided to patients. All supervision is aimed at simultaneously helping the fellow develop high levels of specialty skills and knowledge while providing patients with excellent clinical service. Additionally, all fellows will be matched with a professional development advocate based on individual content area and career interests. This supervisor will provide guidance through the course of the fellowship program specific to developing a career in clinical psychology and assist the fellow in meeting milestones, such as job searches, EPPP preparation, and licensure applications, as appropriate.
Required seminars
- Departmental grand rounds: These are held weekly throughout the academic year and are centered around a formal presentation by a visiting speaker or faculty member.
- Professional development seminar: This monthly seminar focuses on ethical decision-making, risk management, common processes for grant applications, job search and negotiation skills, and other topics of interest to the fellows.
- Research seminar: Faculty and visiting speakers present research methods, outcomes, and propose new studies monthly. Faculty are available to assist with research design and practical issues that fellows may encounter in applied research settings.
- Clinical practice didactic: This weekly series includes presentations providing group-based instruction in theories of psychopathology and its disorders, case formulation and clinical practice methods, and continues with topics relevant to specific treatment approaches, including cognitive behavioral therapies (exposure-based interventions, cognitive therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy), mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions, and pharmacotherapies.
- Psychotherapy services journal club: Psychotherapy providers, including psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers present timely, current research articles pertaining to issues in the delivery of psychotherapies and related clinical issues on a monthly basis in a casual lunch and learn format.
Upper Valley area
DHMC's location also offers a number of other excellent resources. Situated on the Vermont/New Hampshire border, we have easy access to the Connecticut River, the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and excellent hiking, skiing, and rock climbing. The Lebanon Opera House, Northern Stage, and Dartmouth College, all within 10-15 minutes, provide easy access to cultural events and visual and performing art. The Dartmouth Coach service also offers easy access to Boston (2 hours) and New York City (4.5 hours).
If you would like to learn more about our area, visit Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics Careers website for information about our location and living in the Upper Valley.