Program Information

The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is a part of Swedish Medical Group and began in 2020 with two fellows placed in SMG primary care clinics functioning as Fellow Behavioral Health Providers. The primary aim of the fellowship program is to prepare psychologists to function effectively in integrated primary care settings as behavioral health consultants. Recognizing that this is an emerging and rapidly developing area of practice, the program also provides psychologists with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to function in integrated care leadership roles. Integrated care leadership roles include expansion of behavioral health services to new clinics, expansion of services to include the mental health and wellbeing needs to the greater community (including enhancing relationships with community members and partners), and program development/implementation.

    1. Achieve advanced competency as a clinical health service psychologist in integrated primary care settings

    2. Develop the knowledge base and leadership skills to be positioned for a career moving population health forward 

  • 52 week program, 12 months or one full calendar year to complete the program

    40 program hours/week, usually M-F normal business hours; some clinics have extended evening or weekend hours

    Peds or lifespan track

    0.8 FTE: Minimum of 32 schedulable patient contact hours per week

    0.2 FTE: supervision (individual and group), didactics, BHP clinical and operational team meetings, psychiatry consultation, community outreach, program development, research, and/or EPPP preparation

  • Bi-weekly didactic time (2nd, 4th, & 5th Wednesdays of the month)

    Includes lecture, guest presenters, case examples, group discussion, and team/relationship development

    Monthly diversity seminar in collaboration with the Providence Oregon Psychology Postdoctoral training program in integrated behavioral health. These seminars will combine teachings from the Dialogues about Race training series (https://www.va.gov/northern-california-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/psychology-training-east-bay/), as well as guest presenters and journal discussion

    Program didactics will aim to provide fellows with:

    1. Working knowledge of the foundational and current empirical evidence base that provides the rationale for behavioral integration services and informs strategies for their effective implementation.

    2. Knowledge of the evidence base regarding racial inequity and the imperative to promote and develop culturally diverse, equitable, and inclusive systems that: foster diverse multidisciplinary teams, decrease health disparities, and underscore how intersectionality affects patient care.

    3. Knowledge of the empirical basis and psychometric properties of assessment tools commonly utilized in primary care.

    4. Working knowledge of evidence-based integrated behavioral healthcare interventions across the full lifespan, with an emphasis on supporting children, youth, and families who have been impacted at proportionally higher rates throughout the course of the pandemic.

    5. Knowledge of consultation models that inform effective behavioral health consultation in integrated healthcare settings.

  • All fellows will receive individual and group supervision that:

    1. Provides clinical oversight of their direct service

    2. Integrates didactic knowledge with the development of advanced service delivery, consultation, and leadership roles

    3. Provides mentorship in the development of advanced service delivery, consultation, and leadership roles

    1. Demonstrate the foundational knowledge base and current evidence for effective implementation and provision of integrated behavioral health services in primary care.

    2. Deliver culturally informed and responsive integrated behavioral health services to a diverse patient population within a diverse multidisciplinary healthcare provider team.

    3. Effective application of screening oriented assessment tools commonly utilized in primary care to guide the provision of integrated behavioral health services and facilitate population-based healthcare goals and initiatives.

    4. Development of focused, concise consultation skills that are well suited for primary care and other medical settings.

    5. Development of community partnerships that support expansion of access to evidence-based behavioral health information and/or support, ensuring that commitment to our community expands beyond those established with the Fellow’s primary care clinic.

  • Hours: 2,000 hours of psychological work. Several states require a 2,000-hour postdoctoral residency/fellowship for licensure; and, several other states require a 52- week fellowship year. States with such requirements are often unclear about whether the 2,000 hours include time off for holidays or leave days. If you have plans to practice in a particular state, please contact that state’s licensing board to seek clarification. Licensing information for many states can be found via the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) at http://www.asppb.net/ or ASPPB.

    Competency Requirement: Fellows must score a 4 or higher on their final evaluation using the competency evaluation form (see appendices) in all areas of competency to successfully complete the residency program.

    All fellows who meet the requirements for program completion above will receive a certificate of completion noting that the fellow has completed 2,000 hours of supervised clinical experience and has met the competency requirements for program completion.

    Fellows who do not meet the competency requirements for program completion will not receive a Certificate of Completion. However, the fellow’s supervisor will be able to complete a Record of Supervised Hours (or similar forms from other states) and attest to the number of supervised hours work hours that the fellow completed during the program.

  • Salary: $58,000

    Benefits:

    1. 264 hours of paid time away

    2. 5 CME days & $1,000 towards CME, licensure, and/or EPPP costs

    3. Medical & dental insurance for fellows, family members, and/or domestic partners

  • The fellowship abides by the APPIC Postdoctoral Selection Guidelines. Details of this process are available at the APPIC website (https://www.appic.org/About-APPIC/Postdoctoral). Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without an employer-sponsored visa.

Sample Weekly Schedule