PhD/PsyD How to find research postdoc positions in clinical psychology

[asukaran]

Hey all,

I'm interested in looking for research postdoc positions within clinical psychology. However, I don't want to use the APPIC system to apply since the deadline is too early for me. I also think that the APPIC application system is more for clinical-focused postdocs? Do you have any recommendations on how to look for the research-focused postdoc positions? Any websites/listserv/social media accounts that you'd like to recommend, too? Also, what is the typical timeline for the research postdoc applications?

Thank you.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[WisNeuro]

Everyone I know who went this route did it through networking within their niche research area.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Everyone I know who went this route did it through networking within their niche research area.

This.

Sometimes it is a 2nd or 3rd degree connection, so it could be someone your mentor published with in the past or maybe it's a speaker at a conference you attended that you e-mail about any openings. If you are looking at research post-docs, it is fair to assume you've published at least a bit, so I'd look into that network of people: who is on the editorial boards of places you've published? Who are the main names publishing in the area you want to (or continue to) study? Are there certain labs that do the kind of work you do, and where do their people go after graduating?

Even if you don't plan on having a clinical career, I'd STRONGLY encourage you to finish your hours and get licensed, as the vast majority of researchers I know at R1s are also licensed, as it can help with supervision requirements. If you can find a research post-doc that offers some ability to attain your hours, you should probably strongly consider it. Also, make sure to get that portion in writing and cleared w your direct boss because things have a way of changing if they aren't in writing and agreed to prior to starting.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Join listservs relevant to your area of practice and look up funding databases (NIH, NIDILRR [if rehab/neuropsych], etc).

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Agree with the above. I know folks who obtained research postdocs through networking/people they knew (or friends of friends of friends), and I also sometimes see research postdocs advertised on specialty-specific listservs.

 

[jdawg2017]

Chiming in here to say that an amazing research post-doc I applied to during internship (but ultimately didn’t take) interviewed me in October of internship year, so be aware that some sites may be recruiting much earlier than you think.

I agree with everyone else about the method of finding the post-doc.

 

[WisNeuro]

Chiming in here to say that an amazing research post-doc I applied to during internship (but ultimately didn’t take) interviewed me in October of internship year, so be aware that some sites may be recruiting much earlier than you think.

I agree with everyone else about the method of finding the post-doc.

Yeah, many neuro research focused postdocs recruit well ahead of the APPCN match, so you really have to make a choice about your direction early on. I don't know as much about other niche areas, but from my experience of research minded friends, they tended to interview/have to choose well before the clinical postdoc season.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Yeah, many neuro research focused postdocs recruit well ahead of the APPCN match, so you really have to make a choice about your direction early on. I don't know as much about other niche areas, but from my experience of research minded friends, they tended to interview/have to choose well before the clinical postdoc season.

This. It can actually be a good thing because you can ensure where you go, which is the driving force for the site because matching w research needs is almost always a harder fit than matching for clinical needs (from the site's perspective).

 

[psycho1391]

Even if you don't plan on having a clinical career, I'd STRONGLY encourage you to finish your hours and get licensed, as the vast majority of researchers I know at R1s are also licensed, as it can help with supervision requirements. Also, make sure to get that portion in writing and cleared w your direct boss because things have a way of changing if they aren't in writing and agreed to prior to starting.

This. I ended up in a research-focused post-doc that had promised to get me clinical hours. However, that did not pan-out. I did obtain enough hours for New York licensure, but for other states I do not meet the minimum threshold of post-doc face-to-face time.

To follow-up on this recommendation. In my opinion, look at the most restrictive state in terms of clinical hour requirements and shoot for that. This will make sure that you are covered in less restrictive states.

I also think that the APPIC application system is more for clinical-focused postdocs?

You can filter to show research-focused ones!



The VA has MIRECC research postdocs. These are usually two year commitments in which you do a pilot and work toward crafting a career development award. These positions are 75% research; 25% clinical. The pros to these postdocs are that they have a national call in which you get to interact and network with folks from other MIRECCs.

 

[Ollie123]

Largely agree with the above advice. Couple additional notes:
- Research post-docs are effectively year-round recruitment as lots will depend on NIH grant funding, which doesn't care about when you graduate. Fine to start early, but also don't assume they operate on traditional academic calendars
- Don't ignore the APPIC system, but I'd guess 95% of options aren't in it. Last I looked at it, very few of the extremely well-known T32 or similar programs in my subfield that we all know produce the best outcomes were listed. So if you rely on that, you are shooting yourself in the foot
- Be proactive and don't just wait for advertisements. Lots of us have money even when we aren't actively recruiting. If someone with a vested interest in addiction and experience with MVPA analysis of fMRI emailed me today, I'd magic up the money for a position in a heartbeat.

This is where you think about what you genuinely want to learn and then tap the academic network - both your own and that of close graduate mentors. Who did your advisor post-doc with? Who did his collaborators post-doc with? Who emailed you to discuss that paper you wrote? Who did you email to troubleshoot task design or an analysis for your thesis/dissertation? Who came up to your posters at conferences on a semi-regular basis? Email these people and say you are looking - they might not be able to make it work in the budgets....but then again they might. And even if they can't, their colleague might be able to do so. THIS is the reason you go to conferences as a graduate student - not to present a poster that 10 people will see and 9 will have forgotten about by the time they get to the end of your row. Networking isn't super-fun for most of us, but it genuinely does pay dividends in these critical moments.

As a faculty member, finding good post-docs is hard so a lot of us will jump through hoops to make it work for the right candidate. If they aren't a clinician, they won't even be thinking about clinical hours for licensure but you can always ask. Sometimes it even helps with "creating" positions if it allows them to offload a portion of the cost onto another entity.

 

[cotn_psych]

I did a 100% dedicated research post-doc following internship. A lot of these types of positions are advertised on twitter and word-of-mouth through your graduate mentor, internship faculty or in labs within your area of research. I will say that getting a APPIC style post-doc with clinical hours- even if you don't plan on a clinical career- can help you be more flexible with getting licensed and make you more marketable. You will have to decide whether you want to work in an AMC or psych department. From my experience, the psych department post-docs were much more low-key and flexible.

 

[bcliff]

THIS is the reason you go to conferences as a graduate student - not to present a poster that 10 people will see and 9 will have forgotten about by the time they get to the end of your row. Networking isn't super-fun for most of us, but it genuinely does pay dividends in these critical moments.

100%

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I loathe networking, but it definitely is needed throughout the training process, but especially once you are out practicing on your own. I need to network now more than ever bc I chose to open a boutique practice, so I'm only interested in very specific types of cases. It becomes easier at the job level because I can see the direct impact on my ability to generate revenue and pay for stuff like the roof over my head.

 

[Ollie123]

I loathe networking, but it definitely is needed throughout the training process, but especially once you are out practicing on your own. I need to network now more than ever bc I chose to open a boutique practice, so I'm only interested in very specific types of cases. It becomes easier at the job level because I can see the direct impact on my ability to generate revenue and pay for stuff like the roof over my head.

Very important on the research front too just because it gets you on people's radars for symposia speakers, journal reviews and all the other miscellaneous things you have to do as an academic. Not to mention any implicit bias that occurs when reviewing manuscripts or grants for "That nice guy/gal you spoke to at least year's xyz meeting" that we like to pretend doesn't matter....but does.

Not directly relevant to the OP but going to share my thoughts on networking just because I feel like this comes up often on this board. Most of us loathe networking, but I've also found most people (and particularly students) envision it as a much more smarmy and ridiculous process than it actually needs to be. You don't need to go smoke cigars with the dean in the back room of a country club and agree to trade favors for a vote on a key issue at the faculty senate meeting, or go out bar hopping til 3AM at a conference while playing wingman/woman to the sad divorcee trying to pick up someone half their age. We get people here all the time who think that is what networking means. Go to a conference, ask a question at a talk and say "Hi, really enjoyed your talk" if you bump into them at the poster session after. Don't even have to go out of their way to track them down. Rather than waiting for your friend to be done talking to that person you don't know, walk up and say hello, shake hands - pop in a "Just wanted to say hi to Steve, but nice to meet you Sarah" and be on your way. If you really feel like jumping into it, join a committee based in part on who else is currently on it and then be useful. Build a couple habits like these and you're good to go.

Long story short, academic networking is a low bar relative to much of industry. Just being nice and not "Holy **** that person is socially awkward af" level-introverted should be more than enough networking to get by in this field. To succeed as a clinician, you need to have enough social skills that other people do not find you viscerally uncomfortable to be around so you are mostly there. You don't need to be extraverted (few academics are) - just push a little closer to the center on an introversion/extraversion scale and don't be a raging dingus and you're fine.

 

[Pragma]

Very important on the research front too just because it gets you on people's radars for symposia speakers, journal reviews and all the other miscellaneous things you have to do as an academic. Not to mention any implicit bias that occurs when reviewing manuscripts or grants for "That nice guy/gal you spoke to at least year's xyz meeting" that we like to pretend doesn't matter....but does.

Not directly relevant to the OP but going to share my thoughts on networking just because I feel like this comes up often on this board. Most of us loathe networking, but I've also found most people (and particularly students) envision it as a much more smarmy and ridiculous process than it actually needs to be. You don't need to go smoke cigars with the dean in the back room of a country club and agree to trade favors for a vote on a key issue at the faculty senate meeting, or go out bar hopping til 3AM at a conference while playing wingman/woman to the sad divorcee trying to pick up someone half their age. We get people here all the time who think that is what networking means. Go to a conference, ask a question at a talk and say "Hi, really enjoyed your talk" if you bump into them at the poster session after. Don't even have to go out of their way to track them down. Rather than waiting for your friend to be done talking to that person you don't know, walk up and say hello, shake hands - pop in a "Just wanted to say hi to Steve, but nice to meet you Sarah" and be on your way. If you really feel like jumping into it, join a committee based in part on who else is currently on it and then be useful. Build a couple habits like these and you're good to go.

Long story short, academic networking is a low bar relative to much of industry. Just being nice and not "Holy **** that person is socially awkward af" level-introverted should be more than enough networking to get by in this field. To succeed as a clinician, you need to have enough social skills that other people do not find you viscerally uncomfortable to be around so you are mostly there. You don't need to be extraverted (few academics are) - just push a little closer to the center on an introversion/extraversion scale and don't be a raging dingus and you're fine.

You don’t have to play wingperson while barhopping until 3am, but if that’s a good time for you then who am I to look down on that form of networking?

I agree with the broader point. Another spin I have is that trainees may expect magical networking moments and feel disappointed. Sometimes things take time, some of the relationships you build at conferences may develop over years. How you interact with people in your local community is something to think about more. How are you viewed where you work and by people around? That’s your rep. Build on that.

 

[bcliff]

You don’t have to play wingperson while barhopping until 3am, but if that’s a good time for you then who am I to look down on that form of networking?

I agree with the broader point. Another spin I have is that trainees may expect magical networking moments and feel disappointed. Sometimes things take time, some of the relationships you build at conferences may develop over years. How you interact with people in your local community is something to think about more. How are you viewed where you work and by people around? That’s your rep. Build on that.

“Build a good name. Keep your name clean. Don’t make compromises, don’t worry about making a bunch of money or being successful — be concerned with doing good work and make the right choices and protect your work. And if you build a good name, eventually, that name will be its own currency." - William S. Burroughs

^ a favorite quote / ethos of mine

 

[sopsyched11]

As others have said, networking and personal relationships do seem to be the key. I almost opted for a research-focused postdoc and was only offered it because of the relationship I had cultivated with that particular AMC/faculty member. I did however opt for one that was about 70% clinical 30% research in order to meet licensure requirements in my state. Always food for thought to have something to fall back on if funding isn't available immediately after postdoc is complete.

 

[cara susanna]

VA research-focused post docs use the APPIC system, or at least they did back when I applied

 

[Ollie123]

I always struggle with the research/clinical piece. I got enough supervised hours for most states, but not necessarily for all states. I moved and it is actually somewhat unclear whether I have enough hours for my current state - it depends on nuanced interpretation of a number of different statements within the licensure guidelines on what activities can "count" as clinical. I don't need a license so genuinely haven't bothered to dive in and figure this out yet as I've had bigger fish to fry.

It is great to maximize hours. At the same time, post-doc is a really critical time for folks on the research path, the licensure system is hodgepodge across states with some requiring very high numbers or "defining" clinical work differently. I know exceedingly few successful researchers at the high end (i.e., competing for substantial extramural funding) whose post-docs had a substantive enough clinical component they could be licensed in any state without further supervision.

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here. I think doing some clinical work is wise for most people, but there is a judgment call involved as to exactly how much. I have a post-doc right now who is very adamant about not doing any clinical work ever again. She's on a path where that will likely work out fine and she has plenty of fallback options besides clinical work. I know others who did a full-time clinical post-doc before a research post-doc...that's also fine, but means at least one extra year of making ~50-60k instead of ~90-100k. A split position might not provide enough time for research for you to reach the next stage, depending on where your CV is at starting out.

It is a tricky issue...

 

[psycho1391]

VA research-focused post docs use the APPIC system, or at least they did back when I applied

Still do