Post Doc Season 2020 - 2021

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Starting to see more sites on the UPPD update their postings for this year!
 
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Istilldontknow said:
Has anyone found that the sites they were planning to apply to are not taking applications this year? It's been happening to me a lot lately!
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I'd have to imagine some non-VA sites are getting squeezed on funding due to the pandemic and huge revenue losses. Interns are usually a sizable revenue loss themselves, so higher level leadership may be wanting to cut costs.
 
psychlife19 said:
Someone explain why some post doc apps want undergraduate transcripts
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This is standard. You will likely have to supply this type of information repeatedly for the duration of your career. You may want to look into banking your credentials once you get licensed.
 
dcpsychdoc said:
This is standard. You will likely have to supply this type of information repeatedly for the duration of your career. You may want to look into banking your credentials once you get licensed.
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I have never had to supply undergrad transcripts after postdoc.
 
WisNeuro said:
I'd have to imagine some non-VA sites are getting squeezed on funding due to the pandemic and huge revenue losses. Interns are usually a sizable revenue loss themselves, so higher level leadership may be wanting to cut costs.
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yep! I am on internship, and my state just decided to cut most of the mental health staff (including both my sups.) working for juvenile justice. It's not a good situation.
 
Hi! I'd like to get opinions regarding whether it is ok to have only one LOR from my grad program professor/prac supervisor and the rest from internship supervisors?
 
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I would caution anyone against applying to the neuropsychology post doc / fellowship at the University of Colorado, Anschutz in Denver. I have heard from more than one previous trainee (a shocking 4 as a matter of fact!!) that the environment is toxic and that the supervising faculty are all buddies and cover each other up when their behavior is reported to HR. Honestly, the fact that this has come up more than once is so shocking and that these poor trainees felt the need to bring HR into the conversation, only to be made to feel helpless when the faculty covered up for one another is just unacceptable. Anyway, I would encourage those with their hearts set on that program to reach out to previous trainees to inquire about their experiences. Just making sure we're all looking out for one another! <3
 
So if a site has not updated their listing on the UPDD, is it okay to go ahead and email the contact listed to see if they will be taking post docs next year?
 
If a site has updated their UPPD listing and is not listed on the APPA CAS, is that strange at this point? I wasn't seeing some sites in Washington state, maybe I am not looking in the right place.

Also, I may be misunderstanding this but...you have to send a request each for each site for recommendation letters? I hope that's not the case because that makes no sense.
 
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Anyone in states that do not require a postdoc for licensure going straight into practice?
 
PinkFreud02 said:
Anyone in states that do not require a postdoc for licensure going straight into practice?
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One thing to remember here, if you even think you may move in the near to intermediate future. If you do this and then move to a site that does require one, it can be a huge pain in the ass.
 
psychlife19 said:
So if a site has not updated their listing on the UPDD, is it okay to go ahead and email the contact listed to see if they will be taking post docs next year?
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I would do that. It has been a wild year for everyone, and they may not have updated their listing due to any number of factors. Good luck!
 
I honestly have been feeling pretty lost re: Post Doc. I don't plan on having a specialty area, but have been looking at various sites around my internship/state in which I'd want to get licensed just so I have some ideas. My internship site has it's own Post Doc which I suppose would be the easiest thing but they are unsure if they will have spots for this upcoming year...I also know a PP psychologist who could supervise me, though unsure how that would work, I guess I would find a job and get supervised hours that way until I'm ready to get licensed? I just feel a bit confused/on my own vs. internship where obviously I had my whole cohort + grad program explaining each step along the way.

Also, I see a lot of UPPD listings that list having around 15 applicants the previous year...is that common? The number of applications seems to be much lower when looking through these vs. internship, with even highly populated areas only receiving around ~25 apps.
 
WalterKovacs said:
I honestly have been feeling pretty lost re: Post Doc. I don't plan on having a specialty area, but have been looking at various sites around my internship/state in which I'd want to get licensed just so I have some ideas. My internship site has it's own Post Doc which I suppose would be the easiest thing but they are unsure if they will have spots for this upcoming year...I also know a PP psychologist who could supervise me, though unsure how that would work, I guess I would find a job and get supervised hours that way until I'm ready to get licensed? I just feel a bit confused/on my own vs. internship where obviously I had my whole cohort + grad program explaining each step along the way.

Also, I see a lot of UPPD listings that list having around 15 applicants the previous year...is that common? The number of applications seems to be much lower when looking through these vs. internship, with even highly populated areas only receiving around ~25 apps.
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Thank you, I feel very lost too. Like I’m floating on my own lol
 
WalterKovacs said:
Also, I see a lot of UPPD listings that list having around 15 applicants the previous year...is that common? The number of applications seems to be much lower when looking through these vs. internship, with even highly populated areas only receiving around ~25 apps.
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Yes, since not everybody has to do a postdoc (besides neuro) and for those who go this route, some are more selective in choosing a handful of postdocs with more specific training in comparison to applying broadly for internship.

I'm a generalist and I did a relatively generalist VA postdoc. I was able to rotate in some areas that I didn't have experience in yet, which I found very helpful in thinking about future career options. My VA postdoc was broken up into rotations/experiences but with more flexibility in terms of how many experiences I'd have and how long they would last.

If you're feeling lost/unsure if a postdoc is for you, perhaps consider what training experiences you may not get during internship or experiences you'd like to try out more before applying for jobs and making some initial career commitments, especially if you're not sure what type of FT job you'd ideally want after the internship year. And of course whether states you want to be licensed in require or prefer postdoc training.
 
I cannot overstate how unmotivated to apply for postdoc I am. Not because of postdoc but because the future feels depressing and uncertain so it’s hard to get excited about planning for anything beyond the next week to month (especially when that thing probably involves moving to yet another city with no social support in a pandemic). And will there even be any jobs when I’m done with postdoc? lol

gonna tackle finalizing my list this weekend, though. At least I know I don’t have to feel motivated in order to take action.
 
parametric said:
I cannot overstate how unmotivated to apply for postdoc I am. Not because of postdoc but because the future feels depressing and uncertain so it’s hard to get excited about planning for anything beyond the next week to month (especially when that thing probably involves moving to yet another city with no social support in a pandemic). And will there even be any jobs when I’m done with postdoc? lol

gonna tackle finalizing my list this weekend, though. At least I know I don’t have to feel motivated in order to take action.
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Thank you for sharing, I'm glad it's not only me feeling like this. Sending hugs! If it makes you feel any better, there may not be as many jobs in the area you want to live, in the field you wanna work in, but I think our degree is very marketable so getting a psychologist job is not impossible to find. Maybe lol
 
Anyone else finding Post Doc sites say they require application process through the APPA CAS portal but then they are not listed on the portal? I hate this process...
 
Complex Figure said:
Anyone else finding Post Doc sites say they require application process through the APPA CAS portal but then they are not listed on the portal? I hate this process...
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Yep! There were a few in Washington state that updated their postings, say they are using APPA CAS, but aren't there. I am going to reach out about it.
 
psy.d. 2021 said:
Yep! There were a few in Washington state that updated their postings, say they are using APPA CAS, but aren't there. I am going to reach out about it.
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I was going to email some of the sites in WA too! Which ones did you email and have you heard a response yet? I’m gonna post what I hear back too
 
I am in the same boat re: not feeling motivated. The pandemic, upcoming election, lack of social interaction/support on internship in my new city, not being able to travel to see my family for Thanksgiving, and the competitiveness of neuropsych post-docs has me feeling down.
 
I ended up taking an extra 3 years between my internship and this past summer to finish my dissertation. I am not proud of that- but I was burnt out, going through some family things, etc. and it just didn't happen for a while. I defended in June and was an August graduate. On the bright side, I worked full time as a clinical (not tenure track) faculty member and got a ton of college teaching experience in an Ed.S. school psychology program while I was finishing. I'm hopeful that experience will offset some of the concerns about the delay.

I am still going back and forth on doing a "formal" post-doc vs. just arranging something informal, part-time, locally, while continuing to work as a faculty member. For now, I've decided to apply to a few different formal, full-time positions and see how it goes. It's been sad though because some of the positions I had thought looked interesting, that used to be regularly available, it appears to have been eliminated this year. I assume due to budget issues. I am especially interested in working with children and teens on gender identity issues. I especially enjoy working with adolescents and while I can do it, I don't particularly enjoy working with young children. I also don't particularly enjoy behavioral work or work with kids with Autism or developmental issues. Do not hate it, nothing against it, just not my thing. My therapeutic approach is mainly cognitive (did lots of CBT and DBT on my internship). I also enjoy systems-based and ecological approaches- doing consultation and working with whole families. My doctorate is in school psychology which also limits my options. Though my internship was APA accredited and was in an integrated behavioral health setting, in a rural primary care office. In my internship, I worked with both children and adults.

Anyway- I've been combing through the APPA CAS and the UPPD. I found a few options that seem ok. Nothing that I'm really excited about yet. I'm hoping more positions pop up. I really probably need to let my job know by end of February if I'm not coming back next year.
 
psychlife19 said:
I apologize if this is a basic question, but am I looking at the right place for post docs?
I look here for the most accurate up to date info right? Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory

and NOT here? APPIC
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You can look at both places- from what I have seen, some are only listed in one place or the other. The UPPD gets updated more regularly than the APPIC link though.
 
Another question, on the APPA CAS it is asking to write about my "Internship Program Model". What is that? Is it wanting to know whether it is practitioner-scientist or a scientist-practitioner model?
 
psychlife19 said:
Another question, on the APPA CAS it is asking to write about my "Internship Program Model". What is that? Is it wanting to know whether it is practitioner-scientist or a scientist-practitioner model?
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Yup, take a look at your program handbook or internship brochure to see your program has a very brief blurb or wording to this effect.
 
Hello all,
I am not sure if this is the right place to ask, but has anyone have knowledge of Clarity Child Guidance Center? I am reading the postdoc description on UPPD and it is very general (psych evaluations and therapy).
 
I need more advice!
I don’t mean to sound neurotic BUT I found a super amazing site that would allow me to work with my dream population in a state I want to live in on UPDD. I see they have not yet updated their listing since last year. I emailed them Sunday if they are still having a spot next year and have not heard back. (Such a shocker haha)
should I email the contact again in a week or let this site go? Try emailing someone else?
 
bluecolourskies said:
I need more advice!
I don’t mean to sound neurotic BUT I found a super amazing site that would allow me to work with my dream population in a state I want to live in on UPDD. I see they have not yet updated their listing since last year. I emailed them Sunday if they are still having a spot next year and have not heard back. (Such a shocker haha)
should I email the contact again in a week or let this site go? Try emailing someone else?
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I wouldn’t mind if a potential applicant emailed again. This week has many people busy with internship applications and distracted by the election. If you are interested in this site, go ahead and email again. Best of luck to you!
 
Hello all,

Is there any guidance at all as to how many post doc sites I should apply for? I do want to specialize and so far I only have six on my list that look interesting.

Also, if my internship site has a postdoc and I plan on applying there and also other places-is it awkward to ask my supervisor for a letter of rec for other sites?
 
bluecolourskies said:
I do want to specialize and so far I only have six on my list that look interesting.
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I'd only apply to places that seem genuinely interesting and where you can move to. I certainly wouldn't apply to any that don't feel like would be of benefit.

bluecolourskies said:
Also, if my internship site has a postdoc and I plan on applying there and also other places-is it awkward to ask my supervisor for a letter of rec for other sites?
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If your site makes offers to current interns before the full competitive process, it's possible. But if they interview current interns and external candidates at the same time, then I would hope not. Good luck!
 
Hello everyone! I'm a current neuropsych intern, and feel zero ready for post-doc apps. Covid19 is making this very hard to look forward to. FYI-I signed up for a neuropsychology list-serve and they post a lot of opportunities there!
 
summerbabe said:
I'd only apply to places that seem genuinely interesting and where you can move to. I certainly wouldn't apply to any that don't feel like would be of benefit.


If your site makes offers to current interns before the full competitive process, it's possible. But if they interview current interns and external candidates at the same time, then I would hope not. Good luck!
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Thank you, that is so helpful to know!
 
bluecolourskies said:
Thank you, that is so helpful to know!
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No problem. And if past trends hold, there will likely still be plenty of good postdocs positions that don't fill on that initial UDD deadline, as well as other postdocs that get funded later on during the training year.

If you ultimately decide to do a postdoc, remember that you have significantly more leverage as a postdoc candidate since the supply/demand dynamics will most likely be in your favor (neuro notwithstanding since those are required for board certification).
 
Some places wanted UNDERGRADUATE transcripts so in total I just spend $60 on transcripts. Do these places not realize it is often $10+ per transcript??
Better question-do they care?
 
bluecolourskies said:
Some places wanted UNDERGRADUATE transcripts so in total I just spend $60 on transcripts. Do these places not realize it is often $10+ per transcript??
Better question-do they care?
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Many places are ok with just a pdf of the undergrad transcripts, so if you can order a pdf, or scan one in, that may suffice. They may say in their brochure. I don't recall having to send individual transcripts.
 
I just wanted to check in again on "unofficial" or non-formal post-docs? As I mentioned I know a PP psychologist who could supervise me/won't charge, though totally unsure how to approach him or even what receiving supervision in this way would entail...
 
WalterKovacs said:
I just wanted to check in again on "unofficial" or non-formal post-docs? As I mentioned I know a PP psychologist who could supervise me/won't charge, though totally unsure how to approach him or even what receiving supervision in this way would entail...
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Do you practice in a specialty area? Do you ever plan on going for board certification? If so, these PP postdocs can make that much harder.
 
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