Postdoc for a UCC?

[hp7phd]

Hi,

I'm a clinical psychology PhD student and I'm currently doing my internship at a UCC. I want to work at a UCC after I get my degree, but I'm conflicted about whether I should apply for a postdoc or go straight for a staff psychologist position.

I'm not exactly sure which state I want to settle in, but it doesn't look like a postdoc is a requirement for licensure in the states I'm considering. I don't have a strong desire to specialize in any areas, although I would be fine with doing so and I could pick something that I would be interested in. One concern of mine is that I have basically zero experience supervising others. I'm worried that that would keep me from getting a staff position and it seems like I could get training in that during a postdoc.

Here are the questions I have:
1. Would it be better to apply for postdocs or staff psychologist positions? How much does a postdoc matter for a UCC?
2. If I apply to postdocs, does it matter whether they are APA-accredited or have an APPIC membership?

Thanks so much for the help!

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[PsychCrazied]

Hi,

I'm a clinical psychology PhD student and I'm currently doing my internship at a UCC. I want to work at a UCC after I get my degree, but I'm conflicted about whether I should apply for a postdoc or go straight for a staff psychologist position.

I'm not exactly sure which state I want to settle in, but it doesn't look like a postdoc is a requirement for licensure in the states I'm considering. I don't have a strong desire to specialize in any areas, although I would be fine with doing so and I could pick something that I would be interested in. One concern of mine is that I have basically zero experience supervising others. I'm worried that that would keep me from getting a staff position and it seems like I could get training in that during a postdoc.

Here are the questions I have:
1. Would it be better to apply for postdocs or staff psychologist positions? How much does a postdoc matter for a UCC?
2. If I apply to postdocs, does it matter whether they are APA-accredited or have an APPIC membership?

Thanks so much for the help!

Hey,

Staff member at a UCC here. Been on a few staff searches the past few years. Here are some of the reasons I thought of that you might want to consider.

Reasons you might want to get a postdoc:
1. If you want a training experience or specialization. It will make your application stand out (but you can sell yourself without a postdoc). About supervising others, it can be a big factor (since UCCs are often big training centers) but it may not be the most important factor depending on the site. If you are hired in a job, you may not be assigned a supervisee with no experience.
2. You'll have more opportunities after a postdoc. Some UCCS only hire people who are licensed (this is more true in popular locations). Your job opportunities will be more limited if you go straight into a job.
3. If your state doesn't require postdoc hours (which can be earned through an official postdoc or via supervision in your job), it may be harder to get licensed in a state that does.

Reasons to consider staff job.
1. Higher pay (along with benefits, time off, retirement). This is a big and a real factor.
2. You're not a trainee anymore. A post-doc may feel really similar to an internship at many sites. You may not be learning many new things unless you are really focusing on one area.
3. Less time in trainings (can also be a con depending on your needs).

Also, UCCs generally could care less about postdocs being APA accredited/APPIC (most UCC postdoc experiences are not accredited). "University Counseling Jobs" is a great website for both postdocs and jobs.

Personally, I applied to both and ended up in a staff position where I was able to engage in all the activities that felt important to me.

 

[R. Matey]

Most of my colleagues at my UCC internship got jobs at various counseling centers after internship was over. I chose to complete a formal postdoc, but mine is in a completely separate area than what I did for internship. You have to be supervised for licensure anyways, there's no reason someone can't fold a supervision of supervision experience into your overall licensure supervision. Sounds more like a negotiation rather the reason not to. I'd say apply for both and see what happens.

 

[foreverbull]

I always suggest erring on the side of more training experience (a postdoc) rather than less. For now, you feel certain you want to stay in UCCs, but that’s exactly how I felt while in grad school and that changed.

Thus, I think it’s worth it to make yourself more attractive to a range of employers by showing that you took the extra step to have extra training. Some areas/sites will not look upon a lack of postdoc favorably, so my concern is, if you ever change your mind about your career, you can’t go back and do a postdoc.

But yes, for folks who never want to veer from staff psychologist positions at a UCC, it may seem redundant. That said, several colleagues I know who started in UCCs did not stay on that path and ended up working elsewhere after their postdocs; the burnout turnover at UCCs tends to be high in some places more than others.