Center for Trauma Recovery

Postdoctoral Training

 

NOTE: We are not accepting applications for a postdoctoral fellowship position for 2011-2012.

Introduction
We appreciate your interest in our postdoctoral fellowship program. The training at CTR is focused on cognitive-behavioral approaches to the treatment of PTSD. Providing opportunities for new Ph.D.s to do focussed study on cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma through research and clinical contact is part of the overarching mission of the Center for Trauma Recovery.

Responsibilities
The responsibilities of a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Trauma Recovery can be broken down into two major categories: Clinical and Research.

Clinical
Postdoctoral Fellows carry a caseload of clients from the Trauma Clinic, a sliding fee scale service available to anyone seeking treatment for trauma. Additionally, they often conduct assessments and provide therapy for research participants in our ongoing studies.

Some of the special populations a postdoc will have the opportunity to work with are the survivors of homicide victims and war refugees. While the Trauma Clinic usually serves adults, there are opportunities to work with children, adolescents, families and groups.

Research
A fellow is expected to produce at least one article for publication during the average appointment. This article may be prepared independently or in collaboration with other staff members. There are a variety of databases available for study as well as the opportunity to include instruments for research as part of the battery of instruments completed by new study participants.

Fellows also have supervision in a variety of formats. Licensure in Missouri requires weekly, hour-long sessions on a one-to-one basis with a licensed health care provider. There are also regularly scheduled peer and group supervision meetings as well as staffing for the Trauma Clinic. As part of the research protocol, all therapists are included in treatment compliance supervision by off-site, independent evaluation.

Postdocs are encouraged to pursue their own research interests, as time allows, and to take part in national conferences. Some fellows have used this as an opportunity to learn about and get experience in grant writing. Past and present postdoctoral fellows have found this to be a flexible work environment and excellent preparation for an academic or research oriented career.

Licensure
A postdoctoral appointment at the Center for Trauma Recovery is structured to provide all the necessary elements for licensure. While some of the specifics differ from state to state, there are some basic requirements. Of course, most require a doctoral degree in psychology for the independent practice of psychology.

The second requirement is that the candidate for licensure passes at least one written exam: the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). This exam is given twice a year and can be taken on computer. Individual states determine the minimum passing score. Many states also require a jurisprudence exam or an oral exam.

Finally, most licensure boards require a period of supervised experience. The internship required by most doctoral programs fulfills part of this requirement. A supervised postdoctoral appointment completes it.

A good general book for licensing requirements is the Handbook of Licensing and Certification Requirements for Psychologists in the U.S. and Canada.

Some good sites for more information are:
American Psychological Association

American Board of Professional Psychology

Association of State and Provincial Psychology

Missouri State Committee of Psychologists

Missouri State Psychologist Association

Missouri State statues governing licensure and the practice of psychology

Where Are They Now?
A number of very talented psychologists completed their postdoctoral fellowships at the Center for Trauma Recovery and have gone on to interesting and diverse careers. A quick scan of their present contributions to psychology illustrates the preparation and flexibility a postdoc here provides.

Mindy B. Mechanic, Ph.D.
MA University of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
Ph.D. University of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
Internship University of Virginia Health Sciences Center

Dr. Mechanic is an Assistant Professor at California State University - Fullerton. She teaches classes on psychopathology and the psychology of victims. Her research interests focus on the psychological consequences of interpersonal violence including domestic violence, stalking and domestic homicide. Dr. Mechanic is also interested in forensic psychology and has provided expert witness consultation and testimony in a variety of cases involving interpersonal violence.

Kathleen M. Chard, Ph.D.
MA Indiana University
Ph.D. Indiana University
Internship University of Cincinnati

Dr. Chard is the Director of the Center for Traumatic Stress Research at the University of Kentucky. She teaches a number of classes including those on cognitive-behavior therapy and victimology. She is currently researching the efficacy of cognitive-processing therapy for the treatment of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. She feels that the diversity of opportunities; research, clinical work and supervision of junior students, sets the Center for Trauma Recovery apart from most other postdoctoral fellowships.

Amy M. Williams, Ph.D
MA University of North Texas
Ph.D. University of North Texas
Internship Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System

Dr. Williams is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas. She also works part time for Senior Psychology Services providing clinical services to individuals in nursing home facilities. She has found that her experiences at the Center for Trauma Recovery have translated into increased expertise in treating not only PTSD but also depression and other anxiety disorders. She has also found that her postdoctoral training has made her the unofficial expert on trauma at UNT; students and faculty will seek her out for help with a trauma client. Overall, although the postdoc was focused, it has greatly enhanced her effectiveness as a general practitioner.

Terri L. Messman-Moore, Ph.D.
MA Oklahoma State University
Ph.D. Oklahoma State University
Internship Boston Psychology Consortium

Dr. Messman-Moore is an Assistant Professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Her research interests include child sexual abuse, rape, domestic violence, cumulative impact of trauma and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. She found that her postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Trauma Recovery prepared her for licensure in not just Missouri but also Ohio and generally met most state licensure requirements.

Anita Bazile, Ph.D.
MS St. Louis University
Ph.D. St. Louis University
Internship University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Consortium

Dr. Bazile's research interests include PTSD in adults and children. She is also interested in multicultural issues in assessment and treatment, community mental health, the treatment of the chronically mentally ill, efficacy and outcome studies in psychotherapy. The reasons she chose to do her postdoctoral work at the Center for Trauma Recovery included her interest in the pervasiveness of PTSD and to do a more in-depth study of therapy for trauma. She wanted to have more exposure to the various cognitive behavioral treatments. Additionally, she was drawn by the variety of research going on at the Center and the opportunity to be part of this research.

Catherine Feuer, Ph.D.

Gretchen Clum, Ph.D.

Reg Nixon, Ph.D.

Ana Sobel. Ph.D.

Matt Kliethermes, Ph.D.

Kelly Phipps, Ph.D.

St. Louis Area Information
St. Louis and surrounding suburbs have a population of approximately 2.6 million. The city has a long heritage as a river port and link between the East and the West coasts of the nation that is reflected in the cultural mix you will find here. Southern charm tempers Northeastern industrial might. Small town type neighborhoods are just minutes from football stadiums and nightclubs. To further explore St. Louis, we suggest you connect to one of the following sites:

For apartment hunting, these are some good links

Many of our graduate students live in the University City/Loop area. There is also a housing area known as University Meadows which is just off campus. Other nearby areas include Clayton, Florissant, Maryland Heights and Olivette.

If you will be visiting St. Louis for interviews, we would suggest staying near the airport or in a hotel near a Metrolink station (St. Louis' light rail public transportation system). Both the Center for Trauma Reocvery and the main campus of the University of Missouri - St. Louis are located in North St. Louis County and are easily accessible by Metrolink.

Some good travel links are: