Postdoctoral Fellowship, Autism Center

Salary and Benefits

$57,000 to $60,000 annually.

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Job Summary

The Child Mind Institute is currently accepting applications for a two-year clinical psychology post-doctoral fellowship (2025-2027) in our Autism Center's clinical and research programs starting in the Fall of 2025.

This clinical psychology, postdoctoral fellowship is designed to provide advanced training in the assessment and treatment of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders, with the goal of preparing the fellows for a successful career as a clinical psychologist in the clinical field of autism. As part of their research appointment, the fellow will work under the mentorship of Dr. Adriana Di Martino, MD and will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team across our clinical and research centers and the Healthy Brain Network. The core components of the fellowship will include development of advanced phenotyping skills with high fidelity on all measures of standardized testing and in-depth knowledge of their psychometrics and construct variables, as well as training on a wide range of evidence-based interventions specific to autism. In the clinical practice, the fellow will serve as an associate psychologist, providing 10 hours of direct clinical services weekly to children, adolescents, and young adults with autism and related developmental conditions, as well as co-occurring psychiatric conditions. Responsibilities include conducting assessments using developmental, cognitive, and neuropsychological measures, such as the ADI-R and ADOS-2, and maintaining a therapy caseload.

Therapy cases will range from Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI) with toddlers and preschool-aged children to parent coaching, cognitive behavioral therapy, and social skills group training. Fellows will receive training in and apply manualized, evidence-based interventions tailored to autistic individuals' needs, including the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), Project ImPACT, Unstuck and On Target, RUBI Disruptive Behavior Parent Training, Facing Your Fears, Unified Protocol, PEERS, and Children's Friendship Training (CFT). This training spans the two-year fellowship. Fellows pursuing dual licensure as both a Psychologist and a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) that have completed the BCBA course sequence and accrued some ABA supervision hours prior to the start of the fellowship will have the opportunity to receive additional supervision in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) specifically for Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI), in accordance with BACB guidelines.

The fellow will report to Dr. Cynthia Martin, Senior Director of the Autism Clinical Center, for the 0.5 FTE clinical practice appointment, and to Dr. Adriana DiMartino, Research Director of the Autism Research Center, for the 0.5 FTE research position. This is an exempt, full-time, fully on-site position located at our NYC headquarters office.

We're dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders by giving them the help they need. We've become the leading independent nonprofit in children's mental health by providing gold-standard evidence-based care, delivering educational resources to millions of families each year, training educators in underserved communities, and developing tomorrow's breakthrough treatments.

Across both years of the program, the fellow will receive individual and group supervision, as well as formal didactics through in-house trainings and our visiting professor series. As an active member of the integrated clinical-research team in the autism center, the fellow will provide direct clinical care within the clinical practice, assessment, and treatment on research protocols, including NIMH-funded research, and have opportunities to make contributions to the dissemination of research findings.

In the first year, the fellow is expected to build a clinical case load of 10 hours of direct patient care per week in the clinical practice. Within their research appointment, they will attain research reliability on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule - 2 and the Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised, as well as reach treatment fidelity in at least one evidence based manualized intervention specific to autism. The fellow will accrue supervised hours for clinical licensure eligibility in New York State by the end of year one.

In the second year, the fellow will continue to build and maintain a clinical caseload while receiving advanced training, gaining increased independence within clinical and research responsibilities. This additional year of supervised training will allow the fellow to extend their treatment and phenotyping skillset while gaining a more sophisticated and comprehensive approach to the clinical practice of autism. Accordingly, the fellow will be expected to propose an elective related to their long-term career goals (e.g., manuscript, treatment program, community or professional presentation, or quality improvement project) and their percentage of work effort across research and the clinical practice will be adjusted accordingly (i.e., .6FTE/.4FTE). Finally, attainment of a full clinical licensure in New York will allow for an increase in compensation and the opportunity for supervision of clinical externs and other junior staff members in the second year. Formal training and support on developing supervisory skills will be provided.

This is a full-time,exempt position, located in our New York City headquarters, and offers a competitive salary and full benefits.

Responsibilities

• Training and attainment of research reliability on the gold standard autism diagnostic instruments, including the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2).
• Training in the diagnostic assessment of psychopathology often co-occurring with autism using standardized, semi-structured (e.g., KSADS) and qualitative clinical interviewing techniques. Comorbidity is frequent in autism and the ability to recognize and formulate an intervention plan for associated psychopathology will strengthen the clinical expertise of the fellow.
• Training and mastery on standardized measures of cognitive, language, academic, and adaptive skills (e.g., MSEL, Bayley-4, DAS-2, PPVT-5, WIAT-4, Vineland-3) that are commonly used in autism diagnostic evaluations, ranging from early toddlerhood through young adulthood, as well as measures (e.g., BOSA) that are used newly developed to support phenotyping assessments.
• Training and mastery on initial autism diagnostic evaluations and re-evaluations, with emphasis on how to use the evaluations to appropriately tailor and guide a child's treatment and educational programming in a meaningful way, well matched to the child's needs and areas of strength. This will include mastery in writing comprehensive clinical reports and providing feedback in a co-constructive way to parents.
• Training and proficiency in manualized treatments that are utilized in both the autism clinical and research programs. To include but not be limited to Children's Friendship Training (CFT), The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS), Disruptive Behavior Parent Training for Autism: Rubi Autism Network and Unstuck and On Target.
• Training on a wide range of evidence-based behavioral and cognitive behavioral treatment approaches, to target the psychopathology often associated with autism.
• Mastery in managing a clinical case load, including meeting and maintaining clinical productivity targets for patient care

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess exceptional clinical skills in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents, including experience with autism, related neurodevelopmental disorders and co-occurring conditions. Competitive candidates will have training and prior experience in psychological and neuropsychological assessment, in addition to behavioral, cognitive behavioral, and group based social skills interventions.

• PhD or PsyD degree from an APA-accredited program in clinical, counseling, or school psychology, or a related field.
• Full completion of doctoral degree by the beginning of the postdoctoral fellowship.
• Successful completion of an APA-accredited internship.
• Flexibility to work hours conducive to meeting productivity expectations for clinical care and research deadlines, including afternoon and evening availability.
• Team player and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Demonstrated professional attitude and ability to interface with senior management, clinicians, and staff.

Application Detailsand Instructions

To apply, please click the "Apply" button above. If you are viewing on a third-party website, please visit https://childmind.org/about-us/careers/open-positions/ to access the online application. Applications submitted through third-party websites (e.g., Indeed, ZipRecruiter, etc.) will not be reviewed. Candidates will need to submit the following:

• Cover letter (attention: Drs.Adriana DiMartino, Cynthia Martin, Margaret Dyson, and Kenneth Schuster)
• Curriculum vitae
• Three letters of recommendation
• One psychological or neuropsychological sample testing report

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible. Any questions or inquiries can be directed toMargaret Dyson, PhD, atMargaret.Dyson@childmind.org.

Interviews for selected applicants will be conducted in-person at our midtown Manhattan office.

Special Considerations

The salary range for the position is posted. Factors such as candidate's work experience, education/training, job-related skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and business considerations affect the salary offered within this range. In addition, this salary may be subject to a geographic adjustment (according to a specific city and state and depending on the role), if an authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting.

The Child Mind Institute is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment based on race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sex stereotype, gender identity/gender expression/transgender (including whether or not you are transitioning or have transitioned) and sexual orientation; national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver's license issued to persons unable to prove their presence in the United States is authorized under federal law [Vehicle Code section 12801.9]); ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information/characteristics, marital status/registered domestic partner status, age (40 and over), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation.