How to Find Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowships

Postdocs provide advanced training opportunities in research, clinical experience, teaching, leadership, or other specialized areas of psychology, allowing you to acquire vital career and professional skills.

Discover all of the details you need to know about postdocs, including the main types, how to locate a postdoc, application guidance, and salary data.

Determining whether to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship after completing a doctoral psychology program depends on your post-graduation goals. Many doctoral students face career decisions about whether to work in academia or a clinical setting.

According to psychologist and career coach Jay Phoenix Singh, Ph.D., a good question to consider is “how close do you need to be to change in order to feel fulfilled in life?” In other words, what will you enjoy more: working directly with clients or impacting people from a distance with your work?

Pursuing a career in clinical psychology allows you to apply your expertise in a one-on-one environment and see your clients grow. The research and academia field enables you to study your interests and contribute insights that can help practicing psychologists.

Most states require a minimum of one year of supervised postdoc experience to apply for clinical psychology licensure, according to the American Psychological Association (APA). This period marks a vital stepping stone for doctoral-level psychology graduates seeking a career in clinical practice, as postdocs provide necessary supervised experience, specialized training for certain credentials, and professional development.

The American Board of Professional Psychology outlines 14 certifications requiring a formal postdoc. You must have a certain number of clinical hours to get your license during this time. You can use the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards’ interactive map to view requirements in your state.

If you plan to treat clients outside of your state via telehealth, consider other states’ requirements. If a state you wish to practice in requires more hours of direct client contact, look for a fellowship that can guarantee those extra hours.

For those pursuing a research position, the APA states that attending a postdoctoral research or fellowship experience isn’t always required, but can certainly boost your capabilities as a faculty member. Accordingly, most candidates complete a postdoc to become more competitive. As a future researcher or professor, you can use this time to develop technical skills, learn grant writing, and publish research.

In the past, one or two quality publications could land you a tenure-track position at a university. But high competition for faculty openings has caused universities to raise their standards.

Today, assistant professors of psychology who aspire to work at top institutions wait about five years after completing their Ph.D. to apply for tenure-track positions. Upon hiring, candidates often have a dozen or more publications. With few exceptions, the majority have also completed postdocs.

Finding a postdoc opportunity can be challenging but rewarding. You can cultivate your expertise in a specialized field of psychology or strengthen your research skills. This endeavor requires groundwork, networking, and perseverance to find viable postdoc possibilities.

The APA provides an online career center called psycCareers and additional job databases that contain postdoc openings. The APA also publishes informative articles that outline application plans and networking ideas.

The Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) was created to facilitate access to postdoc opportunities. It features a directory for unfilled psychology postdoctoral positions and provides additional information to applicants, including communication templates and questions and answers relating to postdoc selection standards.

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) serves to improve postdoc experiences by providing a community of professional growth, awareness, and collaboration amongst its members. Gaining membership with the NPA enables you to join a like-minded, supportive network. The NPA also provides an online career center for those seeking postdoc options.

Applying for a psychology postdoctoral fellowship might seem daunting. However, starting this journey before completing your doctoral degree and internship can ease the stress related to the application process. Taking advantage of resources that outline this undertaking can help simplify the necessary actions for applying to a postdoc.

The APPIC provides step-by-step timelines, open postdoc positions, program directories, and email lists for individuals beginning the application process. It also suggests applicants consider post-internship plans for clinically or research-focused programs in September and begin searching for postdoc positions in October. Application deadlines arrive as early as November, with some in December or early January.

Psychology careers in research, academic, and clinical practice typically require a postdoctoral fellowship. Discover average salaries and projected career outlooks for some of these jobs.