Postdoctoral fellowship application and selection

Applications for the Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Child Psychology at Children's Health℠ must be submitted through the APPIC APPA CAS portal. Applicants must have a Ph.D. or Psy.D. from an APA-accredited graduate program in Clinical, Counseling, or School Psychology, as well as an APA-accredited internship. The doctoral degree must be conferred by August of the year the applicant would begin fellowship training. Applicants who are invited to interview will be asked to provide documentation of their anticipated graduation date by their graduate program training director. Applicants are asked to indicate their area of concentration interest in postdoctoral training (e.g, Eating Disorders, Outpatient Psychology or Pediatric Health Psychology) in their application materials. De-identified work samples are also required. More details about application requirements can be found on the the Children's Health program page in the APPA CAS portal.

Applications are initially reviewed by the primary supervisors of each fellowship concentration area. Multiple sources of information, including academic preparation, clinical experience, future career goals, letters of recommendation, progress toward satisfactory completion of the graduate program's requirements, and work samples, are considered. An emphasis is placed on finding applicants who represent a good fit with the program; therefore, background experience and clear demonstration of interest in the type of training offered at Children's Health is emphasized throughout the selection process. Applicants whose previous experiences and career goals are well matched with the postdoctoral training program at Children's Health are invited to participate in an on-site or phone interview.

After completion of interviews with psychology and psychiatry staff, applicants will be ranked by supervisor selection teams and offers will be extended, consistent with APPIC postdoc selection guidelines.

Degree conferral attestation

All applicants will complete the training program's degree conferral attestation form. This form requires the applicant and his or her director of clinical training to verify the date that the applicant will have his or her doctoral degree conferred. The date of degree conferral that will be printed on the applicant's graduate transcripts must be prior to the start date of the fellowship year.

Non-discriminatory hiring, selection, and employment

The success of Children’s Health System of Texas and its affiliates (collectively, Children’s Health℠) is dependent on the talents of individuals with different experiences, strengths, cultures, and perspectives. As an equal opportunity employer, Children’s Health does not discriminate against employees or applicants because of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, military status, disability, or genetic information. This applies to all aspects of the employer-employee relationship including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, promotion, transfer, pay, training, discipline, reduction in staff, termination, employee benefits, and activities.

Background screening

Children's Health is committed to providing a safe environment for its patients and their families, visitors, and its employees. In order to achieve this objective, background screenings are performed on all employees upon hire and annually thereafter. Background screening includes information about convictions and pending convictions and is conducted upon hire and annually thereafter. Pre-employment drug testing is also conducted. Passing the background screening and drug testing is a condition of employment.

Salary and benefits

Postdoctoral fellow salary at Children's Health is competitive with other programs nationally, and aligned with NIH postdoctoral salary levels. Fellows accumulate paid time off (PTO) and receive a comprehensive benefits package as Children's Health employees. In addition to regular PTO, psychology fellows are eligible for paid education days for conferences, job interviews, taking the EPPP, and other professionally relevant activities. Our fellows are also eligible for an educational allowance, which may be used for licensure preparation and fees as well as conference attendance. A one-time relocation allotment is provided upon starting the program for fellows who are moving from more than 50 miles away. Children’s Health provides professional liability coverage at no expense to fellows.

Work space and administrative support

Fellows are provided with an individual or shared work space, individual computers and phone lines, and a therapy space that can be reserved as needed. Resources for therapy, intervention, and education are also available. Children's Health uses an electronic medical records system.
The Psychological Services department has access to support staff who help schedule appointments, verify insurance benefits, process professional liability coverage, reserve meeting rooms within the hospital, and facilitate travel requests and conference hotel reservations. Support staff are also available to ensure that required training and orientations are scheduled, documented, and filed at the appropriate times during the training year.

Policies and procedures

As employees of Children’s Health, postdoctoral fellows are responsible for following CMC policies and procedures. Examples of relevant policies and procedures include:

Mission and Guiding Principles of Children’s Health – Describes the mission of CMC and the principles that guide the work of all CMC employees.
Equal Opportunity Employment Policy – Outlines employment practices, including that Children’s does not discriminate against employees or applicants because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, military status, or disability.
Due Process Policy – Outlines the process by which trainees are notified of problems they are exhibiting that interfere with their functioning and the process for opportunities to remediate these areas of skill development.
Grievance Policy – Describes the mechanisms through which staff and trainees involved in the training program at CMC can express grievances related to the training program without fear of retaliation.
Code of Ethics –Outlines the code of ethics at Children’s Health.
Background Screening – Describes the process for pre-employment and annual background screenings, as well as the process by which CMC handles discovery of a crime or offense.
Drug Free Workplace – Prohibits 1) the use and possession of illegal drugs and alcohol on the Children’s Health campus, 2) arriving at work under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol, and 3) describes consequences of violating this policy.

Additional details about these policies are available upon request. For additional details about these policies and all program administrative procedures, please contact:
Celia Heppner, Psy.D.
Celia.Heppner@childrens.com