The Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center is offering multiple psychology fellowships, including full clinical positions, mostly research positions, or combined clinical-research positions, to begin in the late summer of 2023. The position is flexible depending upon the match between the interests of the fellow and the needs of the center.
Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, & Training Center is a locally-owned social enterprise that seeks to provide high-quality, inclusive, and evidence-based mental health services to our community. We also provide professional education and conduct research.
Are you seeking a supportive atmosphere that helps you be your best and that supports you to continue to develop your skills, but also encourages you to live a balanced life and not overwork? We provide lots of support for staff professional development and prioritize ongoing learning. But we also encourage and support staff in finding balance so that they can have a great life outside of work as well.
Do you value diversity and inclusivity in your work? We do too and are continually working to do better in being more inclusive, socially just, and more culturally sensitive in our work. Our team is multicultural and anti-racist. Our diversity includes staff who identify as Asian, Latinx, mixed-race, LGBTQ, first generation immigrants, first generation college students, and others. We are seeking to expand the diversity of our staff to further expand representation within the clinic as well as those we serve.
Do you like the idea of working alongside people who are actively engaged in research so you can benefit from ongoing advancements in science? We are a unique setting that truly integrates research and clinical practice. Several of our clinicians are also engaged in research we are conducting at the center. Clinical staff and our clinician researchers share ideas through our robust continuing education program.
Do you want to work for a local company that really cares about their team and their community versus some online company or huge organization with lots of bureaucracy? We are a local business with over 20 employees and have worked hard to develop a culture that makes this a great place to work with lots of flexibility and support. As a social enterprise our bottom line isn’t about creating profits for our owners, but rather it is to have a meaningful impact in our local and larger community, and in our field.
There are three possible fellowship tracks that are available for applicants:
1. Anxiety disorders track – The anxiety disorders track focuses on learning structured time-limited treatments (based on exposure principles and acceptance and commitment therapy) for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive and related disorders in children, adolescents, and/or adults. The fellow may also have time set aside for administrative and/or research activities within the anxiety specialty clinic.
2. Research track – Fellows participating in this track will spend between 50-80% of their time in research and the remainder providing clinical services. They will have the opportunity to participate in analyzing research data, writing papers, and potentially collect pilot data on an original research project. Research areas the fellow could be involved in include:
- An ongoing randomized trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for social anxiety disorder
- The etiology and maintenance of social anxiety with a focus on shame and interpersonal factors
- Shame, compassion, and alcohol use
- Shame and self-compassion as moderators of treatment outcome
- The interpersonal behavior and social signaling of highly self-critical and shame prone individuals
- Interventions for shame and self-criticism
- The role of shame in relation to racism and social justice
- Psychedelic science as it relates to a variety of topics
3. Clinical specialty track – This track focuses on the provision of clinical services across a wide range of presenting problems, with the opportunity for focused supervision and clinical work in focused areas of the fellow’s choice. Areas where specialty supervision can be provided include: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), PTSD/trauma, anxiety disorders, psychedelic harm reduction/integration, LGBTQ affirming therapy, compassion focused approaches, therapy with children/adolescents, couples therapy, and working with shame and self-criticism. This track involves working with a wide variety of clinical issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, identity issues, adjustment issues, relationship issues, and more.
You will have the opportunity to supervise practicum students and may also have the chance to co-lead therapy groups if desired.
The ideal candidate will have clinical training in ACT, behavior therapy, RO DBT, psychedelic assisted therapy, emotion-focused therapy, or compassion-focused therapy approaches. Fellows will receive at least two hours of supervision per week, which is sufficient for licensure in Oregon. Also, free of charge, fellows can attend any of the dozens of training events that Portland Psychotherapy hosts every year, led by leading experts in ACT, psychedelic assisted therapy, diversity/equity/inclusion, and many other topics. We also host a monthly multi-training site didactic series focused on diversity, equity, cultural competency, and anti-racism with opportunities to network and build community. You can read more here about our activities and commitment to foster diversity, equity, anti-racism, and inclusion in our staff and local community.
About Portland Psychotherapy:
Portland Psychotherapy is based on a social enterprise model that attempts to contribute to the social good in four areas:
- Our local community– through providing clinical services (including a reduced fee), psychotherapy training and workshops, supervision of trainees, and support for local therapists
- The wider community– through contributing to scientific research and scholarship, dissemination of innovations, and participation in national and international organizations
- Employees– providing an excellent place to work with high quality of life for employees
- The natural environment– through managing our environmental footprint in sustainable ways that minimize our negative impact on the planet
All profits generated at Portland Psychotherapy are used to fund our local and wider community social good efforts. This includes the clinic’s low fee services and training programs. In addition, these funds are what support all the research our center conducts including dedicated salary support for doctoral researchers, research coordinators, or trainees involved in research. Our funding structure protects Portland Psychotherapy from the vicissitudes of grant funding and allows us to focus on furthering science rather than chasing grants. This also allows our clinicians to operate in a true scientist-practitioner model through opportunities to both contribute to and benefit from research conducted in the center. More information about our unique business model can be found here. A listing of our scientific publications can be found here.
Portland Psychotherapy has local, national, and international reputation as being leading center for evidence-based therapy, especially acceptance and commitment therapy, psychedelic-assisted therapy, training, and research. Our center is housed in a beautifully restored 1889 Victorian home in the vibrant N. Williams corridor area of Portland which provides a warm and welcoming atmosphere for clients and staff alike. For more information about our building please see our website.
Minimum requirements: Doctoral degree in Clinical or Counseling Psychology. Demonstrated interest in and experience with evidence-based therapies.
This is a full-time position (i.e., 40 hours per week). Portland Psychotherapy strives to provide its staff with a high level of flexibility and autonomy and supports its employees in developing a sustainable work-life balance. The schedule is reasonably flexible and requires daytime hours. Portland Psychotherapy is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an affirming and inclusive environment for all employees. Persons from historically disadvantaged populations including gender, sexual, and racial minorities are encouraged to apply.
Salary for the one-year fellow is $55,000. We sometimes have fellows who complete a two-year fellowship. A contract for a two-year position results in higher pay during the first year than a single year position.
Benefits
- Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
- Pre-tax commuter benefits
- Employee retirement plan with 3% match
- Life and long-term disability insurance
- Malpractice insurance
- Stipend for professional education
- Supervision toward licensure
- Dedicated stipend for training related to anti-racist practice, diversity, equity and inclusion
- Free attendance of any of our many workshops and classes we offer through our continuing education and internal training programs
- Ability to bring your well-behaved animal companion to work
Deadline for applications: January 4th, 2023. If you are interested in applying, email your curriculum vitae and a cover letter to: humanresources@portlandpsychotherapy.com. Please indicate which track you are interested in when applying. You may apply to more than one track by indicating that in the cover letter. If you are interested in a two-year position, please also state that in your cover letter. Lastly, please include three letters of reference that are emailed directly by the writers to the email address above.