Mission

The Child/Pediatric Psychology Fellowship is designed to prepare the post-doctoral level trainee to assume the professional responsibilities of a clinical child/pediatric psychologist. The initial year is focused on the development of skills needed to provide general clinical child psychology assessment and psychotherapeutic services, with additional specialized training in the evaluation of early childhood developmental disorders. The first year of the fellowship has distinct clinical concentrations. Some of these clinical experiences involve assignments to specific clinics and/or other departments in the hospital. Teaching, training and supervision of pre-doctoral interns, psychology residents, medical residents, and practicum students are also expected duties.

Training Model and Philosophy

A Practitioner-Scholar model guides the fellowship training at BAMC, with an emphasis on clinical practice that is validated by empirical research. The program offers diverse training opportunities with active-duty military populations, their families, military retirees and their family members in the military medical setting.

Aims

The Child/Pediatric Psychology Fellowship is designed to prepare the post-doctoral level trainee to assume the professional responsibilities of independent practice as a licensed psychologist specializing in clinical child and pediatric psychology.

Didactics and Presentations

The weekly CAFBHS-specific training is required and offered in CAFBHS to CAFBHS fellows during their first and second years of training. Modifications to time and location of didactics may be allowed to accommodate schedules and availability of guest speakers. Some didactics may also be delivered through virtual platforms to accommodate clinic telework schedules. The schedule is carefully planned and organized by the Program Director and faculty in order to meet the needs of all fellows. Second-year fellows are often tasked with the opportunity of presenting didactic topics, experiential learning activities, and mentoring to the first-year fellows once they are well-equipped and prepared to do so. The Program Director, CAFBHS Faculty and staff, providers from other services within the Department of Behavioral Health or throughout BAMC/SAMMC and the community also serve as presenters for this weekly didactic.

Professional Development Workshops and Didactic Trainings

Fellows are required to attend certain ongoing training activities, during their first year of fellowship. Attendance is strongly encouraged at Friday pediatric grand rounds at SAMMC and/or any applicable off-base pediatric grand rounds at other training institutions such as University of Texas (UT) Health San Antonio. Additionally, workshops will be scheduled throughout the training year, for which attendance will be mandatory. However, if not mandatory, the fellow will need approval by the fellowship director to take time from their clinic training experiences and attend the workshop/seminar.

Supervision

Each Fellow is assigned two supervisors during each year of the two-year training program. A minimum of 2 hours per week of individual supervision is expected with two supervisors. The primary supervisor remains constant throughout the two-year experience, with the secondary supervisor ending their commitment at the end of the first year and the assignment of a new supervisor at the commencement of the second year. Each assigned supervisor is a child psychologist, several of which have completed a fellowship in pediatric psychology. The Program Director generally serves as the primary supervisor for both years of the fellowship.

The primary supervisor is responsible for overall coordination of work and assignment of cases throughout the training experience, in addition to addressing professional development topics. Individual cases for supervision are also assigned by the primary supervisor with selected cases discussed during each weekly supervision time. Supervision feedback is reported to the primary supervisor on an ongoing basis. The CAFBHS Faculty and Fellowship Education Committee are kept up-to-date about trainee’s progress throughout the training year.

Year I (Clinical Child Behavioral Health)

The initial year is focused on the development of skills needed to provide general clinical child psychology services with additional experience with developmental disorders.

Year II (Pediatric Psychology)

The second year of the fellowship is focused on pediatric psychology, with the goal of preparing the fellow to work in a medical setting with medically ill children presenting with problems such as genetic/congenital disorders, feeding problems, pain management issues, and chronic or terminal illnesses. The opportunity to build on clinical skills, develop more advanced knowledge across a broader range of diagnostic issues and develop particular area(s) of interest within pediatric health psychology is available. To continue preparing for responsibilities associated with the hospital-based or outpatient treatment practice of pediatric psychology, fellows may provide mentoring and supervision in their second year to other trainees, including the active duty psychology interns in the APA-approved clinical psychology internship program or to psychology residents.

*** Training experiences in both years are subject to availability and may also vary to accommodate the training needs and interests of the post-doctoral fellow***

The fellow will receive at least two hours of weekly individual supervision throughout both years as well as ample opportunities to attend trainings offered at the institution specific to military populations and some training outside the medical center. The fellow is also actively involved in two hours of weekly advanced didactics addressing child behavioral health and pediatric psychology topic areas. At least 50% of the Fellow’s time is spent in clinical service, at least 25% in educational activities, and at least 10% in program-related and professional activities. Additional information about training opportunities and policies and procedures are provided in the Fellowship Handbook and are available upon request.

During the first year, fellows are expected to provide emergency on-call service to the clinic for patients who present with safety concerns, under the direct supervision of the Program Director or other identified faculty supervisors. The second-year fellow provides coverage at least one day a week to the Pediatric Ward and PICU for a variety of services and presenting concerns. Children, adolescents, parents, and medical staff in need of consultation and/or behavioral health services will receive services from the on-call provider. Fellows are not expected or scheduled to provide after hours on-call services within the service or for the hospital.

Each fellow is expected to actively participate in scholarly activities throughout the year. Fellows are required to develop a project that demonstrates the application of science in the practice of clinical child psychology or pediatric health psychology. The Fellowship Project is developed during the first year. A formal, written proposal is completed before the beginning of the second year of the fellowship. The project is executed and completed by the end of the second year.

Our program is dedicated to regularly assessing and refining our curriculum, incorporating student and faculty feedback, and staying informed of the latest advancements and competencies in child clinical and pediatric psychology.

Our program prioritizes comprehensive professional development to empower future providers in child/pediatric psychology. We offer a variety of development opportunities for fellows to engage in depending on their individual and personal goals.

Open civilian positions will be listed in the APPIC Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory and open active-duty positions will be communicated through the LTHET MILPER Message. Applicants will be asked to send a letter of interest that includes information on theoretical orientation and why they are interested in working with children, adolescents, and families in a military medical center; unofficial doctoral graduate school transcripts; curriculum vitae; a sanitized comprehensive work sample; and three letters of recommendation.

All application materials (except letters of recommendation) should be sent in one e-mail to the Program Director with the subject line: “Fellowship Applicant: Full Name.” The three letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the recommender to the Program Director via e-mail, please assure that the applicant’s name is included in the subject line. Please contact the Program Director for the Child/Pediatric Psychology Fellowship at 210-916-5047 for additional information.

Applicants invited for an interview will be asked to provide an official copy of their graduate school transcript. Before scheduling the interview, we ask that the civilian applicant’s doctoral program director send an email to the fellowship director with the scheduled date for the applicant's dissertation defense (if not already completed). This is important to ensure that all doctoral requirements are met in time to start the fellowship.

Postdoctoral fellows are offered competitive pay with excellent benefits. Salaries for the civilian fellows are administered through the Department of Behavioral Health. Civilian fellows are term Government Service federal employees and eligible for federal benefits. Civilian fellows are funded at the GS-11 grade for the first year, with a potential promotion to GS-12 in the second year if all requirements are met, to include (but not limited to) time in service, licensure and being in good standing in the training program. These salaries with adjusted locality pay can be found at Office of Personnel Management website.

For the 2024-2025 training year, the GS-11 step 1 stipend was $68,084 and the GS-12 step 1 stipend was $79,403. Benefits include annual leave (4 hours per pay period) and sick leave (4 hours per pay period), 10 federal holidays, low-cost healthcare plans and enrollment in the GS pension and employee/employer-funded retirement savings plan. Civilian Fellows are also eligible to enroll in the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program for health and dependent care costs.

Military postdoctoral fellows do not receive educational stipends per se, but instead receive their normal military pay, basic allowance for housing, and basic allowance for subsistence based on their rank and time in service, throughout the course of the two-year fellowship. Military salaries and benefits compare favorably with those offered to civilian fellows at SAUSHEC.

Teaching and supervision of others by fellows are important components of the training program. Fellows are expected to serve as supervisors for practicum students, pre-doctoral psychology interns, psychology residents, and/or medical trainees. Fellows will be expected to prepare presentations and teach other trainees, psychology interns, psychology residents, and medical residents throughout the two-year program. It is important that fellows participate in the education of medical providers regarding the role of the child psychologist/consultant and behavioral and psychological treatments for children.

• First year fellows are expected to give at least one presentation to allied healthcare providers, psychology trainees, medical residents, pediatricians or multidisciplinary clinics on a topic of their choice.
• Second year fellows will participate in the education of medical providers regarding the use of pediatric health psychology for their patients during the many opportunities available during their year-long specialty clinic experience.

In addition to clinical supervision, all fellows will be assigned a preceptor who will be available to meet with them regularly. The preceptor's role is to assist the fellow in his/her professional development. The preceptor serves as a confidential helper and guide to stimulate professional development and optimize the fellowship training experience. The preceptor does not supervise clinical cases or participate in fellow evaluations. Additional information about the roles and expectation of the fellow-preceptor relationship will be provided to the fellow in a separate document at orientation.

Central to our program’s mission is promoting a psychologically safe space and preventing burnout. We aim to create an environment where psychology fellows feel valued, supported, and able to express themselves without fear of judgment. Our program includes regular check-ins and mentorship opportunities. Our program’s wellbeing initiatives emphasize the importance of self-care and the utilization of installation resources, such as the Military Family Readiness Center, Vogel Resilience Center, and Armed Forces Wellness Center. Additional information can be found on the Joint Base San Antonio Resiliency Resources website.

Students can also join the BAMC or SAUSHEC wellness committees, allowing them to actively promote wellness within the hospital and graduate medical education, contributing to a supportive and resilient community.

Additionally, we aim to promote well-being by committing to individual diversity and non-discrimination. We value all employees, students, and patients by embracing their diverse talents, perspectives, and experiences. Our goal is to provide a holistic approach to prepare our fellows to serve a diverse population with sensitivity and excellence, reinforcing our commitment to an inclusive professional community.

Diversity components are thoughtfully integrated into didactics and supervision sessions where we explore multicultural competencies, address biases, and discuss strategies to ensure we are providing inclusive care. Our goal is to develop students into leaders and advocates for diversity issues so they can promote unit cohesion and effectiveness by leveraging diverse perspectives and strengths, ultimately contributing to a more robust and adaptive organization. Students can also volunteer to be council members on BAMC’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) executive council or SAUSHEC’s DEI committee.