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Applications due Friday, December 10, 2024 for Priority Deadline

The Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ Postdoctoral Residency offers a training experience primarily based at the Clinical Psychology Center (CPC), a university-affiliated training clinic, with additional collaborations involving various community partners and divisions of the university.

Located in Missoula, Montana, the residency draws upon a rich training environment connected to APA-accredited doctoral training programs in clinical and school psychology at the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and an established clinic serving diverse populations. As a healthcare hub for Western Montana, Missoula is uniquely situated to provide trainees with experiences in working with rural and underserved populations. Further, Missoula is also a cultural and recreational mecca for a wide variety of educational, entertainment, and outdoor activities. The university community offers a highly desirable, progressive environment rich in career opportunities and unique in enhancing work/life balance and healthy lifestyles. Hiking, mountain biking, skiing, music festivals, whitewater rafting, and hunting/fishing abound. 

Oversight of the training experience will be provided by Dr. Raurie Birch, the director of the CPC. During the postdoctoral residency, there will be ongoing development of opportunities to collaborate with university psychology department faculty and with local clinics providing integrated behavioral healthcare. Throughout their training, residents will have a minimum of two hours of face-to-face, individual, scheduled supervision per week. They will have the opportunity to participate in various didactic experiences within the psychology department and university at large, including with our affiliated family medicine residency program.  

Our post-doctoral training program is structured as a one year (2000 hour) clinical program. An initial contract of one year will be offered, with the possibility of renewal for an additional year.

Clinical Psychology Center (CPC): 

The Clinical Psychology Center (CPC) serves as the training clinic affiliated with the Psychology Department at the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥. Our primary mission at the CPC is to foster the education and training of psychologists as versatile scientist-practitioners by offering evidence-based psychological services to the Missoula community and its neighboring areas. Our patient population spans across all age groups, ranging from children to seniors. In addition to our clinical services, CPC is committed to advancing the field of psychology through clinical research.   

Since its establishment in 1967, the CPC has been an integral part of the doctoral program in clinical psychology at the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥. At present, the CPC functions as a pivotal training, research, and service component of our American Psychological Association accredited doctoral training programs in Clinical and School Psychology. Our facilities encompass therapy rooms and psychological testing spaces, as well as classrooms and workspaces dedicated to faculty and student clinical training, didactic instruction, and research initiatives. 

Our residents will participate in conducting psychotherapy and psychological evaluations within our outpatient setting for a diverse patient population who seek services for a broad spectrum of presenting concerns. Residents also have the opportunity to provide supervision for our graduate psychology Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ for their psychotherapy and assessment cases. Additionally, consistent with the scientist-practitioner model of training, residents will have the opportunity to engage in various didactic experiences as well as in research to develop their own research project and/or collaborate with other researchers at the institution.  

Additional Comments Section:  

Ideal applicants are trainees from APA-accredited health service psychology doctoral and internship programs, with experience in assessment and psychotherapy, who are interested in further developing their skills within interprofessional clinical settings.

Additional Information

Application Instructions

Prospective applicants should submit the following documents to Dr. Raurie Birch at raurie.birch@umontana.edu or 1444 Mansfield Ave., Missoula, MT, 59801:

1. A cover letter expressing interest in the Residency program.
2. A Curriculum Vitae (CV) detailing internship and practicum experiences.
3. Three letters of recommendation, ideally including one from a current clinical supervisor (each sent separately).
4. A letter from the graduate program's Director of Clinical Training, confirming enrollment status and the expected date of graduation (including the degree conferment date).
5. A letter from the internship Training Director, verifying program standing.
6. An official graduate school transcript.

Applications from Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ enrolled in APA-Accredited doctoral programs will be reviewed by two members of the Postdoctoral Residency Training Committee and the Training Director if fully submitted by the application deadline.

Interviews, conducted via video conference, will be scheduled individually. Invited applicants can anticipate a two-hour individual interview with two or more members of the Postdoctoral Residency Training Committee. They also have the option to request additional individual meetings with any committee member. Each applicant will have an opportunity to meet with the Training Director to learn more about the program. Interviews commence in February, with ongoing recruitment if positions remain unfilled. Interviews occur during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time Zone) via video conference.

Following interviews, supervising psychologists and the Training Director will collaboratively rank applicants based on applications and interview performance, reaching a final ranking through consensus.

Before starting the Residency, applicants must meet the following criteria:

1. Completion of all doctoral degree requirements in clinical, counseling, or school psychology from an APA-Accredited program.
2. Successful completion of an APA-Accredited doctoral psychology internship program.
3. Possession of the doctoral diploma on the first day of the Residency or a letter from the Director of Clinical Training confirming degree requirements completion pending graduation.
4. Submission of an application to the State of Montana for psychology candidate status, allowing for licensure hours accumulation starting from the first day of the Residency.