Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Massachusetts Treatment Center, Bridgewater, MA, USA - 1 Forensic Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sex Offender Treatment & Assessment

The Massachusetts Treatment Center is a medium-security prison located within the Bridgewater Correctional Complex and is a unique facility due to having a population of civilly committed Sexually Dangerous Persons as well as state prison inmates identified as sexual offenders. The Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP) is a cognitive-behavioral approach to treatment utilizing the concepts of the Risk-Need-Responsivity model and the Revised Self-Regulation Model (SRM-R) of Sexual Offending. The SRM-R integrates the Good Lives and Self-Regulation models.

The MTC Fellowship is a 1-year, full-time position. Fellows are required to work 40 hours per week and will be provided with at least 2.5 hours of supervision per week by licensed psychologists. By the end of the fellowship year, fellows will have completed 2,000 training hours. Depending on the track selected by the fellow, as well as the fellow’s clinical interests, the fellow will be involved in the direct provision of forensic/correctional psychological services for 25% to 45% of the fellow’s training hours. Fellows will also attend two weekly didactic seminars. The forensic seminar is dedicated to relevant case law and legal statutes. The second didactic seminar covers a variety of psychological topics.

Fellows can select from three tracks for their fellowship training: Treatment, Assessment, or Combined Track. Fellows will be asked to select a specific track during the application process.

Postdoctoral fellows interested in the treatment of sexual offenders will spend their training year as a treatment clinician for the state and/or civil populations. Fellows will gain experience in the facilitation of process groups, the workings of therapeutic communities, the teaching of psychoeducational courses, the scoring and interpretation of the Stable-2007 and other assessment tools, and developing assessment-based treatment plans. Fellows will also participate in consultation with DOC and mental health personnel.

Postdoctoral fellows interested in the assessment of sexual offenders will spend their training year as an assessment clinician for the state and civil sides. Fellows will gain experience with a variety of assessment tools, in the teaching of psychoeducational courses, and in writing comprehensive psychosexual evaluations. While some of the assessment evaluations will be conducted with a forensic population (e.g. civilly committed sexual offenders), these evaluations are not court-ordered, and are clinical evaluations utilized for the purpose of identifying risk and creating treatment recommendations. Fellows will also participate in consultation with treatment teams, DOC staff, and mental health personnel.

Applicants for the postdoctoral fellowship must have completed all of the requirements for their doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology by the anticipated start date of the postdoctoral fellowship. Applicants must have received their doctoral degrees from APA accredited doctoral programs. Candidates who are “all but dissertation” will not be considered for the fellowship positions. While the completion of an APA accredited internship is not required, it is strongly encouraged. Ideal candidates will have prior experience working in a correctional environment and/or will have experience working with sexual offenders in a secure setting. In order to be considered for the position, applicants must submit to and pass a criminal background investigation (CORI). Additionally, applicants will be required to complete a 40-hour Department of Correction training prior to commencing their clinical duties. The start date is flexible, but postdoctoral fellows must be available to start the fellowship no later than September 1, 2013. The specific start date will be contingent upon DOC training dates.

The application process requires applicants to submit in one e-mail, 1) Application form (located in the Postdoc brochure) 2) an unofficial doctoral transcript, 3) three letters of recommendation (recommendations can also be submitted following the application, when they are received by the applicant), 4) a copy of your current curriculum vitae, 5) an application letter outlining your fit for this fellowship (instructions included in the brochure), 6) writing sample.

Completed applications are due by January 1, 2014. Applicants will receive an e-mail confirming the receipt of their applications. Applicants will be informed, via e-mail, about interviews by January 15, 2014. Interviews will take place during the weeks of February 3rd and 10th. Candidates will be notified of decisions the week of February 17, 2014.

Fellows will be considered full-time employees, they will receive a stipend of approximately $41,000, and they will be eligible for medical, dental, and vision insurance.

To apply, please request the MTC postdoctoral brochure. You can request the brochure by e-mail. Please contact Dr. Shannon Maney (shannonmaneycorreia@gmail.com) with any questions, and to request the brochure. Please include “MTC Postdoctoral Fellowship Brochure Request” in the subject of your e-mail.

Shannon Maney, Psy.D.
Supervising Psychologist
Director of Research
Massachusetts Treatment Center
30 Administration Road
Bridgewater, MA 02324