POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP

in Forensic Psychology with Gold Standard Forensics

We're pleased to announce that we will be hiring up to three postdoctoral fellows for the next training year. We are a private practice that primarily provides court-ordered and attorney-retained forensic evaluations within both criminal and civil contexts and in both state and federal courts. We're centrally located in Albuquerque, NM, and also provide services to the surrounding communities. We conduct forensic evaluations for a variety of referral questions and with clients across the life-span.

Types of Evaluations Conducted

CIVIL:

Pre-employment
Fitness-for-duty
Disability assessments / independent medical
Decisional capacity
Psychological damages / personal injury
Risk and threat assessment (i.e., workplace or school)

CRIMINAL:

Competency to stand trial
Mental state at the time of the offense
- Not guilty by reason of insanity
- Diminished capacity
Violence and sexual risk assessment
Sentencing: mitigating and aggravating factors
Other criminal competencies (e.g., Miranda waiver)
Evaluation of potential malingering
Psychopathy and other personality disorders
General cognitive functioning / neuropsychological screenings
Trauma and victimization
Juvenile forensic

Primary
Training Experiences

Exposure to variety of court or attorney-referred criminal and civil evaluations.
Diverse population and training experiences.
- All ages, all demographics, and a variety of psychiatric presentations.
Administration of various psychological test measures, including intelligence, cognitive, personality, neuropsychological, and symptom validity measures.
- Test administration also includes exposure to modern approaches to psychological testing (i.e., iPads and computers).
Supervision from a variety of licensed psychologists.
- The structure allows the fellow to vary the types of referrals they participate in and increase their breadth of training and supervision.
Fellows will conduct evaluations both virtually and in person (in the office and at various correctional facilities across the state).
Experience working with interpreters.

Additional Experiences

Weekly didactic series: The one-hour seminar cover a broad range of topics on law and psychology and are conducted by well-known professionals in the field of law and mental health
Weekly group supervision meetings: These one-hour meetings cover a discussion of the postdoctoral fellows’ present cases and other cases that are relevant to the postdoctoral fellows’ work.
Mock trial that is run with legal professionals
Involvement in policy/training meetings
Testimony in court
Ability to conduct research
Ability to work with other state agencies
Opportunity to audit a Mental Health Law course through UNM

Program Sequence of Training

We follow a sequential, developmental model in a private-practice setting:

The postdoctoral fellows will spend three months at a time with a supervisor
- For example: September to December with Supervisor 1, December to March with Supervisor 2, March to June with Supervisor 1, and June to September with Supervisor 2
Throughout the year, the postdoctoral fellows will be engaged in the same activities (forensic and clinical evaluations), and the particularities of the activities (e.g., level of involvement in evaluation process and type of evaluation) will depend on the postdoctoral fellow’s level of development.

Postdoctoral fellows complete forensic and clinical evaluations:

For the interview portion of the evaluation: first, the fellow observes their supervisor administer the interview portion of the evaluation. Once the supervisor believes the fellow can conduct the interview, the supervisor observes a few interviews and then allows the fellow to conduct the interviews on their own when the supervisor feels they are ready.
For the report writing portion, throughout their time, the fellow writes up the full evaluation, and the supervisor reviews the reports until they feel the report is ready to be submitted to referral party.
For the first 2 three-month rotations, the fellow follows their supervisor’s style, format, and way to complete evaluations. For the second 2 three-month rotations, the fellow is allowed to complete evaluations in the manner that they feel is best for them (e.g., make up their own interviews and report templates).

Furthermore, the type of evaluation assigned to the postdoctoral fellow depends on their level of training. Postdoctoral fellows start with disability and/or competency evaluations and then move on to more complicated cases, like mitigation for sentencing, once the supervisor feels they are ready.

Method of Evaluation and Due Process

At the end of each three-month rotation, the supervisor and postdoctoral fellow fill out evaluation forms to assess the postdoctoral fellow’s performance as a clinician, the supervisor’s performance as a supervisor, and the program in general

Due Process:

Due Process Procedures are implemented in situations in which:
- A supervisor or staff member raises a concern about the functioning of a postdoctoral fellow, or
- The fellow hasn't met a required rating on the evaluation form
- The fellowship’s Due Process procedures occur in a stepwise fashion, involving greater levels of intervention as a problem increases in persistence, complexity, or level of disruption to the training program.

Grievances:

Grievance Procedures are implemented in situations in which a psychology fellow raises a concern about a supervisor or other faculty member, trainee, or any aspect of the fellowship training program.
Fellows who pursue grievances in good faith will not experience any adverse professional consequences.

The full Due Process and Grievance policy can be found in one of GSF’s shared Google Drive folders.

Why Choose Us?

Completing a postdoctoral fellowship with a private practice offers a unique opportunity to observe and learn how to function as an independent psychologist in a private practice setting. In addition to completing evaluations, you will be involved in the business and administrative aspects of private practices (i.e., providing feedback to attorneys, learning billing procedures).

The need for forensic evaluation services is increasing in New Mexico. There has been a recent focus on improvement and efficiency in providing these services, with GSF staff being key contributors. This allows for fellows to be a part of a new and expanding practice that is invested in improving the forensic mental health services and in training new psychologists in the state.

The fellowship also offers flexibility in training experiences. Given the variety of referrals and diverse population Gold Standard Forensics fellows have the opportunity obtain training to meet their professional and personal goals. The private practice setting also allows for flexibility in scheduling.

There are opportunities to be engaged in activities outside of forensic evaluations. New Mexico is a unique state for psychologists to practice in, as they frequently engage in tasks related to public policy, which includes working with New Mexico’s legislative bodies to advocate for and write laws.

Fellowship
Objectives

Increase proficiency and confidence in conducting forensic evaluations to address a variety of psycholegal referral questions.
Develop increased skills in written and verbal communication of psycholegal information to interdisciplinary audiences.
Hone skills in test selection, administration, and interpretation with focus on answering the psycholegal question.
Increase awareness and refine one’s multicultural lens in working through all stages of a forensic evaluation.
Readiness for independent practice in forensic clinical work at the end of the fellowship training year.

Stipend

The fellow will earn $55,000 per year. Medical, vacation, and sick leave are included. The training year runs from the beginning of September to the end of August. Start and end dates for fellowship are somewhat flexible, based on individual circumstances.

Qualifications

Eligible to work in the United States;
Obtained a doctorate degree in clinical, counseling, or school psychology from an APA/CPA-approved doctoral program; and
Completed an APA/CPA-approved pre- doctoral internship.
Applicants of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Please send the following materials to info@goldforensics.com:

CV
Cover letter detailing:
- Your previous training experiences
- Why you believe the fellowship is a good fit for you
- Your goals for fellowship
- Your career goals
Deidentified evaluation, preferably one addressing a forensic referral question
Three letters of recommendation, at least one from your internship

Applications are due by the 15th of January.

We will be following the UAD rules.

Interviews will be held between the end of January and beginning of February.

Meet Your Training Directors

Meet Dr. Julie M. Brovko

Meet Dr. Simone Viljoen