Postdoctoral Residencies/Fellowships in Medical Psychology

The Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences offers several postdoctoral residencies in psychology specialties for graduates of APA or CPA-approved doctoral programs in clinical or counseling psychology who have completed an APA or CPA-approved predoctoral internship in Clinical Psychology. Training and supervision are provided by psychology faculty and include a broad variety of interdisciplinary educational, research, and clinical training opportunities as well as in-depth experience in providing a wide range of services in the psychology specialties of clinical health psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and forensic psychology. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, pre-licensure hours obtained under the supervision of a clinical psychologist are considered a Residency. Upon meeting the requirements for licensure in Virginia, our trainees are considered Fellows, but continue to work under the direct and indirect supervision of licensed clinical psychology faculty for the duration of their post-doctoral specialty training. Some of our trainees obtain licensure in Virginia as a clinical psychologist prior to or early in training and complete formal post-doctoral fellowship training under the supervision of our faculty.

Educational experiences in the residency/fellowship program include seminars, coordinated by each service and specialty area, which supply the fellow with the necessary knowledge and techniques to provide appropriate professional services in medical settings.

The residency/fellowship program is a one-year, full-time training experience (with a possible renewal for a second year). The program typically begins between July 1st and September 1st of each calendar year.  The residency/fellowship is administered by the Psychology Residency/Fellowship Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences. Each trainee is appointed to the Housestaff of University of Virginia Health and awarded a certificate by UVA Health upon successful completion of the training program. We have a sustained and strong commitment to inclusion and diversity. We strive to ensure that all residents and fellows, no matter their race, sexuality, country of origin, gender, religion or able-bodiedness, feel included and valued for their unique perspectives. In 2024, UVA Health was chosen by Forbes Magazine as the 9th best health care system in their ranking of best employers for diversity. We also ensure that our residents and fellows receive training in accordance with the ASPIRE values of UVA Health.

Charlottesville is a metropolitan city located in the center of the Commonwealth. The City of Charlottesville and the surrounding Albemarle County have a population now exceeding 100,000. The Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, and ski resorts are approximately one-half hour by car to the West; Virginia Beach, three hours to the Southeast; and Washington, D.C., two hours to the Northeast. The focal point of the city is the University of Virginia, which was founded by Thomas Jefferson. The area is rich in history and popular tourist spots include Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s home), Ash Lawn-Highland (James Monroe’s home), and nearby Montpelier (James Madison’s home).  Money magazine has named Charlottesville among the top cities in the United States, Outside magazine listed it as one of their “dream towns,” and Charlottesville has been lauded as one of the top cities for charming atmosphere, book lovers, wine enthusiasts, college football, as well as one of the healthiest cities.

The program is designed to provide sub-specialty training within a large academic medical center. Collaboration between members of different disciplines is valued during the fellowship. The resident or fellow is expected to consolidate and develop further competence in the therapeutic and diagnostic procedures appropriate to their specialty, including the ability to consult with other health care professionals when psychological knowledge makes a unique contribution to patient care. An essential feature of the training program is a balance between ongoing clinical activities and didactic offerings. Participation in faculty research projects, as well as the opportunity to develop independent research projects may also be possible and is considered integral to the scientist-practitioner model in psychology.

Individual supervision for at least two hours per week is provided in each clinical specialty residency/fellowship. The psychology Program Director and Assistant Program Director also hold an orientation meeting at the start of each academic cycle with residents and fellows and host monthly training meetings during the year, provide consultation to the residents and fellows, and oversight of the sub-specialty training programs.

• Completion of graduate program requirements for a doctoral degree in Clinical or Counseling Psychology from an APA or CPA-approved program.
• Completion of an APA or CPA-approved predoctoral internship in Clinical Psychology

• Behavioral Psychology applicants: Complete this application
• Clinical Health Psychology applicants: Complete this application
• Clinical Neuropsychology applicants: Complete the application and requirements listed here
• Forensic Psychology applicants: Complete this application

In addition to the specialty specific applications,  applicants should submit the following:

• A copy of your most recent curriculum vitae
• Graduate school transcripts – an unofficial copy is sufficient for the application. Official transcripts will be required for all incoming fellows prior to their start date.
• Three letters of recommendation from those familiar with your work
• Neuropsychology applicants: Complete the application requirements listed here

Postdoctoral residents are expected to take the EPPP national licensing exam and apply for licensure within the Commonwealth of Virginia within the first six months of their fellowship.  Incoming residents must register their residency in accordance with regulations set forth by the Virginia Board of Psychology and the Code of Virginia. The Program Director and training faculty will provide assistance with completion of these requirements. For more information on requirements, please see the Clinical Psychologist Licensure Process Handbook on the Virginia Board of Psychology website.

Note: UVA Health policy states that all incoming housestaff must pass a background check and drug screening as a requirement for employment.

PLEASE DIRECT ALL MATERIALS & INQUIRIES TO THE SUB-SPECIALTY TRAINING DIRECTOR LISTED ON THE INDIVIDUAL WEB PAGE OF EACH SPECIALTY RESIDENCY/FELLOWSHIP.

The Clinical Neuropsychology postdoctoral training program is an APPCN member programs and participates in the APPCN Resident Matching Program.  The match results will be released on the third Wednesday of each February as specified by match release date as specified by APPCN.  All other programs will inform applicants of selection timeframes and notification procedures.

General information about benefits can be found on the UVA Graduate Medical Education Office website.  Note that some of the benefits pertain only to medical residents (e.g., on-call office).  Specific questions about benefits should be directed to the sub-specialty training directors or to the Program Director.

Upon selection for one of our residency/fellowship programs at University of Virginia Health,  the Program Director will work with the selected residents to confirm a start date and will be the point of contact for the credentialing and appointment process through the Graduate Medical Education Office:

Donna K. Broshek, PhD, ABPP-CN
Director, Psychology Residency/Fellowship Program
Department of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences
Box 800203
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Charlottesville, VA 22908-0223
donna.broshek@uvahealth.org