Morgan Fellowship

WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE MORGAN FELLOWSHIP AT THIS TIME. WE WILL BE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2011-2013 IN FALL 2010.

The two-year Fellowship facilitates the training of scientist-practitioners in the tradition of Dr. John J. B. Morgan, a nationally known psychologist affiliated with Northwestern University from 1925 until his death in 1945. The Dr. John J.B. Morgan Fellowship is supported by grants from the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.

This two-year Fellowship provides funding for a postdoctoral fellow to pursue research and receive clinical training at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. The Institute’s research program, which is closely linked to Northwestern University’s Psychology Department, conducts research on couple and family dynamics, mental disorders, and psychotherapeutic change. The Family Institute provides 53,000 therapy sessions to more than 4,300 individuals, couples and families per year, which makes it an ideal context for conducting clinical research.

The postdoctoral fellow will work on one of two projects. The first is the Depression, Anxiety and Couples Project. This research program investigates the interpersonal context of relationship distress, anxiety, and depression in couples, as well as their response to conjoint psychotherapy (under the supervision of Dr. Lynne Knobloch-Fedders, principal investigator). Primary responsibilities will include: serving as a project coordinator on the project; overseeing data collection, data analyses, and manuscript preparation; and supervising undergraduate and graduate students conducting observational coding of couples’ interactions. Successful candidates will have an interest in the study of couples’ interpersonal behavior and its association with mood and anxiety disorders; and appropriate experience and training in observational methods and/or advanced data analytic techniques such as sequential analysis or multilevel modeling. Please click here for a more detailed description of the project.

The second is the Temperamental and Family Risk Factors for Depression Project. This research program is investigating contributions of child temperament and family interaction processes to young children’s risk for depression (under the supervision of Dr. Emily Durbin, principal investigator). Primary responsibilities will include: serving as a project coordinator on the project; supervising graduate and undergraduate students conducting observational coding of marital and parent-child interactions; and data analysis and manuscript preparation. Successful candidates will have an interest in mood disorders and developmental psychopathology, and appropriate experience and training in observational methods and/or advanced data analytic techniques. Please click here for a more detailed description of the project.

Preferred applicants will have completed a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, as well as an APA approved internship. Strong candidates with a Ph.D. in counseling psychology or Marriage and Family Therapy will also be considered. The applicant should have strong interests in psychotherapy research and family systems theory and therapy. Specifically, applicants should have taken at least one course in systemic family therapy and have been supervised on some cases by a mental health professional with systemic clinical experience and training. This fellowship embodies the Scientist-Practitioner training model, which is to say that successful candidates will be those who are interested in integrating clinical research and practice in their professional lives.  Prospective applicants who are primarily interested in clinical training are encouraged to visit our Postgraduate General Clinical Fellowship in Marital and Family Therapy.

Clinical Experience

• Caseload
  Each fellow maintains a clinical practice through The Institute’s Bette D. Harris Family and Child Clinic and/or Community Outreach Program.  The caseload includes individual, couple and family modalities of therapy with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.  Hours accumulated during the fellowship can be used toward licensure.

• Group Supervision
  Senior staff clinicians meet with each cohort of Fellows for two hours per week of supervision in a small group format.  The focus of supervision is on case presentation, video and live interviews and clinical application of The Family Institute model of systemic therapy.  Fellows are required to do at least two observed clinical interviews during the academic year.

• Individual Supervision
  Fellows meet with an individual supervisor for one hour per week.

Education

• Teaching Opportunity in Marital and Family Therapy
  Family Institute faculty present weekly lectures to our Northwestern University graduate students on the basic concepts and methods of systems theory.  Fellows have the opportunity to be a Teaching Assistant for some of our courses.

• Couples Seminar
  Fellows meet on a bi-weekly basis with a senior member of the faculty for a seminar on treating couples.

• Grand Rounds
  Fellows participate in monthly grand rounds meetings, where a case or a topic of interest is presented and discussed in a theoretical context.  Each Fellow is required to present once per year.

• Additional Opportunities
  Clinical training is supplemented by a variety of workshops, seminars, colloquia and professional conferences offered throughout the year.  Fellows may also participate in one or more of The Institute’s specialized areas which focus on children and adolescents, adoptive families, family business, midlife and aging, psychological assessment, anxiety and panic, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

Professional Development

• Marketing
  The Bette D. Harris Family and Child Clinic generates case referrals for Fellows.  In addition, Fellows are expected to market their own practices as well as other clinical services offered at The Family Institute.  Initiatives may include speaking to community groups, meeting with representatives from local schools, social service agencies, hospitals or corporations and representing The Institute at professional conferences and public health events.

• Administration
  Professional skills are developed through practical experience with the internal operations of The Institute.  These activities include maintenance of schedules, ongoing communication with staff, clients and community, financial and clinical record-keeping, and attendance at staff meetings and ancillary functions.

• Mentors
  Fellows meet with individual mentors for one hour a week to focus on issues of professional development.

Career Paths

Those who have completed The Family Institute at Northwestern University Fellowship have accepted positions in hospitals, universities, government policy/research positions or private practice.  Several former Fellows have become valued members of The Family Institute’s highly regarded clinical staff.

Benefits

Benefits include: a $32,500 stipend, access to Northwestern University Libraries and Northwestern University Wildcard benefits, paid holidays, 4 weeks of vacation, attendance to professional conferences when presenting, paid membership to one professional organization, health insurance and paid professional liability insurance. The fellowship position offers teaching opportunities, mentorship, and career development. Upon completion of the fellowship, fellows will have the supervised clinical hours required to become licensed in the state of Illinois.

The Fellowship is based at The Family Institute on Northwestern University's Evanston, Illinois campus.

The Family Institute actively seeks applicants from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups so that our body of students, fellows, faculty and staff will more closely reflect the diversity of American society. Furthermore, The Institute is committed to broad inclusiveness and affording equal opportunity to all without regard to age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation or physical ability.