Clinical Research Postgraduate Fellowship Program

The two-year Clinical Research Postgraduate Fellowship program, which includes the Dr. John J.B. Morgan Fellowship and the Madigan Family Fellowship, provides funding for postdoctoral fellows to pursue research and receive clinical training at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. The Fellowship Program aims to train scientist-practitioners who will become clinical and scientific leaders in the field of family psychology.

The Dr. John J.B. Morgan Postgraduate 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 Margaret Clark Morgan Foundation. The Madigan Family Postdoctoral Fellowship is jointly sponsored by the School of Education and Social Policy of Northwestern University and The Family Institute at Northwestern University.

The Family Institute's research program, which is affiliated with Northwestern University's Psychology Department, conducts research on the systemic context of psychopathology, couple and family dynamics, mental disorders, and psychotherapeutic change. Please click here for more information about the research ongoing at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. The Family Institute provides 53,000 therapy sessions to more than 4,300 individuals, couples and families per year, making it an ideal context for conducting clinical research.

One Postgraduate Fellow is recruited each year to work on a specific program of research conducted at The Family Institute at Northwestern University. Morgan and Madigan Postgraduate Fellows are recruited in alternate years, but have similar research, training, and clinical responsibilities. The Fellowship also provides some protected time to develop individual research interests. The Fellowship Program's clinical, research, and training opportunities are described below.

Clinical Experience

Caseload
Each Fellow maintains a clinical practice through The Family Institute's Bette D. Harris Family and Child Clinic. This caseload includes individual, couple, and family modalities of psychotherapy with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds. On average, Fellows conduct 10 hours of psychotherapy per week. Upon successful completion of the fellowship, Fellows will have obtained the supervised clinical hours required to become licensed in the State of Illinois.

Group Supervision
Senior staff clinicians supervise each cohort of Clinical Research Fellows for 1.5 hours per week in a small group format. The focus of clinical supervision is on case presentation, video and live interviews, and application of The Family Institute's integrative model of systemic therapy. Fellows are required to conduct at least two observed clinical interviews per year.

Individual Supervision
Fellows meet with an individual supervisor for one hour per week of additional clinical supervision.

Education and Training

Couples Seminar
Fellows participate in a bi-weekly seminar on couple psychotherapy taught by a senior member of The Family Institute's faculty.

Grand Rounds
Fellows participate in monthly Grand Rounds meetings, during which a clinical case or intervention topic is presented and discussed in a theoretical or empirical context. Each Fellow is required to conduct one Grand Rounds presentation per year.

Research Mentoring
Fellows meet with an assigned research faculty member periodically to focus on formulating professional goals, achieving research objectives, and developing career plans.

Research Department Meetings
Fellows participate in monthly Research Department meetings. These meetings bring together the research faculty of The Family Institute to discuss issues related to research development and execution, methodology, theory development, data analysis, and dissemination of results.

Additional Clinical Training 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 Family Institute's specialized clinical intervention areas, which include children and adolescents; psychological assessment; anxiety and depression; the Mindfulness and Behavior Therapy Program; group psychotherapy; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

Professional Development

Teaching
Fellows have the opportunity to work as teaching assistants in courses taught by faculty of The Family Institute in Northwestern University's master's degree programs in marriage and family therapy and counseling psychology. On a select basis, Fellows teach undergraduate courses through the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University.

Marketing
The Bette D. Harris Family and Child Clinic generates clinical case referrals for Fellows. In addition, Fellows are encouraged 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 Family Institute at professional conferences and public health events.

Administration
Professional skills are developed through practical experience cultivated by working in a large, university-affiliated clinical and research center. These activities include financial and clinical record-keeping; balancing research, clinical, and training activities; communication and collaboration with staff; and attendance at staff meetings and ancillary functions.

Career Pathways
Fellows who have completed a Clinical Research Fellowship have accepted positions in hospitals, universities, clinical agencies, government, research centers, and private practice. Several former Fellows have become valued members of The Family Institute's professional staff.

Benefits

Fellowship benefits include a $33,000 annual salary; access to Northwestern University's campus resources and libraries; paid holidays; four weeks of vacation; stipends to attend professional conferences when presenting research; paid membership to one professional organization; health insurance; and paid professional liability insurance.

Application Information

PLEASE NOTE: The Family Institute will not be recruiting Madigan Family Fellowship applicants for the academic year 2012 - 2013. Please check this website next year for recruitment information for the Dr. John J.B. Morgan Fellowship for the academic year 2013 - 2014.

Information about the research program with which the Fellow will be working, along with specific application instructions for the upcoming year, is typically posted in October. Fellowship application deadlines are in January, and interviews for selected candidates are held in February.

Preferred applicants will have completed a Ph.D. in clinical or counseling psychology, as well as an APA-approved internship. Competitive candidates with a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy will also be considered. Clinical Research Fellows must have successfully defended their dissertation before the Fellowship begins.

Competitive applicants typically have a track record of research activity, including publication and / or presentation of empirical work. Applicants should also have strong interests in the systemic context of psychopathology, 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. The Fellowships embody the scientist-practitioner training model. Successful candidates are those who wish to integrate clinical research and practice in their professional careers.

Prospective applicants who are primarily interested in clinical training and career development are encouraged to apply to our Postgraduate General Clinical Fellowship. Applications to both the Clinical Research Fellowship and the Postgraduate General Clinical Fellowship are not allowed.

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 Family 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.

If you have questions about the Clinical Research Postgraduate Fellowship program, please contact Lynne Knobloch-Fedders, PhD, Director of Research, at 847-733-4300, ext. 796 or l-knobloch@northwestern.edu.