Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Service Psychology

Applicants must possess a doctoral degree in counseling or clinical Psychology from an APA/CPA accredited program and preference given to applicants who have completed an APA/CPA accredited internship. Please note that current doctoral interns from this program are given preference when applying for the postdoctoral fellowship positions. It is expected that applicants will have completed all degree requirements by the beginning of the fellowship year.  Applicants must also possess a strong demonstrated interest in working with a diverse, multicultural college student population. The fellowship begins on July 28, 2025, with a stipend of $71,760. Fellows also receive medical insurance, vacation, sick leave, professional development time, and other university benefits (e.g., library privileges, and access to university recreational facilities for a fee). According to the University of California policies, this fellowship is considered a sensitive position and requires a background check and medical clearance as a condition of employment. 

Application Procedures  

Our Postdoctoral Fellowship Program will be using the uniform notification date set forth by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Center (APPIC). Our Postdoctoral Fellowship Program uses the APPIC Psychology Postdoctoral Application – Centralized Application System (APPA CAS). The specific application requirements for our Postdoctoral Fellowship Program are indicated below as well as within the APPA CAS system. The following must be submitted through the APPA CAS system by January 5, 2025 (9:00 PM PST/midnight EST):

1. A cover letter indicating your specific interests in our program 
2. A current vita
3. Two letters of recommendation from individuals knowledgeable about your clinical skill
4. A letter (statement) from your dissertation Chair stating your anticipated defense date

Applications can be addressed to the Chair of the Search, Kusha Murarka, PsyDm

2024-2025 Postdoctoral Fellowship Manual

• Is it appropriate for applicants to contact current trainees and staff with questions?
  • Yes. Please email the Chair of the Search, Kusha Murarka, PsyD (kmurarka@berkeley.edu) to request current trainees and staff contact information. When contacting trainees and staff, please ask how they would prefer to be in communication (e.g., phone or email).
• How diverse is UC Berkeley’s student body?  

  • UC Berkeley’s community has rich cultural, ethnic, social, and socioeconomic diversity in which every state and over 100 countries are represented. For instance, in Fall 2024, Berkeley had 33,070 undergraduate students and 12, 812 graduate students. Of the new undergraduate students, about 29% of them were first-generation college students; about 27% of them were from underrepresented minority groups; about 13% of them identified as LGBTQ+ individuals; about 10% of them are international students. More diversity data can be viewed on these links below:

https://opa.berkeley.edu/campus-data/uc-berkeley-quick-facts

https://opa.berkeley.edu/uc-berkeley-fall-enrollment-data-new-undergraduates

• Does CAPS work from a Single Session model of therapy?

• • No, CAPS provides short-term mental health counseling prioritizing same-day appointments to ensure students have rapid access to care. Our model is focused on Open and Rapid Access to students given the historic wait times in UCCs. 

• Are there session limits at CAPS?
  • Technically, we do not advertise session limits, but in the 2023-2024 academic year students utilized 2-3 sessions on average, with a range of 1-48 this past year! The mode for counseling at most UCCs across the country is 1 session. Our Open Access model is intended to be “come in as needed” rather than time-limited like most traditional brief therapy models. We believe that “one size does NOT fit all” so it makes more sense to offer open-ended sessions for this student population. Up-front assessment is typically decreased and the counselor and student quickly engage in the intervention phase of the counseling process. The approach is flexible based on the student’s needs, counselor’s judgment, and availability. If students are wanting weekly, regular sessions, then we will often talk about other resources and/or referral into the community.

• Will you accept a 3rd letter of recommendation?
  • We will accept it but we may not read it. Given the number of applications we receive and the short time allotted before we need to make very important decisions (i.e., who to interview) we suggest only sending 2 letters from individuals you believe can best speak to your skills and areas for growth. This will ensure we read your best letters of support. 
• What are you looking for in a postdoctoral fellow?
  • The majority of our postdoctoral fellows have previous practical experience in counseling centers, experience providing brief therapy, and experience with crisis management. It is helpful if the fellows have some knowledge of career counseling/assessment. As a staff, we value diversity both in terms of learning from each other and from the students we serve. Applicants who can articulate how diversity has impacted them on a personal and professional level tend to be a good fit for our training program. Similarly, we are looking for individuals who enjoy working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team setting. 
• Do you look at social networking sites as part of the evaluation process?
  • Currently, we do not seek out information from social networking sites as part of our evaluation process. 
• Do you provide telemental health?
  • Yes, we offer the option of receiving mental health services remotely through phone and Zoom video. Fellows are issued laptops so they can work from home and provide these telemental health options. However, post-pandemic campus life and student demand have increased the need for on-site, in-person services, so the majority of services are now being offered in person. 
• Can I receive specialized training in some clinical areas?
  • You will get specialized training in providing multiculturally competent brief therapy; crisis management; and group therapy. Other specialized training (e.g., specific clinical issues, couples counseling, specific populations) can occur through individual supervision. However, this needs to be discussed with the Training Director and your supervisor. If you have specific training goals/needs that are not specified in our materials please ask before, or during, the interview so we can discuss the possibilities. 
• How many long-term clients do I get to have?
  • Two. However, the clients you see for longer-term therapy need to fit specific criteria that you will discuss with your supervisor and colleagues in case conference.
• Are there opportunities for testing?
  • There are a number of assessments available for fellows to use in working with students. Our staff primarily uses the Strong Interest Inventory, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the California Psychological Inventory, MMPI-II, and depression and anxiety inventories.
• Are there opportunities to do outreach?
  • Yes. CAPS frequently gets requests from the campus to do workshops, trainings, and other preventive mental health programs as well as doing proactive outreach work to the campus to reach underserved populations. CAPS does approximately 100 outreach events/year. Fellows are expected to be involved in these outreach efforts (the expectation is that fellows will be involved in approximately two programs per semester) and to develop their skills and comfort level in leading such programs. In addition, fellows are paired with senior clinicians to respond to urgent outreach requests (e.g., crisis debriefings, and responses to campus emergencies), which may involve evening work. Finally, fellows have served as liaisons to residential life (dormitories), providing consultation to resident advisors and resident directors, as needed.
• Will fellows be able to provide supervision?
  • Typically, there are no opportunities for fellows to provide supervision; our doctoral interns provide supervision to career interns. Fellows may lead a group with a doctoral intern or career intern in the Spring or Summer semester and provide secondary supervision.
• How are supervisory assignments made?
  • During the summer, fellows are sent an email asking, among other things, what their goals are for supervision and what they would like in a supervisor. The training staff meets to discuss possible matches based on the stated interests and goals of the incoming doctoral intern. Similarly, staff also have a say in whom they would like to work with based on their availability and own interests.
• How would you characterize the culture of the Counseling Center and Social Services?
  • We like to have fun with each other, love working with college students, and enjoy celebrating each other's accomplishments (with food). That said, this is a fast-paced setting that is highly utilized. Thus, there can be increased stress during certain times of the year when demand for services is high. We continually look at how we can better meet the need for student access while at the same time monitoring self-care.
• Are staff involved in research? 
  • A few members are involved in research and publishing. However, there is no formal program of research taking place at Counseling & Psychological Services. Fellows who are interested in developing research skills may also consider participating in the research apprenticeship.
• Are there opportunities to teach?
  • There is no formal opportunity to teach on an ongoing basis; however, there are opportunities to guest lecture. In the past, some fellows have taken adjunct teaching positions at neighboring universities (e.g., the University of San Francisco, Santa Clara, and the Wright Institute).
• Will I get my own office? 
  • Due to hybrid schedules, we are currently sharing offices. Fellows will be assigned a specific office for the days they are designated to work on-site.
• Will I have access to computers?
  • Of course. Each office is equipped with a desktop computer and each fellow will be issued a Chromebook which allows access to patient information. All notes and scheduling are done electronically on our electronic medical records system.
• How many applications do you typically receive and how many applicants will remain under active consideration after interviews?
  • We typically receive 25-35 for 3-4 postdoctoral fellowship positions.
• Do I need to call you after the interview to "show interest" and hopefully improve my chances of getting ranked high?
  • No. However, feel free to contact us if you have any questions that are not addressed on our website or that were not addressed during the interview. Email is often the easiest way to reach us.
•  Do you have an Open House?
  • Yes, we do offer a virtual open house opportunity in a Q&A format on Zoom. If you would like to visit in-person, please email the Chair of the Search, Kusha Murarka, PsyD (kmurarka@berkeley.edu).
• What do fellows do after they leave?
  • All kinds of things. The majority go on to work in university counseling centers; others go on to teach, and fewer go into private practice.
• Do postdoctoral fellows get preferential consideration for job openings?
  • Not really, although several postdoctoral fellows have joined our staff at some point after finishing their training experience. Having worked here helps you understand the challenges and rewards of working at CAPS and thus gives any applicant somewhat of an advantage during an interview.
• Could you describe the diversity of your staff?
  • Our counseling center prides itself on the diversity of the staff. Our staff is diverse with respect to age, gender, ethnicity, ableness, sexual orientation, religion/spirituality, and size. In addition, theoretical orientations and areas of expertise vary among staff members. Learn more about our staff.