DSH - Patton: Psychology Fellowship Application Process

The Neuropsychology Application Postmark Deadline is January 10, 2022.
The Forensic Psychology Application Postmark Deadline is January 10, 2022.

Minimum Qualifications:

The minimal qualifications for applicant candidates include receipt of a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) in clinical psychology, completion of an APA-accredited predoctoral internship program of at least 1,800 hours, and a strong interest in pursuit of advanced training in forensic psychology or neuropsychology. For those applying prior to completion of the predoctoral internship year, the applicant must provide substantiation from the internship director that the applicant is in good standing and making adequate progress towards completion of the predoctoral internship program. Applicants applying prior to completion of the graduate degree must provide firm evidence that the doctoral degree will be conferred prior to the start date of the postdoctoral training year (usually September 1).

Number of Positions:

Our Neuropsychology fellowship accepts one new fellow every year for two-year fellowship appointments. Therefore, we have two neuropsychology fellows each year (one first-year fellow and one second-year fellow). The Forensic fellowship accepts two new fellows each year for one-year fellowship appointments.

Application Procedure:

All application materials must be postmarked by the respective deadlines above to allow the Postdoctoral Fellowship Director and Committee sufficient time to review applications for the selection process. All of the following materials must be postmarked or emailed by the deadline in order to complete the application. Please clearly specify in your cover letter whether you are applying to the Forensic Fellowship or the Neuropsychology Fellowship.

Completed applications require receipt of the following:

  • Cover letter addressing why Patton's neuropsychology or forensic fellowship is a good fit for the applicant. Please include the dissertation defense date (or expected date), clinical interests, and research interests in your cover letter.
  • Completed California Examination and/or Employment Application Form
  • Three letters of recommendation including one from the dissertation chair and two from supervisors who can speak to the applicant's experiences in forensic psychology or clinical neuropsychology (depending on the track applied to)
  • Official transcripts from all graduate schools attended
  • Current Curriculum Vita
  • Personal Statement (similar to the internship AAPI personal statement in length and content)
  • Table documenting the number assessment instruments administered and/or interpreted (similar to the AAPI assessment tables)
  • One sample neuropsychological report (neuropsychology track) or forensic report (forensic track)
  • Applicants to the neuropsychology fellowship should mail the materials listed above to Dominique Kinney, Ph.D. and Steve Nitch, Ph.D., ABPP, Department of Psychology, 3102 E. Highland Ave., Patton, CA 92369.  Drs. Kinney and Nitch can be reached via email at Dominique.Kinney@dsh.ca.gov and Steve.Nitch@dsh.ca.gov.
  • Applicants to the forensic track should mail the materials listed above to David Glassmire, Ph.D., ABPP, Department of Psychology, 3102 E. Highland Ave., Patton, CA 92369.  Dr. Glassmire can be reached via email at David.Glassmire@dsh.ca.gov.

In addition, prior to beginning employment as a postdoctoral fellow in either track, a criminal justice background and fingerprint check is mandatory and the fellow must complete a pre-employment physical exam.

Please note that all application materials, including the California Examination and/or Employment Application form must be completed in their entirety. Our Human Resources Department will not accept these forms with notations such as "see attached vita" in lieu of completing the items in the actual forms.

After a preliminary review of applications, the top candidates will be invited for an on-site interview. On the day of the interview, applicants in both tracks will be asked to complete a written work sample based on psychological testing data that will be provided.

The neuropsychology fellowship is a member of the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology (APPCN) and participates in the APPCN match. Applicants are encouraged to review the APPCN match policies and deadlines early in the application process on the APPCN website.

The forensic fellowship is participating in the Uniform Acceptance Date (UAD) process for forensic fellowships. This year, the UAD for forensic fellowships is February 26, 2018. Although our fellowship may make an offer prior to the UAD, we will not require applicants to accept an offer prior to February 26, 2018.

For further information you can e-mail Dr. Glassmire using the email address below:

David Glassmire, Ph.D., ABPP
Director, Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
Department of State Hospitals - Patton
Department of Psychology (AX-234)
3102 E. Highland Avenue
Patton, CA 92369
Phone: (909) 425-6573
E-mail: David.Glassmire@dsh.ca.gov