The Post-MSW Graduate Fellowship provides supervised advanced training to individuals with a Master of Social Work degree from a program accredited by the Council of Social Work Education. The general goal of the program is to provide Fellows with an opportunity to enhance and deepen clinical psychotherapy skills, initial assessment, peer supervision, crisis management and the use of community resources for referral and after care. The program makes every effort to promote the values and ethical principles and ethical standards inherent in being a social worker. It is the Center’s goal to enhance human well-being and help meet the human basic needs of all people within a social context with particular sensitivity to ethnic and cultural diversity (1999 NASW Code of Ethics). Each Fellow will receive experience working in a University Mental Health setting that serves Emory University, which includes undergraduate and graduate students.

Fellows receive intensive, supportive training, which is designed to prepare Fellows for the diversity of roles which social workers assume in their career paths. It is expected that Fellows will work with a variety of clients, cultural backgrounds, presenting problems, and treatment modalities. In addition, each Fellow has the opportunity to work with an identified Specialty Supervisor in order to focus their training on a particular area of clinical interest. Selections for the Fellowships are made without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, age, disability, sexual/affectional orientation, or veteran's status.

Trainee Self-Disclosure Policy:

Training staff at Emory University CAPS value the power and complexity of the therapeutic relationship. Because of this value, in our intervention, supervision, and training activities there is a focus on the "person-of-the-therapist" and how this may impact the quality and effectiveness of work with clients and consultees. Trainees may be asked to reflect upon and share the ways that their own personal qualities, reactions and experiences influence and are impacted by their clinical work in supervision and other training settings. Such exploration and disclosure is not intended to serve as psychotherapy for the trainee, and is focused on enhancing self-awareness and professional development as related to the trainee's clinical practice during the training program. Supervisors and other training staff are expected to explore relevant information in a respectful, non-coercive manner, within the context of a safe and supportive professional relationship.

Program Structure

The Post-MSW Graduate Fellowship program begins on August 1 and ends on July 31. All Fellows are based within CAPS, but also spend some of their training time in other settings on campus. Services at CAPS are provided primarily between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. However, staff members and trainees provide some psychoeducational outreach programs and crisis intervention services which, on occasion, take place during the evening and on weekends. Fellows also participate in providing after-hours crisis consultation on a rotating basis. Work weeks usually will vary between 40 and 45 hours per week. Approximately half of the Fellows’ time is spent in direct clinical or consultative services, with the other half divided between supervision, seminars, and administrative/case management duties.

Supervision

Each Fellow is assigned a Preceptor, a senior staff member who serves as a resource, advocate, and advisor for the Fellow. The preceptor, who may be a psychologist or clinical social worker, is responsible for overseeing the Fellow's training experiences and progress throughout the fellowship. It is expected that the preceptor relationship will allow each Fellow to develop a professional mentoring relationship with a senior staff member with less concern about evaluation.

Each Fellow will work with several different clinical supervisors during their training. The Primary Supervisor, a licensed clinical social worker on the CAPS staff, meets individually with the Fellow for a minimum of 1 hour per week. An additional hour of individual supervision each week is provided by the Case Supervisor. Case supervision typically focuses on a particular client or type of intervention. Fellows receive additional supervision on their outreach, stress clinic, group, and consultation experiences.   

Fellows have the option to participate as group leaders and facilitators in the Stress Clinic, for which a weekly, 1-hour group supervision is scheduled. During this meeting, trainees receive supervision on Stress Clinic clients seen individually and those receiving treatment in a class format. Training is provided on the use of various types of biofeedback equipment and treatment protocols. Time is also devoted to addressing issues related to program planning, development, and assessment.

 

Seminars and Supervision Meetings

Fellows participate in a number of didactic training experiences while at CAPS. The training seminars are designed to enhance and supplement the learning that occurs through supervision and clinical experiences.

Clinical Issues

The Clinical Issues Seminar explores a broad spectrum of theoretical and applied clinical issues. These include Ethics, Cultural Diversity, Psychopathology and Diagnostics, Short-term Therapy Models, Professional Development Issues, and Clinical Theory and Methods. This seminar combines didactic presentations with case discussions, and the curriculum is flexible in order to reflect the interests and needs of the current training class. This seminar is two hours biweekly, alternating with Diversity Dialogues Seminar.

Diversity Dialogues

The Diversity Dialogues Seminar meets two hours biweekly, alternating with Clinical Issues Seminar. This seminar focuses on intersectionality and multicultural identities and allows for deeper discussions of topics such as oppression, privilege, social justice, cultural experiences, and identity development.

Outreach and Consultation Seminar

This seminar, which is part of the orientation process, focuses on outreach and consultation work with offices and organizations on campus. The seminar includes didactic readings, presentations on consultation theory, and guest speakers. 

Peer Supervision Seminar

This 1-hour biweekly seminar focuses on developing supervisory skills. Through reading relevant literature, group discussions, and watching examples of clinical supervision, trainees hone their skills as clinical supervisors. Trainees present supervision questions to the group and provide consultation and supervision to one another under the supervision of a licensed psychologist on the CAPS staff.

Group Seminar

A biweekly, 1 hour Group Therapy seminar and supervisory meeting focuses on processes and procedures for conducting psychotherapy groups. Stages of group development, theories of group process, and ethical issues in group leadership are explored. In addition, some supervision of trainees' group therapy work is provided in the context of this seminar.

Case Assignment Committee

Trainees participate with senior staff in this weekly case assignment committee meeting for the first month of their fellowship. Fellows will learn about how new clients are presented and assigned or recommended for referral. Treatment issues and client dynamics are discussed, along with initial treatment planning recommendations. Trainees have the opportunity to choose clients for their caseloads during the Case Assignment Committee meetings, with input from senior staff supervisors.

Multicultural Film Festival

Each week during the summer, senior staff, interns, and postgraduate fellows participate in a viewing of films which focus on race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, gender identity or other cultural factors. Following the viewing, there is a discussion of the issues raised and the ways that they may impact our perspectives and our work with clients.

Direct Clinical Service & Applied Experiences

Each trainee is involved in a number of types of applied experiences during the training year. Direct clinical service includes initial diagnostic assessments, brief psychotherapy with individuals and couples, group therapy, longer-term therapy, crisis intervention, and on-call emergency coverage. Trainees also gain experience with outreach and consultation, peer supervision, case management, and other activities related to elective experiences. Each Fellow is expected to provide a minimum of 500 hours of direct clinical service, and 2000 hours of total supervised work hours during the training year. 

Psychotherapy

Emory Counseling and Psychological Services provides psychotherapy services to an undergraduate and graduate student population which reflects society's diversity in terms of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, gender, SES, gender identity and religion. Clients at CAPS present with a wide range of needs and concerns, ranging from developmental or transitional difficulties to serious, chronic psychopathology. Fellows gain experience in using a variety of theoretical orientations and interventions to assist clients’ growth and remediation. Each Fellow typically has a caseload of 12 - 15 clients.

In addition to brief therapy clients (typically seen for between 7-20 sessions), Fellows may carry one long-term client for the duration of the training year. It is also expected that each Fellow will have the opportunity to co-lead a therapy group during the training year. Fellows are involved in case selection, with input from supervisors. This ensures that each Fellow's caseload is appropriately diverse, but also allows Fellows to focus on developing specialty or interest areas.

Campus Outreach and Consultation

Fellows have the opportunity to provide psychological and systems-oriented consultation for professional and paraprofessional staff on Emory's campus. Typical services include crisis management assistance, consultation for non-urgent student concerns, paraprofessional training, providing outreach workshops to address concerns within the residence halls, and mediation of organizational or staffing issues. Fellows may select an area of outreach emphasis and will be given priority assignment for outreach programming within this area.

Stress Clinic

Fellows may choose to gain valuable experience in stress management and biofeedback interventions through working in the Stress Clinic. This opportunity allows trainees to hone skills in program development, implementation, and evaluation. Trainees will become familiar with biofeedback using Heart Math's emwave system and other programs to treat a variety of issues related to stress. Client interventions are conducted in a small class format where all participants have access to their own computerized biofeedback station. Classes are experiential which allows clients to develop their own personalized toolbox of relaxation strategies. Classes also incorporate a psychoeducational component, covering a range of topics relevant to stress management. Trainees are expected to contribute to the development of psychoeducational materials, including relaxation scripts and recordings. 

Psychological Assessment

Fellows gain significant diagnostic and assessment experience by conducting weekly initial screening interviews which focus on eliciting the information needed to formulate initial treatment plans for new clients. The CCAPS is also used for assessment at intake and throughout the treatment process. CAPS does not typically conduct formal psychological testing. 

Crisis Intervention

Fellows participate in the Center's on-call rotation along with senior staff, to assist students who come into the center in crisis during office hours. During the early part of the year, Fellows primarily serve as back-up for senior staff, but they are allowed to assume more responsibility as the year progresses and they gain experience. Crisis intervention activities may include case management with agencies on- or off-campus, consulting with parents, faculty members or peers who are concerned about a student on campus (within the limits of confidentiality), or providing debriefing after campus emergencies. In addition, Fellows participate in providing after-hours emergency coverage on a rotating basis during the spring semester. A senior staff member is always available for consultation during daytime and evening on-call hours.

Additional Training Activities

In addition to the training experiences outlined above, Fellows may have the opportunity to participate in other ongoing training activities within the University as they are available. These may include the Clinical Research Conference within the Department of Psychology and Psychiatry Grand Rounds at the Medical School. Fellows are also allowed educational leave time for conference or workshop attendance, and receive a travel fund for professional development expenses. 

Faculty and Staff Consultation

 The objective of the Faculty & Staff Consultation program is to assist faculty/staff members when they encounter students with personal concerns that impact both the individual student and academic environment. Fellows have the opportunity to consult directly with faculty/staff via their on-call rotations. Fellows may also assist senior staff in providing outreach programs to faculty and staff who are concerned about meeting student needs.

Emory HELPLINE

The Emory HELPLINE is a student-run, volunteer, telephone crisis counseling service, which is advised by CAPS staff. Fellows who are matched to this elective assist the senior staff member who directs this program. The Fellow matched to this elective has the opportunity to develop skills in providing clinical group supervision to paraprofessionals within this community-based intervention program. Fellows also have the opportunity to develop skills in professional mentorship and advisement. Finally, Fellows have the opportunity to become actively involved in the recruitment and training of potential HELPLINE volunteers. Training activities include providing lectures on special topic areas and direct assistance with counseling skills development via supervision of trainee role plays.

 

Application packets with the materials listed below will be accepted until Friday, January 6, 2023 for the 2023-2024 training year.

Applicants must have a Master of Social Work degree from an accredited program by the start of the Fellowship. (If the graduate transcript does not document completion of the MSW degree, the applicant should include a letter from the graduate faculty verifying that all requirements for the degree are expected to be completed before August 1st.)

Applicants should submit a statement of interest, graduate transcripts, three letters of recommendation, Curriculum Vita, and a copy of 1st and 2nd year internship evaluations. Application materials should be submitted in one email. Letters of recommendation that speak to the applicant's clinical skills are especially helpful and can be emailed directly to Dr. Katie Werner at katherine.werner@emory.edu.

The statement of interest should address the following areas:

• Describe who you are and why you decided to study social work
• Describe your clinical interests and what experiences led you to those interests
• Discuss your fellowship goals
• Discuss how social justice informs your social work practice

Post-MSW Fellows who are selected by the Emory Counseling and Psychological Services program must successfully complete a pre-employment drug screening and criminal background check in accordance with Emory University policy. Applicants must be available to begin the fellowship by August 1st and must have an MSW degree (other degrees are not considered).

Please email application materials to:

Katie Werner, Psy.D.
Associate Director for Training
katherine.werner@emory.edu

The stipend for the fellowship year is $35,000.00. Fellows have the same health and dental insurance benefits as regular, full-time staff, and have access to University library and computer facilities. There is a fitness center on campus which fellows may use for a low annual fee. Fellows receive two weeks of paid vacation, eleven University holidays, up to 12 sick days, a $400 professional development fund (to assist with conference/workshop attendance costs), and one week of professional or educational leave.