Forensic Psychology

Advanced Clinical Psychology

Neuropsychology

Patton State Hospital is one of the largest forensic hospitals in the United States. At present, the facility has a census of more than 1,500 individuals, almost all of whom have been committed by the courts under provisions of the California Penal Code or California Welfare & Institutions Code. Most individuals are diagnosed with a severe mental illness and substance abuse problems, many also have personality disorders, and a large percentage of the individuals served come from diverse backgrounds.

The hospital presently employs 98 psychologists on staff, and all psychologists either are licensed in California or are actively pursuing California licensure. Each postdoctoral fellow is assigned a primary supervisor who coordinates the fellow's training experiences, and each fellow also is supervised by several staff psychologists trained in the relevant specialty area.

Current salary is $3,717 per month (approximately $44,600 per year), with full medical and dental benefits, holiday time, plus accrued sick leave and two weeks vacation. Starting date is typically September 1st.

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, advanced clinical, 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).

The application deadline is January 15 for all tracks (Forensic Psychology, Advanced Clinical Psychology, and Neuropsychology).

All application materials must be received in our office by the respective deadline 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 received by the deadline in order to complete the application (although we will consider letters of recommendation and official transcripts postmarked by the deadline to be timely). Mail completed applications to the Fellowship Director at the address below.

Completed applications require receipt of the following:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship Application Form (this includes the four essay questions and the two de-identified work samples)
• Completed California Examination and/or Employment Application Form
• Three letters of recommendation - the fellowship requires that these letters come from:
  • your dissertation chairperson;
  • your internship director or primary supervisor;
  • any other licensed psychologist who is thoroughly familiar with your work.
• Official Transcripts From All Graduate Institutions Attended
• Current Curriculum Vita

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

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. There are no telephone interviews. On the day of the interview, applicants will be asked to complete a written work sample based on psychological testing data that will be provided.

Driving Directions to Patton State Hospital

For further information you can e-mail, write, or call (e-mail is preferred):