The purpose of the fellowship is to expand the number of clinical researchers investigating the Internal Family Systems (IFS) approach. The fellowship provides support for research fellows who can conduct—or co-lead—rigorous efficacy and effectiveness studies that examine IFS as a treatment for common public health concerns (e.g., PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance use, eating disorders), and/or other health-related, societal needs using widely accepted research methodologies. Studies that include designs which help elucidate a mechanistic understanding of the IFS treatment process from a biomedical, neuroscience or psychological perspective may also be considered.

Engagement in IFS-oriented research is the Fellow’s main responsibility. The Fellowship will require maintaining a primary focus on developing a sustainable research career, through manuscript preparation, study design and conduct, academic conference presentations, and submission of federal and philanthropic grants. The fellow will be mentored by Zev Schuman-Olivier, MD who is the Center Director and Research Director for the CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion in the Department of Psychiatry at CHA. The fellow will receive an post-doctoral fellowship academic appointment to Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry.

The Fellowship will be full-time from September 1st, 2023 to August 31st, 2024 with the potential for an application for renewal for up to one year. The Fellow will be able to participate in the clinical post-doctoral training opportunities associated the CHA Department of Psychology post-doctoral training program. The fellow will receive a post-doctoral fellowship academic appointment to Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry.

The Fellow may spend up to an average of 10 hours per week of clinical time during Year 1 to meet licensure requirements. The Fellow will be supervised by CHA faculty with expertise in IFS interventions (Martha Sweezy, PhD, Hanna Soumerai, LICSW, Mary Catherine Ward, LICSW, Larry Rosenberg, PhD) and will be able to engage with Dr. Richard Schwartz, PhD, who will serve as an IFS mentor.

Unless they have already completed an approved prior IFS training, the Fellow shall be expected to participate in formal Level 1 and Level 2 IFS trainings at no cost to the Fellow. Level 1 training participation will be encouraged to have started prior to the start of the fellowship year. After acceptance in the fellowship, CMC and the Foundation for Self-Leadership will work with fellows to schedule an online Level 1 training if it has not already been completed by the applicant, which may require attendance by the applicant during several weekday and weekend days prior to the fellowship start date.

Eligibility

The Foundation expects the selected post-doctoral or junior faculty researcher to be a highly qualified researcher with great potential in the field. The selected researcher should either be fully credentialed in a field of specialty or have completed a dissertation for a PhD in psychology (or equivalent) and seeking a post-doctoral placement.

The identified Fellow should be willing to engage in extensive, IFS-focused research that will be vetted through publications in peer-reviewed journals and presented in reputable forums and conferences. The fellow is expected to apply for external funding from leading granting agencies where applicable and pursue development as an independent investigator.

The Fellowship, which is made possible by a grant from the Foundation for Self Leadership, provides an annual stipend in line with NIH post-doctoral research fellowship salaries and commensurate with the applicant’s past post-doctoral research experience. Additionally, the Fellow will receive from the Foundation a research-related travel fund of up to $5,000 per year for presentations at conferences or added professional development. Applicants are expected to work an average of 5 clinical hours per year for 2 years (or 10 hours in Year 1 if psychology post-doctoral fellow) in order to receive the full annual stipend.

This Fellowship grant will be awarded on a yearly basis with a renewal application required to continue for a second year based on progress in the first year of the fellowship.