The Department of Behavioral Psychology provides a wide variety of assessment and treatment services for diverse pediatric populations and their families.

The philosophy of our post-doctoral fellowship program is to prepare fellows to function independently in a variety of settings, in addition to working as members of multidisciplinary teams providing health related services to children and their families. Our postdoctoral fellowship provides training in empirical research, applied behavior analysis, developmental disabilities, behavioral pediatrics, individual therapy, and family therapy, depending on the training track. All postdoctoral fellowship training experiences are 12 months in length, beginning on September 1. All degree requirements, including dissertation defense, must be completed in order to start fellowship. Training occurs through supervised experiences, and postdoctoral fellows completing our program are well qualified to enter clinical, medical, or academic settings. Postdoctoral fellows completing our program receive 2,000 fellowship training hours towards psychology licensure, which fulfills the supervised clinical experience that can be applied toward licensure in the state of Maryland. All Kennedy Krieger postdoctoral fellows receive their academic appointments through the Department of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Our psychology fellowship is an APPIC member.

The start of the fellowship training year is September 1.

Our program recognizes the importance of cultural and individual differences and diversity in the training of psychologists, behavior analysts, and researchers. Our training program follows Kennedy Krieger Institute’s policy, as an equal opportunity employer, of commitment to diversity at all levels. The fellowship training program welcomes and encourages qualified individuals to apply and enter on the basis of demonstrated ability, performance, and merit, and we embrace cultural and individual differences.

Download Our Brochure

Kennedy Krieger Institute is committed to excellence. Diverse thoughts, backgrounds and perspectives create a robust community that fosters the best innovation and ideas. We aspire to have individuals of all backgrounds, races, religions, ethnicities and identities thrive in an environment of respect, encouragement, equity and inclusion.

- Bradley L. Schlaggar, MD, PhD, Kennedy Krieger Institute's President & CEO

Clinics Offering Fellowships

Clinics Offering Postdoctoral Fellowship Positions in Psychology:

**Please note that these positions require a doctoral degree in psychology from an APA-accredited school and an APA-accredited doctoral internship in psychology**

Clinics Offering Research Fellowship Positions:

Clinics Offering Postdoctoral Fellowship Positions in Applied Behavior Analysis:

The following deadlines and benefits apply for all postdoctoral fellowship positions.

Stipend & Benefits

Annual Stipend: $62,132 The stipend for first-year fellows will be updated annually based on hospital guidelines.

Benefits

  • 15 days paid time off (PTO)
  • 5 Professional Days
  • 8 Institute Holidays
  • 1 School of Medicine Holiday
  • Individual insurance (provided at no cost to fellow):
    • Health Insurance
    • Vision Insurance
    • Dental Insurance
    • Life Insurance
  • New child accommodation- Parental leave
  • Free Parking
  • Support for Attendance at a Professional Conference
  • Potential for child care voucher

Application Guidelines

Application Due Date: December 15, 2024
Notification Date: We will follow the Common Hold Date (CHD) of February 24, 2025.

As previously mentioned, applicants applying to our psychology fellowship in the Behavior Management Clinic, Brief Treatment Clinic, Child & Family Therapy Clinic, Pediatric Psychology Consultation Program, or Pediatric Developmental Disabilities Clinic also must have completed an APA-accredited internship.

Qualifications for applying to the fellowship program include: a) completion of all doctoral degree requirements in psychology or behavior analysis, including dissertation defense, from a regionally accredited institution of higher education prior to August 1st in order to start fellowship and b) training and experience in both clinical and research applications of the behavioral psychology in hospital, educational, or community settings.

We will accept applications via APPA CAS, by direct email, or regular U.S. mail:

  1. Applicants can use the online APPA CAS (APPIC Psychology Postdoctoral Application – Centralized Application System). For more information and to access and create your postdoctoral application in the Applicant Portal, please click the following link https://www.appic.org/Postdocs/APPA-CAS-Postdoc-Application-Information. The Kennedy Krieger Postdoctoral Fellowship portal will open on October 1.
  2. Applicants may also submit application materials via direct email ( psychology@kennedykrieger.org) by providing the following:
    • A cover letter stating the specific clinic(s) to which you are applying fellowship your professional academic preparation and work experience, career interests, and reasons for applying to our fellowship site. If applying to more than one clinic, this can either be included in one letter, or a separate letter can be written for each clinic.
    • A copy of your most recent curriculum vitae.
    • Original transcripts of all graduate-level coursework should be issued to Dr. Valerie Paasch and mailed (or emailed) directly to us from Registrar's Office.
    • Letters of recommendations written by three references familiar with your prior training and professional experiences. These letters should be addressed to Dr. Valerie Paasch and sent directly to our site by letter writers.
    • Verification of Completion letter (to be completed by dissertation chair or Director of Clinical Training) indicating dissertation will be defended and approved one month before fellowship begins (by July 31). Exception: This letter is not needed if your official transcript reflects your degree has already been awarded.

Interviews will occur virtually in December and January. We anticipate offers will start being made around January 27, 2025.

For additional information on the Common Hold Date: https://www.appic.org/Postdocs/Postdoctoral-Selection-Standards .

Considerations Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

At this time, all training appointments at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine are contingent upon being vaccinated for COVID-19. Documentation will be required. This decision is based on guidance from the CDC and Kennedy Krieger Infection Control, and all trainees are provided with hospital-issued PPE as needed for any in-person activities.

Every effort is being made to maintain a diverse training experience. All behavioral psychology clinics are currently providing a combination of in-person and telehealth clinical services, didactics, observations, and trainings. All trainees are based onsite at one of our Kennedy Krieger locations and should plan on spending 5 full workdays onsite per week for the upcoming training year. 

For more information, please email Psychology@KennedyKrieger.org or call 443-923-7533.