About Our Program
Kaiser Permanente’s Associate Post Master’s Mental Health Fellowship Program is comprised of multiple training sites located within the northern California region. The fellowship is a one-year, full time (40 hours per week), temporary position with benefits. New trainees are accepted into positions throughout the calendar year and accrue supervised professional hours according to standards set forth by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences for licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist, Clinical Social Worker or Professional Clinical Counselor.
Training Program Start/End Dates
Positions are available at various times throughout the training year.
Program Mission and Curriculum
The mission of the program is to provide post master’s fellows with comprehensive training in mental health service delivery within an integrated and multidisciplinary system to prepare them for dynamic roles as practicing clinicians in the health care system of the future. Kaiser Permanente has well-established mental health and addiction medicine departments that are enhanced by the experiences our fellows bring.
Training opportunities are site specific and available tracks and rotations can be found on individual program webpages. One-half of the fellow’s time (approximately 20 hours per week) is devoted to direct patient care. All sites offer training in individual, group and family therapy, intensive outpatient services, crisis intervention and case management. Fellows are also engaged in community partnership projects focused on improving mental health in local communities and attend multidisciplinary team meetings, didactic seminars, and a bimonthly diversity forum organized by our Mental Health Training Program EID Officers.
Professional Competencies, Supervision and Evaluation
To accomplish the goals of personal and professional development for each fellow, an individual learning plan is developed by the fellow and their primary supervisor at the beginning of the training year. The emphasis of the plan is to organize training in a sequential, cumulative, and graded manner. The fellow and supervisor review the learning plan quarterly to ensure that training is meeting the needs of the fellow and that the fellow is sufficiently guided through the professional development process. Particular emphasis is placed on the following competencies:
- Professionalism
- Reflective Practice/Self-Assessment
- Culturally Sensitive Practice
- Ethical/Legal Standards and Policy
- Interdisciplinary Systems
- Interpersonal Relationships
- Intervention
Fellowship supervisors, who are all licensed mental health clinicians, use a competency-based supervision model to ensure that all training goals are met. Individual and group supervision including case consultation occur weekly during the training year. Efforts are made to provide ongoing feedback to fellows in addition to the quarterly evaluations. Fellows also have an opportunity to evaluate the training program twice a year.