Postdoctoral Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychology
Program Overview
The UTMB Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology provides advanced training in trauma-informed care, telepsychology, and evidence-based interventions for youth and families. Funded by the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC), the fellowship is structured to support the development of advanced competencies in clinical service, integration of research into practice, and meaningful scientific contribution.
Fellows deliver brief, evidence-based assessment and treatment to school-referred youth and families through the TCMHCC-supported Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program. They also engage in regular professional development and complete a scholarly project aligned with their career goals. Scholarly work is frequently supported by participation in two additional TCMHCC-funded, multi-site research initiatives: the Texas Child Trauma Research Network (TX-CTRN), which focuses on youth exposed to trauma, and the Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network (TX-YDSRN), which studies youth with histories of depression and suicidal behavior.
Core Training Components
All fellows engage in a structured training experience that fosters ethical and professional competence, encourages research-informed decision-making, and supports active participation in scholarly and scientific work. The training experience includes:
At least 1,750 hours of supervised clinical experience
Weekly individual supervision with licensed psychologists
Biweekly case consultation and didactic seminars
Monthly professional development seminars through the Texas Psychological Association
Clinical training in cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral activation, exposure, and parent management training
Opportunities for certification in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Prolonged Exposure for Adolescents (PE-A)
Engagement in scholarly activities, including teaching and research
Fellowships Tracks
Fellows may pursue one of two tracks aligned with their career goals:
Clinical Track (1 Year)
Designed for fellows pursuing careers in clinical practice or academic medical settings, this track emphasizes intensive service delivery. Fellows primarily engage in telehealth-based clinical care for school-referred youth through TCHATT, while also completing a mentored scholarly product (e.g., case presentation, teaching module, or program evaluation). The remainder of their time is devoted to supervision, didactics, and professional development.
Research Track (2 Years)
This track is intended for fellows pursuing research-focused academic careers. Time is divided between providing clinical care through TCHATT and contributing to research using TX-CTRN and TX-YDSRN datasets. Fellows are expected to engage directly in data analysis and manuscript writing. They receive mentorship in study design, grant development, and other aspects of an academic career. Dedicated time is also reserved for supervision and didactic training.
Compensation and Benefits
Salary is based on the NIH postdoctoral fellowship pay scale
Full UTMB benefits package, including medical, dental, and retirement plans
Ten paid holidays and 22 days of paid time off annually
Professional development fund to support continuing education and training
Technology and administrative support, including a laptop, tablet, and scheduling assistance
Access to UTMB library resources and academic databases
Ability to work remotely following in-person onboarding (Texas residency required)
Application Information
Eligibility Criteria
PhD or PsyD from an APA-accredited clinical, counseling, or school psychology program
Completion of an APA-accredited predoctoral internship (for clinical roles)
Experience in evidence-based assessment and intervention with youth
For research track applicants: experience in scientific writing and statistical methods suitable for analyzing longitudinal, multi-site datasets
Dr. Cody G. Dodd is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Central Michigan University, after completing his clinical internship at Boys Town, one of the nation’s largest and longest-running residential treatment communities for troubled youth. He completed a two-year fellowship at Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he specialized in the assessment and treatment of children and families affected by trauma and grief.
Dr. Dodd conducts applied research related to traumatic stress and its impact on children and families. His research aims to expand established treatment approaches that predominantly target features of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but do not address other common youth reactions to trauma, such as disruptive behavior problems and substance misuse. He is currently a site principal investigator on a multi-site longitudinal study of trauma-exposed youth funded by the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC), which is a statewide initiative supportive service development and research projects designed to advance the mental health care of youth in Texas. As part of this initiative, Dr. Dodd also provides remote psychotherapy services to youth and families through the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program.
Dr. Kirk is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UTMB. She joined the psychiatry faculty at UTMB in 2021. Dr. Kirk received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Mississippi State University, and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Auburn University. She completed her predoctoral internship in Child Clinical Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Department of Psychiatry, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in Trauma and Grief at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatrics.
Dr. Kirk’s primary role at UTMB is providing evidence-based assessment and treatment for the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program, which delivers telemedicine services to Texas youth in the school setting. She engages in clinical work, research, teaching, and training, with the aim of advancing the field of clinical psychology, particularly as it relates to childhood trauma. She is also dedicated to improving access to mental health care for vulnerable and underserved youth.
Dr. Gushanas (she/her) is a licensed child clinical psychologist and registered health service psychologist. She started in 2020 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) after completing her predoctoral internship in Pediatric Integrated Care at the Texas Child Study Center, Dell Medical School in Austin, TX and her postdoctoral fellowship in Trauma at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX. Dr. Gushanas completed her doctorate degree in school psychology from the University of Texas at Austin with a specialization in child-clinical and pediatric psychology.
Dr. Gushanas’s unique experience and training background in psychology has provided opportunities to improve access to evidence-based and culturally sensitive mental health services across various populations and settings, including pediatric primary care, schools, inpatient and emergency healthcare, tertiary and specialty care, residential treatment centers, community and outpatient clinics, and telemedicine. She loves working with youth exposed to trauma, LBGTQIA+ and Transgender/Non-Binary youth, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, suicide and self-harm prevention, and parents trying to figure out how to help their kids with difficult behaviors. Her research interests have led to peer-reviewed publications and presentations in suicide prevention, health equity, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, and traumatic stress. Dr. Gushanas is excited to provide services to our patients through the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) initiative as well as research investigation within the Texas Youth Depression & Suicide and Childhood Trauma Research Networks.
Dr. Gushanas is also the Chair of the Early Career Psychology Division at the Texas Psychological Association and an active member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Society of Pediatric Psychology, among others. In addition to patient services and volunteerism, Dr. Gushanas is committed to improving the quality of care for Texas youth through training and education, consultation, and public speaking. You’ll often find her talking to podcasters and media outlets about the important work she and her colleagues are doing to improve mental healthcare in Texas.
Dr. E’leyna Garcia (she/her), PhD is a Licensed Psychologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Garcia received her doctorate in clinical child psychology from Howard University in Washington, DC. She completed her pre-doctoral internship, with a child trauma specialization, at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine Multicultural Clinical Training Program. Additionally, Dr. Garcia completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine, where she specialized in providing trauma and grief clinical services for youth and families in outpatient and foster care settings. She additionally conducted research on topics including posttraumatic stress, suicidal ideation, and sleep problems in children and adolescents.
Currently, Dr. Garcia provides evidence-based assessment and treatment for Texas schools through the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) initiative. Dr. Garcia aims to advance the field of clinical psychology through clinical services, research, training, and teaching. She has a specialized interest in trauma-related sleep problems among Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) youth and is dedicated to improving access to mental health care for underserved youth and families.
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