Postdoctoral Clinical Trainee
The University of California at Santa Cruz announces the availability of 3-4 postdoctoral clinical trainee positions in Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) for the 2024-2025 academic year. These 12-month full-time positions provide brief individual and group therapy, assessment, crisis intervention, case management, consultation, and primary prevention and outreach for a diverse university student population. The salary is $74,056 annually with benefits. Start date for the appointment is August 26, 2026. There are two separate tracks for postdoctoral clinical trainee positions. Qualified applicants can apply for any or all of the following tracks:
- General Track (2-3 positions): Focus on general clinical service delivery
- Trauma Focus Track (1 position): Focus on general clinical service delivery with a special emphasis on working with students who have experienced interpersonal trauma and DBT training.
Responsibilities
Under the supervision of California licensed psychologists, postdoctoral clinical trainees will conduct brief individual and group therapy, assessment, crisis intervention, case management, consultation, and outreach programs for university students. Postdoctoral clinical trainees will attend regularly scheduled staff meetings, clinical case conferences, and individual and group supervision. The major duties of the three tracks differ in terms of emphasis and percentage of time conducting the activities.
Major Duties, General Track (2-3 positions)
Clinical Duties
- Brief individual therapy to a diverse student population
- Initial assessments
- Crisis intervention, case management, and referral
- Group therapy and primary prevention and outreach as needed
Administrative Duties
- Maintain clinical documentation in accordance with legal and ethical standards
- Provide outreach and educational programs to campus community as needed
- Participate in clinical staff meetings and committee work
- Receive training and supervision in accordance with state licensure regulations
Major Duties, Trauma Focus Track (1 position)
Clinical Duties
- Brief individual therapy to a diverse student population, with special focus on working with students who have experienced interpersonal trauma
- Initial assessments
- Crisis intervention, case management, and referral
- Group therapy as needed
Administrative Duties
- Maintain clinical documentation in accordance with legal and ethical standards
- Provide outreach and educational programs to campus community as needed
- Participate in clinical staff meetings and committee work
- Receive training and supervision in accordance with state licensure regulations
Primary Prevention and Outreach Duties
- Develop and implement outreach and educational programs on sexual assault and interpersonal trauma
- Work collaboratively with the Campus Advocacy Resources and Education (CARE) office on campus
Qualifications
Required Qualifications of Candidates
Applicants must have completed a doctoral degree in Counseling or Clinical Psychology from an APA-accredited program and have completed an APA-accredited doctoral internship by the start date of the appointment. Completion of the dissertation and the doctoral degree is required prior to the start date of the appointment.
Qualifications include experience and skills in brief therapy, crisis intervention, and group therapy; experience and skills in mental health outreach and psychoeducation for a college student population; and skills and experience working with a diverse population.
Preferred Qualifications
- For all tracks: Experience in a university counseling center; demonstrated strong interest and commitment to social justice
- Trauma Track: Experience and interest in providing services to students who have experienced interpersonal trauma
Stipend and Benefits
The postdoctoral clinical trainee positions carry a salary of $74,056 annually for the 12-month appointments, as well as university medical benefits and paid sick leave and holidays in accordance with university policies and 2 weeks approved leave.
What does Counseling & Psychological Services do?
Mission and services
The mission of Counseling & Psychological Services is to “support UC Santa Cruz students, both undergraduate and graduate, in achieving their personal and educational goals by providing a broad range of counseling, consultation, psychiatry, and outreach services and programs to the campus community.” The professional staff of CAPS provide brief individual and couples therapy, initial assessments, risk assessment and crisis intervention, group therapy, consultation, and outreach to the University community. CAPS also provides high-quality training and supervision to psychology interns in our APA-accredited Doctoral Internship Program in Health Service Psychology and training and supervision for postdoctoral clinical trainees. CAPS Psychiatry Services provides psychiatric evaluation and medication management.
Structure
Counseling & Psychological Services operates within a centralized/decentralized structure at UC Santa Cruz. CAPS has a central office, located in the Student Health Center building, where appointment scheduling, initial assessments, crisis services, individual therapy, group therapy, and outreach programs are provided. All staff meetings, clinical case conferences, and training seminars are held here as well. Doctoral interns, CAPS management staff, psychiatry staff, and case managers are located in the CAPS Central office, while other psychologists, psychotherapists, and postdoctoral clinical trainees have offices in the residential colleges, Family Student Housing, and other satellite locations around campus. This hybrid centralized/decentralized structure allows CAPS to provide traditional clinical services as well as maintain our community psychology model, emphasizing primary prevention and consultation regarding mental health issues in the campus community. CAPS is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS).
Application process
To apply for a postdoctoral clinical trainee position:
- Send a vita, cover letter, and three letters of recommendation to the email address below.
- Indicate track(s) of interest in the cover letter (required).
- Cover letters and recommendation letters should be addressed to:
- Richard Enriquez, Ph.D., Associate Director for Training, Counseling & Psychological Services, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Submit all application materials electronically to ucscpostdocapp@ucsc.edu
*ATTENTION: To guarantee that your materials will be reviewed, your complete application and all letters of recommendation MUST BE RECEIVED by the initial review date of January 05, 2026 at 11:59 PM.
Match Process – Common Hold Date
UC Santa Cruz will be abiding by the APPIC postdoctoral selection standards and common hold date process for the 2026-2027 year. Postdoctoral Selection Standards (appic.org) provides all the information about the APPIC Common Hold Date Procedure and Selection Standards.
- Phone or Zoom Interviews will be conducted during the 3rd and 4th weeks of January 2026.
- We will make offers to our top-ranked applicant(s) upon completing interviews and ranking all applicants for a position.
- Offers made to applicants are considered binding until 10:00 AM EST on the CHD of 2/23/26.
- Applicants should acknowledge receipt of offers via email within 24 hours of receiving the offer, including if they choose to hold or decline the offer. Verbal acknowledgments should be followed with an email. Failure to do so could result in the program rescinding the offer and issuing it to another applicant.
Accepting offers
Applicants can accept a program’s offer at any point (e.g., if an applicant receives an offer from their top-ranked program, they should accept the offer promptly upon making that decision). Applicants should then immediately notify all programs for which they are still under consideration that they have accepted a position and are withdrawing from further consideration.
Once an offer has been accepted, it is considered binding as a professional commitment for the applicant and program; barring extreme and rare circumstances, reneging on an acceptance would likely result in negative consequences for the applicant, the program, and other applicants.
Holding offers
- Applicants can hold one offer at a time until 10:00 AM EST on the CHD of 2/23/26, regardless of when the offer was made, if the offer is not from their top-ranked program or they have not completed all of their interview.
- Applicants should communicate the intent to hold the offer to the program promptly and within 24 hours of receiving the offer.
Declining offers
An applicant can decline a program’s offer at any point after receiving it.
Making offers on Common Hold Date February 23, 2026
New offers can be made on the CHD starting at 10:30 AM EST and can be held for two hours
Acknowledging receipt of offers on the CHD
Applicants should acknowledge receipt of offers by responding through email or phone on the CHD within 30 minutes of receiving the offer, even if they choose to hold the offer (for two hours or longer if the program allows). Failure to do so could result in the program rescinding the offer.
UCSC Specific: Following the informal offer being made and accepted, UCSC Human Resources will provide a formal job offer to candidates upon completion of the required pre-hire criminal history background check and employment paperwork.
Questions about application or postdoctoral clinical trainee positions
Questions about the postdoctoral clinical trainee positions should be directed to Richard Enriquez, Ph.D., Associate Director for Training, at rihenriq@ucsc.edu or (831) 459-479
UCSC is an EEO/AA/Vet/Disability/Minority Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration.