Student Opportunities

McLean Hospital has educational opportunities for college graduates, medical students, and students at Harvard University.

College Graduates

The Simches Center of Excellence in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at McLean Hospital offers a two-year Post-Baccalaureate Clinical (PBC) Fellowship Program for college graduates interested in pursuing a career in mental health. This guided, entry-level professional experience is shaped by the four pillars of McLean Hospital’s mission: excellence in clinical care, ground breaking state-of-the-art scientific investigation, training the next generation of mental health professionals, and serving the hospital and our communities.

Led by Fairlee C. Fabrett, PhD, the PBC Fellowship Program includes a two-year, full-time paid position as a community residence counselor. Fellows will be considered for one of two tracks, either an intensive experience in a single program or eight months in each of three different participating clinical programs. Those programs will include general assessment services as well as programs that specialize in the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder and trauma, and anxiety and mood disorders.

The accepted fellows attend two weeks of orientation with topics covering the different levels of care in a mental health environment, understanding how to work with a multidisciplinary team, essentials of group therapy, crisis management, professional boundaries and ethics, and basics of cognitive behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, exposure response prevention therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy. Once placed with a program, fellows participate in training and supervision along with other program colleagues. In addition, fellows join in a monthly professional development and education seminar consisting of clinical supervision and training tailored to the year in the fellowship.

Learning in year one emphasizes understanding the “here and now” of the clinical service environment. Fellows learn from world-renowned clinicians about different therapy modalities, therapeutic strategies, and diagnoses (depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, attention deficit disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder). There are also seminars conducted by McLean staff on topics such as child development, ethics and boundaries, success as a young professional, as well as quality improvement research being conducted in various settings.

Learning in year two focuses on careers and professional opportunities in a broader context such as the various clinical degrees, law and mental health professions, health research, public health and policy, and technology and psychiatry. Fellows also receive guidance on career options and support around graduate school applications, including earned recommendations.

Finally, fellows provide service to McLean and/or the community at large via a partnership with the Office of Public Affairs. They will participate in, or even help plan, events in coordination with the NAACP, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and McLean’s own nationally recognized Deconstructing Stigma project—to name just a few of the exciting opportunities.

How to Apply

Applicants interested in the 2020-2022 fellowship should submit a current curriculum vitae, letter of interest, and one letter of recommendation from a faculty member. Applications are due by January 10, 2020.

For more information or to submit application materials, please contact Fairlee C. Fabrett, PhD.

Medical Student Education

McLean Hospital offers opportunities for medical students interested in pursuing elective studies in psychiatry.

Harvard Medical School

Harvard Medical School (HMS) students interested in an elective at McLean Hospital may learn more on the HMS website. For more information, please contact the HMS Registrar or contact John B. Roseman, MD, director of Medical Student Education at McLean.

Non-HMS Medical Student

Students from other medical schools may apply for an advanced fourth year elective at McLean Hospital through the Harvard Medical School Registrar. HMS does not offer elective opportunities for non-HMS students prior to the fourth year of medical school.

International Medical Students

Students from international schools may learn more regarding the exchange program for international medical students on the HMS website.

Harvard Student Opportunities

Harvard University offers a number of programs which can be fulfilled via McLean Hospital.

The Scholars in Medicine Program allows students to carry out a faculty mentored scholarly project as a graduation requirement.

The Program in Neuroscience, a PhD training opportunity, provides students with the instruction, research experience, and mentoring they need to become leaders in research and education.

Harvard College undergraduate students may coordinate an independent study at McLean.