Fellowship Application Deadline: Friday, January 7, 2022. Uniform Acceptance Date: February, 22, 2022.
Are you interested in working as a forensic psychologist? Do you want to understand more about the intersection of law and mental health? This postdoctoral fellowship is designed for you!
During your time with us, you’ll develop the skills necessary to conduct high-quality forensic mental health assessments (FMHAs). You’ll have the opportunity to work with New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court and professionals in private practice to gain important evaluative experience. You’ll also work with the Behavioral Health Services Division which is based in the New Mexico Human Services Department. Here, you’ll learn first-hand about mental health policy and its impact on people’s lives.
By the end of your training year with us, you will be able to show competency regarding:
Your mental health policy experience may include:
This fellowship is the result of collaboration between our department’s Division of Community Behavioral Health , the New Mexico Behavioral Health Services Division (BHSD), and the New Mexico Second Judicial District Court.
Want to become a board-certified forensic psychologist? Programs that are approved for the ABFP Experience Waiver are well-positioned to prepare you to navigate the process! Our fellowship is recognized as an ABFP Experience Waiver site (2021 - 2025)
Our postdoctoral fellowship gives you a great foundation for a career in forensic psychology and mental health policy. You’ll learn from dedicated and expert faculty. Our rotations offer unique opportunities to broaden your knowledge and experience.
Jeffrey Younggren, PhD, ABPP (Clinical) co-directs the fellowship, lending his more than 25 years of experience to help coordinate the program’s structure, plan its curriculum and didactic training, and provide expert supervision.
This weekly series has gained national acclaim. You'll learn from experts including internationally recognized forensic psychologists, forensic psychiatrists, and legal professionals; UNM faculty; and private practice forensic psychologists. The seminars cover topics such as forensic assessment; the legal system; landmark cases; criminal law; civil law; correctional and community forensic psychology/psychiatry; and child and adolescent forensic psychiatry/psychiatry.
Beginning in September 2021, the series will take place on Tuesdays from 11 am - 12 pm Mountain Standard Time. It is intended to provide education for students/trainees, mental health professionals, and legal professionals. However, all are welcome!
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from experts in forensic psychology, psychiatry, law, policy and more!
The fellowship experience exceeded my expectations. The in vivo training allowed me to learn and apply knowledge in real time on fascinating cases and true policy change. However, the clinical and professional supervision I recieved was the best part. I feel honored to have been a part of this team.
Application Qualifications
Demonstrate the following minimum qualifications:
Preferred qualifications:
Our fellowship team is committed to increasing diversity among healthcare professionals and leaders in New Mexico.
How to Apply
Email the following materials to Jaymes Fairfax-Columbo, JD, PhD, at JFairfaxColumbo@salud.unm.edu.
Deadline: Friday, January 7, 2022.
Interview offers will be made before the end of January.
They will be scheduled soon thereafter via Zoom.
As a fellow, your core rotations provide the opportunity to learn in a variety of settings. You’ll receive advanced training in both forensic mental health assessment (FMHA) and mental health policy. You’ll have two six-month clinical rotations: (1) the Second Judicial District Court Rotation and (2) the Private Practice Rotation. You’ll also devote one day per week to working with the New Mexico Behavioral Health Services Division to gain policy experience.
Second Judicial District Court
Under the leadership and supervision of New Mexico Court officials and licensed forensic psychologists, you will conduct court-ordered competency to stand trial evaluations for pre-trial defendants in New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court. You’ll learn from different psychologists in order to experience both a breadth of style and diversity of forensic practice. You’ll also get to perform an array of tasks, including: selecting, administering, scoring, and interpreting psychological tests; authoring forensic evaluation reports; proving expert consultation to the Court; providing testimony and/or recommendations in court cases and hearings; and providing peer consultation/supervision.
Notably, all competency evaluations that you conduct will be court-ordered, and thus are not private referrals by either defense attorneys or prosecuting attorneys. This setup allows you to practice conducting and completing competency evaluations in an objective and impartial fashion, without concern about the influence of adversarial allegiance. It is particularly advantageous during training because you can focus fully on honing and mastering evaluative skill under conditions ideally suited to emulate best practices in FMHA. All of your evaluation reports shall comply and be in accordance with the State of New Mexico’s Interagency Behavioral Health Service Requirements and Utilization Guidelines, New Mexico state statutes, national professional standards, and applicable court rules and law.
Private Practice Rotation
During the Private Practice Rotation, you will devote the majority of your clinical time to working with private practice forensic psychologists. Most often, the evaluations you will be conducting will be attorney-retained. You will complete a variety of criminal and civil forensic evaluations under the leadership and supervision of UNM faculty and licensed forensic psychologists in the community. Common referral questions include mitigation for sentencing, criminal responsibility, future dangerousness, psychological damages/personal injury, pre-employment, disability, and fitness for duty. You’ll see for yourself how private practice psychologists approach and manage their work, and gain insight into the difference between forensic mental health evaluation in private versus public settings. You’ll also gain experience conducting forensic evaluations in multiple settings in both urban and rural areas, including correctional, psychiatric hospital, and private practice settings. During this rotation a minority of your clinical time will still be devoted to conducting competence to stand trial evaluations in the Second Judicial District Court.
New Mexico Behavioral Health Services Division
You will assist New Mexico Behavioral Health Services Division (BHSD) efforts on various policy-related issues. Typical activities include facilitating the competency evaluators learning community, reviewing behavioral health bills for proposed legislation, drafting white papers on mental health-related topics, and assisting with program development and implementation. Acting in this capacity, you’ll have a unique opportunity to learn about and be involved in policy and the intersection of the criminal justice system and the mental health system at the systemic or organizational level. You will also consult and build relationships with state and court employees and will develop and hone skills in communication, leadership, and administration.
Additional Educational/Professional Development Opportunities
Helping to advance the field is a paramount duty of any forensic psychologist. Fellows will be expected to help disseminate knowledge of forensic psychology via scholarly activities. These activities might include presenting to various ECHO groups (such as CIT-ECHO, with police officers the primary audience); providing didactic trainings to learners in the Department and University (medical residents, psychology interns, undergraduates); presenting at conferences; working on a publication; etc. When time allows, Fellows will also have opportunities to attend additional training offered through the Department—such as Grand Rounds—or various trainings offered via the Division of Community Behavioral Health.
Two post-doctoral fellows will be hired for the 2022-2023 training year. The Fellowship represents a 12-month commitment, commencing September 2022 and terminating August 2023. Commencement and termination date are somewhat flexible, based on individual circumstances. Salary for the fellowship year is determined according to NIH guidelines. For FY2021 it is approximately $53,760.00 plus benefits (PTO, sick time, medical insurance, etc.), depending on experience. Funding to attend a professional conference may also be available, pending approval.
Post Doctoral Fellowship Policy—Read First
Additional Information about Postdoctoral Fellowships at UNM
In addition to hands-on training, you will attend the weekly UNM Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division for Community Behavioral Health’s Law and Mental Health didactic series. Presentations include a breadth of topics including forensic assessment; the legal system; landmark cases; criminal law; civil law; correctional and community forensic psychology/psychiatry; and child and adolescent forensic psychiatry. The didactic series is taught by internationally-recognized forensic experts in mental health and law, including legal professionals, forensic psychologists, forensic social workers, and forensic pyschiatrists. The series has a national audience including postdoctoral psychology fellows, psychology graduate students, psychologists, law students, attorneys, social workers, and medical residents.
Mock Trial
In the final month of your fellowship, you will participate in a mock trial with the aid of volunteer attorneys and a judge. You’ll select an evaluation that you have completed over the year to defend in court. The supervisor that worked with you on this case will work with the attorney playing the role of defense counsel to help prepare you for direct examination, and another forensic psychologist will work with the attorney playing the role of the prosecutor to develop cross examination questions. This experience will help you understand and feel what it’s like to be an expert witness under simulated courtroom conditions.
Faculty
Deborah Altschul, PhD
Associate Professor, Vice Chair, Community Behavioral Health Research
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Caroline Bonham, MD
Associate Professor, Vice Chair, Community Behavioral Health Policy
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Jaymes Fairfax-Columbo, JD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Fellowship Director
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Brian Isakson, PhD
Associate Professor, Supervisor, Forensic Psychology Postdoctoral Fellows
UNM Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Jim Ellis, JD
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
UNM School of Law
Community Faculty
Julie M. Brovko, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Clinical Associate, Department of Psychology
William E. Foote, PhD, ABPP (Forensic)
Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice
Clinical Associate Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Psychology
Heath Hodges, PhD, MLS, ABPP (Forensic)
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice
David J. Ley, PhD
Executive Director, New Mexico Solutions
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Nils Rosenbaum, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatrist, Albuquerque Police Department
Simone Viljoen, PhD
Clinical Psychologist, Private Practice
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Adjunct Instructor, Department of Psychology
Jeffrey N. Younggren, PhD, ABPP (Clinical)
Fellowship Co-Director
Fellow, American Psychological Association; Distinguished Member, National Academy of Practice
Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Other Instructors
Ann Delpha, JD
Staff Attorney, UNM School of Law
Leaffer Border Justice Initiative
Lisa Schatz-Vance, JD
Deputy General Counsel
NM Second Judicial District Court
Tiffany Wynn, PhD, LPCC
Deputy Director of Treatment and Programs
Behavioral Health Services Division, NM Human Services Department
Get more details about the program, living and working in Albuquerque, and the expert, multidisciplinary faculty you’ll be working with.
Want a well-rounded education in forensic psychology? Look no further! Our fellowship curriculum is designed to prepare you for the board certification process, as well as to give you broad exposure to the field of forensic mental health. You'll read and learn about topics related to forensic mental health assessment, treatment, and policy. After completing this curriculum, you should be well-prepared for any forensic mental health career you want to pursue.
Check out our educational offerings for trainees, providers, and the public including Grand Rounds, Law and Mental Health, webinars with CEUs/CMEs, and more
Visit the state’s wonderful tourism website for stories and videos about living in the Land of Enchantment
Director
Jaymes Fairfax-Columbo, JD, PhD
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
2400 Tucker Avenue N.E
1 University of New Mexico
MSC09-5030
Albuquerque, NM 87131