At Children’s Hospital Colorado, we are dedicated to improving the mental health of children today, but also training the next generation of pediatric mental health providers to help children tomorrow. We offer several training opportunities, including fellowships, externships and internships, to help children’s mental health providers advance their skills and prepare for practice.

Pediatric psychology fellowships

The Pediatric Mental Health Institute offers post-doctoral pediatric psychology fellowships in numerous clinical settings so prospective fellows can find an opportunity that matches their interests. All fellowships provide clinical, research and teaching experiences for comprehensive training in academic medicine.

What to expect from a pediatric psychology fellowship

Our goal is that fellows leave this experience feeling like more well-rounded and prepared providers. We offer fellowships in the following areas:

1. Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
2. Cardiology
3. Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders
4. Cystic Fibrosis
5. Developmental Pediatric Psychology
6. Dual Diagnosis Behavioral Psychology
7. Early Childhood
8. Eating Disorders Program and Digestive Health Institute
9. Pediatric Primary Care
10. Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant

Each fellow will develop a specific program in coordination with their individual supervisors and our Director of Psychology Training based on the requirements and goals of the program, patient care needs and the fellow’s interests. Over time, fellows will have increasing clinical responsibility, autonomy and exposure to more challenging cases. All their experiences are reviewed by supervisors who are active providers in our hospital.

Our supervisors evaluate fellows informally through supervision and formally every six months through written evaluations. The goal of supervision is to support the fellow in working with new patient populations, assessment tools and intervention strategies and to build competence and functional autonomy. Fellows have dedicated didactic time and attend seminars and Institute grand rounds.

Psychology fellows are hospital employees and are eligible for benefits including medical, dental and vision insurance options. All our fellowships are full-time, year-long programs beginning in late August.

Requirements for admission

Applicants must have completed their training in an American Psychological Association (APA) or Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) accredited PhD or PsyD program in clinical, counseling or school psychology, as well as an APA accredited internship. Applicants must have completed all doctoral degree requirements by the fellowship start date, including internship completion and successful dissertation defense. The fellow’s graduate school must officially verify their degree before acceptance.

We’re committed to recruiting culturally and ethnically diverse individuals. Bilingual Spanish speaking applicants, and all other qualified applicants, are encouraged to apply. Our fellowship program also provides supervision in Spanish to help support bilingual trainees’ growth in this area.

How to apply to our psychology fellowships

Our fellowship program follows all Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) policies and guidelines regarding application and notification procedures.

All applicants must use the APPIC online applicant portal.

A completed application consists of the following materials:

1. A cover letter detailing the following items: interest in the specific post-doctoral position of choice; previous clinical, research and professional experience relevant to the post-doctoral program; and how the fellowship will advance your professional or personal goals. All developmental pediatric applications must include a de-identified work sample.
2. A current curriculum vitae
3. Official transcripts of all graduate coursework
4. Three letters of recommendation. (Please submit only three letters.)

The application deadline for 2024 to 2025 positions is December 1, 2023 11:59 pm EST. Please see the 2024 to 2025 fellowship brochure (.pdf) for more information.

See where our interns and fellows are now

We work hard to improve pediatric mental health care in Colorado and throughout the United States, which is why training the next generation of children’s mental health specialists is so important to us. Our post-doctoral fellows and interns are now working across the country.

Pediatric psychology externships

Children's Colorado offers children’s psychology externships in several specialties for aspiring providers in a doctoral program. Our externships provide valuable experience through clinical care, supervision and didactic training.

What to expect from a pediatric psychology externship

Our externships allow doctoral candidates to gain hands-on clinical experience in pediatric mental health care and learn from leaders in the field of child psychology. We focus on the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents and their families.

Externs work under the supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist and gain a wealth of experience in a clinical area that interests them. Our psychologists will provide individualized and group supervision and feedback throughout the externship. The goal of our externships is to expose doctoral candidates to new patient populations, assessment tools and intervention strategies while also building competence and autonomy.

Each of our externships differ slightly, but they all require a commitment of 8 to 20 hours a week for a year starting in June.

Find the different clinical areas in which we offer externships and more information about them below:

• Child Clinical Psychology Rotation: Anschutz Medical Campus (.pdf)
• Child Clinical Psychology: Colorado Springs (.pdf)
• Child Clinical Psychology: Highlands Ranch Therapy Center Rotation (.pdf)  
• Developmental Pediatric Psychology Rotation (.pdf)
• Integrated Behavioral Health: Colorado Springs (.pdf)
• Neuropsychology Rotation (.pdf)
• Pediatric Psychology: Gastroenterology (.pdf)
• Pediatric Psychology Consultation: Kidney Transplant and Urology (.pdf)
• Pediatric Psychology Consultation: Cystic Fibrosis (.pdf)
• Pediatric Rehabilitation Psychology Rotation (.pdf)
• Young Mothers Clinic (.pdf)

Requirements for admission

Applicants must:

• Be enrolled in at least the third year of an APA-accredited doctoral program in clinical, counseling, clinical health or school psychology
• Have completed coursework in child assessment and therapy
• Have experience with child or adolescent assessment and treatment
• Have proof of malpractice coverage, which must be provided by the extern’s training institution or by the extern prior to the start date

How to apply to our psychology externships

Please send your application materials to the contact listed in the link above for the individual externship you are interested in by February 1, 2024 at 5 p.m. Mountain Time. Provide the following:

• Current curriculum vitae
• Letter of interest
• Two letters of recommendation
• Completed externship face sheet (.pdf)
• Completed attestation form (.pdf)