Training Goals

The Sanford Health Postdoctoral Psychology Residency Program strives to prepare Postdoctoral Psychology Residents for increased competency in their chosen track with a strong emphasis on clinical excellence and scholarship in underserved communities. The Sanford Health Postdoctoral Psychology Residency Program firmly believes that all forms of diversity serve to enhance the training environment and professional growth of residents and faculty alike, as well as allow the diverse range of patients served to see themselves in their providers.

The program is designed to train residents, through multiple, evidence-based experiences and focus areas, to function as independent, ethical, and culturally competent professional psychologists who have the capability of acting as an integral member of a multidisciplinary health delivery team, focusing on the evaluation and treatment of behavioral health disorders and the complex interplay between emotional and physical well-being.

Training goals are accomplished by providing a broad range of high-quality learning opportunities and supervision to the resident in a supportive and professional environment. The residency is pluralistic, recognizing that there is no dominant paradigm for understanding human development, psychopathology, assessment, or treatment in contemporary clinical psychology. Rather, our field is characterized by its conceptual diversity, necessitating broad models and practices within multidisciplinary frameworks.

Residents are provided opportunities to expand their knowledge base through staff psychologist consultation groups, grand rounds presentations in psychiatry, individual and group supervision, selected readings, and interactions with other professionals within the health care system. Additionally, the residency offers a series of weekly didactic trainings focused on relevant topics and developmentally appropriate for advanced postdoctoral psychology residents. Additional didactic training and experiential opportunities may be offered throughout the year, both cohort-wide and at individual sites.