Training Programs

Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in the psychology training programs at Georgetown University’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS).

The staff at Georgetown CAPS are enthusiastic about mentorship and training. We look forward to helping you navigate the array of learning opportunities on campus and in the wider DC region, developing your clinical skills while serving the Georgetown community.

Georgetown University’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) will offer a 12-month, 40-hour/week (2080-hour) postdoctoral fellowship program from August 19, 2024 to August 15, 2025. We have openings for three postdoctoral fellows (known as Psychology Associates in the District of Columbia) for the 2024-2025 academic year. Two fellows will be based on the Hilltop campus and one fellow will be based at the Law Center campus. One Hilltop campus fellow may also opt to pursue a special emphasis in Athletics, in which case they would be based part-time at the CAPS Athletics satellite clinic (also located on the Hilltop Campus).

Our program is designed to foster the growth of clinicians from post-internship to postdoctoral practice and beyond. We have a special focus on preparation for careers in university counseling. In pursuit of that goal, we provide advanced training in college mental health, with a particular focus on short-term therapy models (both individual and group). Postdoctoral fellows may carry a limited number of long-term therapy cases as well. 

Our training emphasizes integrative and evidence-based approaches. Fellows participate in all functions of the counseling center and are considered an integral part of the staff. 

Fellows’ responsibilities include: individual and group therapy; intake and triage; crisis intervention and emergency services; consultation to students, parents, faculty, and university staff; and outreach to the campus community.

Download the training and application brochure here.

We invite you to submit an application and look forward to reviewing your materials. All applications should be submitted through the APPIC Psychology Postdoctoral Application system (APPA CAS) at https://appicpostdoc.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login. For any questions, please contact Dr. John Loughlin-Presnal our Associate Director for Psychology Training at jl2584@georgetown.edu.

Georgetown University’s Counseling and Psychiatric Service (CAPS) will offer a 9-month, 16-hour/week predoctoral externship program from August 19, 2024 to May 30, 2025. We have openings for four predoctoral externs for the 2024-2025 academic year. Externs are expected to be on-site from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Tuesdays and a second day each week that fits with their schedule. There is an option to pursue a special emphasis in working with student-athletes. Externs will be based on the Hilltop campus at CAPS or in Athletics (also located on the Hilltop campus) if interested in working with student-athletes.

CAPS provides exposure to a wide range of diagnostic presentations, levels of functioning, and modes of treatment (intake and evaluation, individual, group, outreach/consultation), making it an excellent early training experience. Opportunities exist for program development and co-leading skills training or process groups. Externs receive weekly individual and group supervision from CAPS staff, participate in ongoing didactic activities and case presentations, and are expected to provide and receive feedback from supervisors over the course of the training year. Core opportunities include: individual and group therapy; intake and triage; consultation to students, parents, faculty, and university staff; and outreach to the campus community.

Download the training and application brochure here.

The Psychiatry Resident Rotation provides comprehensive training for 4th year Psychiatry Residents in the Department of Psychiatry at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Georgetown University School of Medicine in college mental health including experience with psychiatric assessment, brief therapy, consultation, case management, and medication management. The program also provides experience with crisis intervention and community-based on-call coverage, as well as suicide assessment and management. 

Residents gain exposure to cultural diversity, addressing contemporary concerns for communities of color, gender and sexual identity, and religious/spiritual development. Residents treat a diverse and gifted student population with issues ranging from developmental struggles to acute psychiatric conditions.

At CAPS, residents work as part of a multidisciplinary team made up of social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, pre-doctoral externs, and postdoctoral fellows. A CAPS rotation fosters teamwork and provides exposure to theoretical perspectives and intervention approaches across disciplines. Residents also may participate in providing consultation to the campus community.

Please contact Dr. Sonja Lillrank, Associate Director for Psychiatry at CAPS, for more information at sml87@georgetown.edu.

Current Fellows

2023-2024
Shanice Anderson, Psy.D., Nova Southeastern University
Glory Rae Finnegan, Psy.D., The California School of Professional Psychology
Aida Gruden, Psy.D., The George Washington University

To learn about our current trainees, see our staff page.

Training Team

Our training team includes supervisors with a wide breadth of theoretical orientations and specializations. Check out our staff bios page for more details about our supervisors!

John Loughlin-Presnal, Ph.D.
Lauren DePompeo, Psy.D. (Law Center)
Durriya Meer, Psy.D.
Erica Force, Ph.D. (Athletics)
Engin Ontiveros, Ph.D.
Jade Sanders, Ph.D. (School of Medicine and Biomedical Graduate Education)
Chao Song, Ph.D.
Jo Ellyn Walker, Ph.D.

Past Fellows

2022-2023
Natalie Léger, Psy.D., Springfield College
Helen Rathbun, Psy.D., The George Washington University
Amy Sproul, Psy.D., The George Washington University

2021-2022
Deirdre Gaughan, Psy.D. Divine Mercy University
Ramya Matam, Psy.D., Adler University
Sarah Scalese, Psy.D., La Salle University

2020-2021
Sheika Glenn, Psy.D., Adler University
Emma Nowicki, Psy.D., The George Washington University
Jackie Pacella, Psy.D., University of Hartford

2019-2020
Annika Grangaard, Psy.D., Loyola University Maryland
Sonja Kubota Johansson, Psy.D., The George Washington University
John Loughlin-Presnal, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University

2018-2019
Pooja Datta, Ph.D., University of Virginia
Lauren Levine, Psy.D., University of Denver

2017-2018
Erin Gelzer, Psy.D., The George Washington University
Avi Margolies, Psy.D., The George Washington University

2016-2017
Corene Alvarado, Ph.D., University of Alaska
Jessica Pavlick, Psy.D., The George Washington University

2015-2016
Andrea Liner, Psy.D., The George Washington University
Laura Scarpone, Psy.D., The George Washington University

2014-2015
Taylor Lerner, Psy.D., The George Washington University
Emily Lindon, Psy.D., The George Washington University

2013-2014
Ilyse Zable, Psy.D., The George Washington University
Jill Fay, Psy.D., Adler School of Professional Psychology

2012-2013
Jamila Young, Ph.D., Loyola University of Chicago
Lindsay Metcalfe, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts at Amherst

2011-2012
Erica Shirley, Ph.D., University of Virginia
Julia Shabat, Ph.D., Northwestern University