McLean-MGB Post-Baccalaureate Clinical Fellowship

Overview

The post-baccalaureate program is a two-year behavioral health workforce development and training program at Mass General Brigham. Fellows gain hands-on clinical experience as members of multidisciplinary teams while receiving education, mentorship, and professional development.

The PBac advances Mass General Brigham’s mission to educate the workforce of the future by developing talented early-career professionals, strengthening recruitment for our behavioral health units, and building a cohort that reflects the diversity of the patients and communities we serve.

We strongly encourage all qualified individuals to apply, including first-generation college students and graduates who have overcome challenges—whether financial, geographic, or otherwise. Through this program, we aim to foster a sense of presence and belonging among our staff that reflects and resonates with the diverse communities within the greater Boston area.

Participating Programs

Led by Fairlee C. Fabrett, PhD, the PBac Fellowship Program includes a full-time paid position in one of the following programs:

• McLean-Franciscan Child and Adolescent Inpatient Program, located in Brighton, Massachusetts, provides acute stabilization and treatment for children and teens
• McLean-Franciscan Community Based Acute Treatment Program, located in Brighton, Massachusetts, offers short-term residential mental health care for children and teens
• 3East DBT Intensive Residential Programs, located in Arlington, Massachusetts, specialized residential care for teens struggling with self-injury, emotion dysregulation, and suicidal ideation
• 3East DBT Partial Hospital Program, located in Arlington, Massachusetts, provides specialized care for adolescents struggling with self-injury, emotion dysregulation, and suicidal ideation
• OCDI Jr., located in Arlington, Massachusetts, a specialized residential program for children and teens who have a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder
• Belmont Adolescent Partial Hospital Program, located in Belmont, Massachusetts, a day program for adolescents struggling with mood and anxiety, and other diagnoses
• Child Partial Hospital Program, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a day program for children 7-13 struggling with irritability, impulsivity, and anxiety
• McLean SouthEast Adolescent Acute Residential Treatment Program, located in Middleborough, Massachusetts, a residential program for teens who struggle with everyday functioning, such as going to school, difficulty maintaining friends, sadness, substance misuse, etc.
• McLean SouthEast at Oak Street Child and Adolescent Inpatient Program, located in Middleborough, Massachusetts, for teens who need crisis evaluation and stabilization, including medication management
• Salem Hospital Child and Adolescent Inpatient Unit, located in Salem, Massachusetts, for children and adolescents 3-17 years old experiencing depression, anxiety, psychotic disorders, trauma, etc.
• McLean’s Short Term Unit (AB1), located in Belmont, MA, an inpatient unit for adults struggling with severe symptoms related to mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety
• McLean’s Mood and Anxiety Disorder (NB1), located in Belmont MA, an inpatient unit for adults struggling with depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, catatonia, psychosis, personality disorders.
• 1 North, Middleborough MA, adult inpatient unit treating psychotic disorders, primarily schizophrenia, bi-polar, schizoaffective disorder and MDD with psychotic features
• 1 South, Middleborough MA, inpatient unit for adults struggling with comorbid presentations such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder.
• The Pavilion, Belmont MA, residential program for adults seeking diagnosis and treatment for a variety of psychiatric challenges including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma, personality disorders, and substance use.

Each clinical program offers a different experience and calls for a different set of skills and interests. It is important that the applicant names the programs they are interested in in their cover letter.

Inpatient units are fast-paced environments where patients may be experiencing acute psychiatric symptoms or crises. Fellows in these settings should be comfortable remaining calm during challenging situations and interested in developing skills in crisis management, de-escalation, and working as part of an interdisciplinary team. Inpatient units require fellows and their floor staff to participate in restraints at times to keep their patients safe.

Residential programs provide a setting where patients often begin learning and practicing skills to manage emotions, regulate behavior, and cope more effectively with distress. Length of stay varies considerably across programs, which can shape the type of relationships fellows develop with patients and the work they are able to do together. While residential settings offer more time and structure for skill building, crises are still very much a part of the work. Fellows will gain experience responding to challenging situations, supporting patients through periods of distress, and learning and practicing de-escalation skills.

Partial hospital programs tend to be more structured and group-based, with a greater emphasis on psychoeducation, skill building, and helping patients apply therapeutic strategies in their daily lives. These settings have their own challenges and require fellows who are comfortable engaging with patients, facilitating structured activities, and supporting individuals who may still be experiencing significant symptoms and distress.

There is no “easier” setting—each provides a different type of clinical exposure. We encourage applicants to think about the environment in which they would feel most engaged, challenged, and excited to learn.

All fellows are expected to work 40 hours (unless specified by their program).

Salary, health insurance, scheduling, and specific benefits, like paid time off, depend on the program assignment. For example, those fellows interested in McLean-Franciscan Community Based Acute Treatment Program will be hired by Franciscan Hospital follow their benefits, salary, etc.

Clinical Training and Mentorship

At the beginning of the fellowship, the fellows participate in a week-long bootcamp where they learn about a variety of topics such as the different levels of care in a mental health environment, understanding how to work with a multidisciplinary team, essentials of group therapy, and professional boundaries and ethics. They also have the opportunity to learn skills and practice them before they start their direct clnical work.

Throughout the year, fellows participate in program-specific training and supervision along with other program colleagues.

In addition to opportunities within their program, fellows join in an in-person monthly professional development and education seminar where they learn from world-renowned clinicians about different therapy modalities, therapeutic strategies, and diagnoses. The seminars also provide professional development guidance, exposure to professionals of different disciplines, and support around graduate school applications.

If interested and available via their assigned program, fellows can also participate in scholarly activities which may include a poster presentation in a conference, collaborating in manuscript writing, and other exciting opportunities. Not every unit offers the possibility of scholarly work, so applicants please make sure you read the FAQ so that you learn more about which units offer what.

This fellowship relies heavily in mentorship, as it is very important for academic and career development. We offer a peer mentorship program where our second-year fellows mentor first-year fellows, offering support and guidance. In addition, fellows are also matched with a clinician within their program who provides career-related mentorship as well as supervision, if needed.

Community Service

Finally, fellows participate in community service, 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.

Application Process

Application portal will open December 18th. To apply, applicants will need to submit a Curriculum Vitae and a cover letter indicating your programs of interest and a bit about yourself (i.e., how you became interested in the field, challenging situations or circumstances you have experienced, etc.). Applicants are encouraged to specify on their cover letter what programs they would like to be considered for. Also please request a professor/supervisor to send a letter of recommendation to Dr. Fabrett at ffabrett@mclean.harvard.edu.

Interviews will start in February with Dr. Fabrett. If selected for a second round of interviews they will be with the program mangers of some of the applicant’s programs of interest.