Training Opportunities

Ardent Grove Foundation Description: 

The Ardent Grove Foundation is a nonprofit mental health and training clinic that works to provide high-quality, trauma-informed therapy services at a low cost in a comfortable, beautiful private practice setting. In addition to our clinic, we provide community education focused on mental health. We offer a robust student training program and a professional team to provide excellent psychotherapeutic care. We can maintain low fees for our clients and families in the Colorado community through generous donations and grants and we also provide care to clients with Medicaid and other private insurers.

All our students and clinicians are EMDR-trained to offer this specialized technique at a uniquely low cost in the community. Incoming clinicians and new student therapists will receive full funding to obtain EMDR Basic Training. EMDR training enables clinicians to serve patients more effectively and impactfully, particularly patients at most significant risk of receiving poor mental health care because of financial and other barriers resulting from social determinants of health. We also offer training and didactics and consultative spaces in Infant and Early Childhood, Eating Disorders, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, EMDR Consultation Sandplay, Neurofeedback, and Trauma Informed Yoga, among many other exciting topics. 

Ultimately, Ardent Grove Foundation’s primary objective is to more impactfully serve individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds with quality and meaningful mental health care. Our therapists are passionate about guiding clients toward long-term healing from PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Mood Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, perinatal mental health, parenting, grief and loss, and relationship difficulties. We provide therapy and assessment services to children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. We are a safer and affirming space for LGBTQIA+ staff and clients. Our clinicians tend to focus on long-term, insight-oriented, client-centered therapy.

Postdoctoral Fellowship: 

Our Fellowship is a one-year training program slated to start in September of each year (start date is negotiable prior to September). This full-time, one-year post-doctoral position is structured to meet all requirements for the 1500 postdoctoral hours necessary for licensure in Colorado. Postdocs fellows will be provided with training and practice in administering culturally sensitive therapeutic and assessment services to a diverse population of people including adults, children, families, and couples. The program emphasizes the importance of using a trauma lens to treat a multitude of symptoms and diagnoses, and also to support various life stressors and circumstances. Fellows will further develop their knowledge and clinical skills in assessing and treating clients with approximately 20 hours of clinical intervention per week. Fellows will be required to attend weekly staff/consultation meetings, weekly supervision, and regular didactic trainings. Fellows will also be required to maintain contact and consult with outside sources on client care. Participation in community outreach activities will also be available as will supervision of practicum students.

NOTE: It is the postdoctoral candidate's responsibility to determine whether this placement will meet the requirements for licensure in other states, as some states require more than 1500 hours for licensure and may have additional regulations regarding these hours.

Training will focus on several components, including conducting assessment and individual, couples, and family outpatient therapy, providing supervision to one or two pre-doctoral practicum student therapists, receiving clinical supervision as well as supervision of supervision for support of oversight of the practicum student therapist(s), training and utilizing Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) techniques to clients in therapy sessions, implementing a variety of theoretical orientations, interventions, and ways of conceptualizing clients, and infusing all clinical and administrative responsibilities with multicultural awareness and humility.

Qualifications:

• Must have a doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology, social work, or another relevant field.
• Must have completed the required 1500 pre-doctoral internship hours.
• Must be able to come into the office setting (located in Denver) for a portion of the week.
• Must be team-oriented and collaborative.
• Must be an inclusive practitioner and have an ability to exhibit cultural humility.
• Must exhibit a passion for providing mental health services to Medicaid populations and the community.
• Must be willing to train in EMDR techniques and utilize them throughout tenure.
• Must demonstrate tact, initiative, resourcefulness, professionalism, enthusiasm, and a non-judgmental attitude.
• Training/experience with diverse populations and multiculturalism a plus.

What Sets Us Apart:

• Healthy Work Culture: Our philosophy is based on the idea that healthy therapists do the best clinical work, especially with the challenges facing Coloradans and the increasing stressors for all of us. We facilitate this by offering opportunities to build camaraderie both in and outside of work to help promote a sense of connectedness and support, as well as cultivating a culture of openness and commitment to growth.
• Competitive Pay and Benefits: As a non-profit, semi-private practice, we can offer competitive compensation while empowering our staff to provide care to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

What the Ardent Grove Foundation is Looking For: 

Ardent Grove’s team members are enthusiastic about serving those who might not otherwise afford such high-quality mental healthcare. They also possess high accountability to themselves and others. Ideal candidates will have a history of positively impacting their professional communities and workplaces. We welcome applicants interested in providing supervision to advanced graduate students. Each clinician is expected to supervise one to two student therapists, providing weekly supervision and overseeing documentation and clinical outreach for each student’s term with Ardent Grove. Being a clinician at Ardent Grove involves a high level of freedom and autonomy, and with that comes responsibility. Clinicians who work well independently and are responsible for all logistical aspects of our profession (e.g., paperwork, billing, scheduling) tend to succeed on our team.

Job Type: 

Full-time Post-Doctoral Fellow (40-hour work week with a minimum of 20 clinical hours per week, a 30-hour work week is also negotiable).

Pay: $58,000 per year

Benefits: Medical, including Vision and Dental insurance available, Competitive PTO, Short/Long term disability and life insurance provided. Additional benefits include: 

• Family leave
• Flexible schedule
• Free parking
• Loan repayment program
• Professional development assistance

If you have any additional questions or you would like to apply, please submit your CV, Cover Letter, and the contact information for at least two references (letters of recommendation are not encouraged) to the Clinic Director, Shaye Sakos, PsyD, via email (Shaye.Sakos@ardentgrove.org). Please reach out to Dr. Sakos with any additional questions. Thank you!

Overview of the Practicum:

Our practicum is 11 months in duration, from the beginning of September to the beginning of August of the following year (with the exception of a practicum student needing to leave for internship). There are no other exceptions made to this time commitment. 

The cost of Basic EMDR training is provided to each trainee (about $1,500). It is encouraged that EMDR training be started, if not completed, prior to the start date. 

We serve a broad range of clients including adults, children, families, and couples. AGF works with clients of all ethnic/racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities and disabilities. Our supervisors have extensive experience supervising students in their work with diverse clients. Trainees will see about 10-12 therapy clients weekly and engage in 1 Therapeutic Assessment at a time. Trainees will engage in weekly individual and group supervision and didactics. Additional training opportunities are provided in the areas of Infant and Early Childhood, Eating Disorders, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, and EMDR Consultation. There is also the opportunity to get involved in community outreach, program development, marketing, and other professional interests of the trainee. Trainees are responsible for the timely and professional completion of all administrative tasks such as scheduling, returning emails and phone calls, and documentation/billing. 

Ardent Grove is a place that strives to live through a trauma-informed lens. We seek clinicians who have values that align with ours including providing collaborative, client-centered work, and who deeply appreciate the healing power of the therapeutic relationship. We are also a place of ongoing evolution and growth, which is the spirit we hope trainees approach their practicum placement with us as well. 

Number of Annual Positions: 6

Suitability: Advanced students pursuing their doctoral degree in Clinical or Counseling Psychology, or their Master of Clinical Social Work. 

Application Requirements: We accept applications for the following academic year in January and early February. 

Please submit your CV, Cover Letter, and the contact information for at least two references (letters of recommendation are not encouraged) to the Clinic Director, Shaye Sakos, PsyD, via email (Shaye.Sakos@ardentgrove.org). Please reach out to Dr. Sakos with any additional questions.