nwfi postdoctoral fellowship training program

Northwest Forensic Institute IS accepting
applications for the 2026-2027 fellowship year

 

INTRODUCTION

Northwest Forensic Institute (NWFI) is pleased to announce its postdoctoral fellowship (residency) year in 2026-2027, beginning September 15, 2026. The NWFI fellowship was previously approved by the American Board of Forensic Psychology (ABFP) to offer the experience waiver for board-certification from 2019 to 2023 and is seeking renewal of the waiver at this time. NWFI offers fellowship training to two individuals per year. NWFI is a group private practice that provides primarily criminal forensic evaluations in Oregon. A minority of our services is dedicated to civil forensic evaluations. We are located in scenic Portland but provide services throughout the state. We conduct evaluations with individuals across all ages from youth to elder adults. The postdoctoral fellow would be exposed to and participate in all types of evaluations and forensic clinical experiences. The fellow would also attend a variety of seminars at NWFI, cross-train with Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) forensic psychiatry fellowship program, and attend the Oregon Forensic Evaluator Training Program programs. The fellow is supervised by multiple psychologists to provide a greater breadth of experience. The fellow would also be exposed and potentially participate in mental health expert testimony, consultation, and provision of educational services. Michelle Guyton, PhD ABPP is the training director.

WHY CHOOSE NWFI FOR FELLOWSHIP?

  • Preparation for board certification in forensic psychology. We train fellows so that they are prepared for early-entrance board certification. Two of our previous fellows have become board-certified through ABFP using the waiver program. Our goal is to train fellows towards the highest ethical and practice standards in our field.

  • Unique practice setting. As a private practice, NWFI allows fellows to learn how to work with a variety of referral sources and how to communicate effectively with each. Specifically, NWFI fellows develop competence in communicating and managing ethical relationships with attorneys, courts, and other groups. In collaboration with Multnomah County judges, defense and district attorneys, and community mental health officials, NWFI developed the Rapid Fitness to Proceed (rFTP) Program in 2017. Fellows get to participate in these rFTP evaluations as well as attend weekly meetings with court personnel where the fitness docket is managed. NWFI also runs the Oregon Forensic Evaluator Training Program (OFETP) and fellows get to participate in this by receiving training as well as learning how to administer trainings. Fellows will also cross-train with psychiatry fellows at NWFI.

  • Exposure to large number of referral questions. NWFI conducts forensic mental health evaluations with a wide variety of referral questions. These include civil referral questions as well as evaluating justice-involved individuals at pre-adjudication, mental state, sentencing, post-conviction relief, and parole. We conduct evaluations at the request of attorneys (defense, plaintiff, district), courts, community justice agencies, community mental health, the Psychiatric Security Review Board, and the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision. We work in state and federal court. We want fellows to get the widest possible experience during the fellowship year so that you can be prepared to enter work in a number of different agencies or private practice. Fellows would be exposed to civil evaluations through observation only whereas they would fully complete criminal forensic evaluations.

  • Learn about private practice. Most fellows come to us with good experience in state and federal systems and the fellowship year is a great opportunity to have supervised exposure to private practice. During the training year, fellows learn about how a private practice works. Fellows are exposed to the nuts and bolts of the practice in the following ways: assisting in hiring the next year’s postdoctoral fellows, billing, referral source management, contract development and management, practice development, and striving towards highest ethical standards.

  • Supervision and mentorship. Each fellow is supervised by two or more psychologists and will have the opportunity to consult with and learn from many psychologists in the office. Not only are our psychologists excellent at what they do, they are easy and fun to work with which creates a positive work environment.

  • Commitment to and focus on diversity. NWFI has strengthened its commitment to conducting forensic evaluations through a multicultural lens and helping report readers understand diversity issues with respect to sensitivity and relevancy.

  • Forensic evaluations by multiple modalities. Fellows will practice in both in-person and remote modalities and learn how to practice ethically in a variety of evaluation settings. In-person evaluations take place in correctional settings, sometimes cell side for acutely ill individuals, attorney offices, and our office.

  • Because…Portland. The Pacific Northwest is a lovely part of the country to spend a training year. Near the mountains, near the ocean, great food, walkable city—need we say more?

SEMINARS and other training experiences

In addition to the fellows’ participation in clinical services and supervision, fellows receive several hours of didactic and experiential training each week. This is designed to facilitate learning and getting fellows ready for early entrance to ABFP board certification. Most training activities occur on Fridays when fellows participate in case consultation, case presentation, didactics, and group supervision. The following list represents the types of seminars in which fellows participate.

At NWFI

  • Case law seminar

  • Case presentation seminar

  • Didactic seminar

  • Weekly case consultation with clinical staff

  • Other seminars: journal club, ethics discussions, and special topics

At OHSU

  • Introduction to law and the legal process

  • Civil forensic psychiatry/psychology

  • Criminal forensic psychiatry/psychology

  • Special issues in forensic psychiatry/psychology 

Oregon Forensic Evaluator Training Program

  • Initial certification

  • Juvenile certification

  • Recertification

 

Types of evaluations we conduct

  • Fitness to proceed (competency to stand trial)

  • Guilty except for insanity

  • Mental state at the time of offense

  • Mitigation-sentencing

  • Risk assessment (violence, sexual, intimate partner)

  • Parole evaluations

  • Capacity to waive 5th amendment rights (Miranda)

  • Susceptibility to false confessions/suggestibility

  • Fitness-for-duty

  • Personal injury

  • Testamentary capacity

FELLOWSHIP OBJECTIVES

  • Gain experience and confidence in addressing a variety of psycholegal referral questions through forensic evaluation and report writing.

  • Develop increased skills for test selection, administration, and interpretation with focus on forensic assessment instruments.

  • Foster interdisciplinary communication through report writing, meetings with referral sources, and possible testimony.

  • Hone multicultural lens for handling forensic cases from referral through written report.

  • By the end of the training year, be ready for independent practice in forensic clinical work.

STIPEND

Annual salary is to be determined and will be provided at the time of applicant interviews. Fellows are covered with professional liability insurance and may participate in the medical/dental/vision insurance program. A $1,400 stipend is offered for conference/training needs. Medical/dental insurance and vacation/sick time are included. The fellow will have be provided a laptop, office, and access to psychological testing materials.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Successful applicants will have clinical experience in providing assessment and treatment to individuals in secure care environments (i.e., jails, hospitals, prisons). This person will be knowledgeable about forensic clinical psychology methods and have excellent written and oral communication skills. Successful applicants will also have skills and interest in developing culturally-informed interviewing, assessment, and formulation/writing. We anticipate taking one fellow for the 2026-2027 training year.

Interested applicants should submit the following materials”:

  1. Application form

  2. Curriculum vita,

  3. One single-spaced page description of your future training goals,

  4. Two redacted psychological evaluations. One evaluation should involve a forensic referral question, if possible. At least one of the evaluations should include use of at least two psychological tests.

  5. Official undergraduate and graduate transcripts

  6. Three letters of recommendation (one from a teacher/supervisor from your graduate program, one from your dissertation chair, and one from your internship program) should be sent directly to us from the institution/person.

Your CV, training goals description and redacted psychological evaluations can be submitted through the application form (a Google form).

All application materials must be received by Monday, January 5, 2026.

After application review, applicants will be notified if they have been accepted for an interview, placed on a waitlist for interview, or not invited for an interview. Interview dates will be in late January 2026. All interviews will be conducted virtually. The interview will be a half to full day where the applicant will learn more about our program, interview with psychologists and current fellow(s), complete a writing exercise, and give a case presentation on one of the two evaluations submitted.

NWFI is participating in the Uniform Acceptance Date (UAD)/Common Hold Date (CHD) of Monday, February 23, 2026 along with several other forensic postdoctoral programs. This means that the selected candidates will be required to accept an offer of fellowship by February 23, 2026. This UAD/CHD is designed to allow candidates to interview at all sites of interest and consider multiple offers without pressure to accept an offer before another is given.

If selected for a fellowship position, the individual will need to become a psychologist resident under the Oregon Board of Psychology before September 15, 2026. We will assist you with that process, but you will be required to do your due diligence beginning in early summer to submit required materials.

Please contact Dr. Guyton with any questions regarding the program or application.