Join Us

!! Note: Dr. Tso has moved to Ohio State University since 12/01/2022. She will continue to be affiliated with University of Michigan as an adjunct faculty, but will no longer accept new trainees at UM. Future trainees will be accepted at OSU.

UNDERGRADUATES

Dr. Tso accepts UROP and independent studies (Psychology/BCN) students. All students are expected to commit at least 8-10 hours a week for at least 2 semesters. Multiple undergraduate positions are offered on a yearly basis. Interested UROP students should apply through UROP. Psychology/BCN students interested in doing independent studies for course credits should email Dr. Tso (please include your CV). Note that Dr. Tso normally would not take honors thesis students unless they have worked in her lab for a year.

PRACTICUM STUDENTS

Dr. Tso offers two clinical practica to Clinical Psychology doctoral students. Both clinical practica are supervised by licensed psychologists (Dr. Tso and/or other affiliated faculty members) and a multidisciplinary clinical/research team. Students are expected to commit at least 8-14 hours per week for at least 3 semesters. Interested students should email Dr. Tso and include your current CV and a paragraph summarizing your clinical interests and experience. Both UM and non-UM students are welcome to apply.

  1. Transdiagnostic Social Functioning Assessment: This practicum occurs in the context of an NIMH-funded R01 research project led by Dr. Tso, aiming to investigate the cognitive and neural mechanisms of social dysfunction in adolescents and young adults with a wide range of psychiatric conditions. Students of this practicum will participate in diagnostic, clinical, and functional assessments with research participants aged between 14 and 30. The major focus of this practicum is acquiring skills in assessing social and community functioning. This will be achieved using standard, structured diagnostic instruments (MINI, ADOS-2) and validated functional assessments (Global Functioning). Because this is a trandiagnostic study, students will have exposure to all kinds of psychiatric disorders presenting with prominent social dysfunction, including (but not limited to) those with syndromal and sub-syndromal psychosis, autism-spectrum disorders, and social phobia. Students will have opportunities to administer, score, and interpret results of of intellectual (WASI-II) and other social cognition tests (e.g., the Awareness of Social Inference Test; TASIT). Opportunities to observe and participate in ongoing group therapy (e.g., CBT, DBT, Social Skills Training, Multi-Family) in the Department of Psychiatry are available upon request. Experience in diagnostic clinical interview and autism assessment is highly valued but not required. Applicants must have completed basic graduate coursework in psychopathology and assessment.

  2. PREP (Early Psychosis) Clinic: PREP serves adolescents (aged 14+) and young adults with psychosis risk syndromes (aka “prodromal,” clinical high risk, or ultra high risk for psychosis) and early psychosis. It provides specialized evaluation/consultation and evidence-based treatment for patients and families. Occasionally, we also treat more chronic adult patients with psychotic disorders. Students of this practicum will receive training in both assessment and treatment of psychosis and common comorbid anxiety and mood disorders. Provided experiences include: psychiatric evaluation, short-term individual psychotherapy (in particular, CBT for psychosis, anxiety, and mood disorders), family psychoeducation, multifamily group therapy, and educational outreach to schools, community mental health agencies, and non-profit organizations. Applicants must: 1) have completed basic graduate coursework in psychopathology and assessment; 2) have completed at least one year of supervised practicum with a focus on evidence-based treatments, such as CBT, IPT, DBT, ACT, and Motivational Interviewing; and 3) have a current TLLP issued by the State of Michigan throughout the practicum period. Successful candidates will have the readiness and emotional maturity to work with patients with serious mental illnesses.

PHD STUDENTS

*Note. Dr. Tso is NOT taking a PhD student for matriculation in Fall 2023.

Dr. Tso is happy to mentor and collaborate with current graduate students in research. Students who are interested in analyzing and publishing fMRI or ERP data are especially welcome. Current graduate students who are interested in working with Dr. Tso in her research studies or having her as a research mentor, please contact her directly.

If you are a prospective applicant of the UM PhD programs in Clinical Science or Cognitive & Cognitive Neuroscience , please apply directly to the programs. In years where Dr. Tso is not listed as faculty seeking a graduate student, you should apply to a core Psychology faculty as your primary advisor and identify Dr. Tso as a research mentor you are interested in working with in your research statement.

POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS

Dr. Tso offers post-doctoral training through her MiSCAN Lab as well as the UM-VA Consortium Postdoctoral Psychology Residency Program.

  1. MiSCAN Lab: If you are interested in working with us as a postdoctoral fellow in social cognitive and affective neuroscience and psychopathology research, please contact Dr. Tso via email (ivytso@med.umich.edu) to inquire about potential openings. Salary is based on NIH salaries for postdoctoral fellows. Benefits includes a standard University of Michigan benefits package (vacations, sick leave, health insurance) and annual funds ($1,500 ) for professional development.

  2. UM-VA Adult Clinical Psychology Consortium: Dr. Tso is one of the training faculty of the University of Michigan-VA Consortium Postdoctoral Psychology Residency Program (Adult Clinical Psychology track). The program follows the scientist-practitioner model and emphasizes the training and development of psychologists in a rich interdisciplinary environment who will be able to assume leadership roles in research, teaching, and clinical service. Postdoctoral fellows participate in a core curriculum, evidence-based clinical training, and mentored clinical research in a specific content area. Research opportunities are available from a range of areas including mood disorders; women’s mental health; sleep and circadian science; health psychology; anxiety and related disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder); substance use disorders; psychotic disorders; bipolar disorder; primary care mental health integrations; and mental health recovery.

We anticipate accepting 5 fellows into the consortium beginning September 2022: 2 MICHMED adult fellows, 2 VAAAHS adult fellows, and 1 VAAAHS adult women’s mental health fellow. Fellowships are APA-accredited for one year, but the MICHMED fellowship is two years in duration. Applications are encouraged from candidates with interests in any of the above research areas, but the MICHMED positions are particularly interested in applicants with research interests in (1) bipolar/psychosis and brain stimulation (Mentor Ivy Tso, PhD) and (2) sleep and circadian treatments in mental health (Mentors J. Todd Arnedt, PhD and Leslie Swanson, PhD). For the position with Dr. Tso, research effort can be up to 75%, depending on the fellow's career development plan.

Stipends currently range from $50,877 to $54,144 for 1st and 2nd year fellows, respectively. Benefits include vacations, sick leave and options for health insurance. As a consortium that places a high value on diversity, we welcome all applicants to apply, and would especially encourage applicants from underrepresented groups. Michigan Medicine and the VA Ann Arbor are committed to equal opportunity for all persons and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status.

For up-to-date information and application materials, see the Consortium Web Page (https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/psychiatry/education/psychology-postdoctoral-training/specialty-areas/clinical-psychology-consortium). Deadline for applications is December 1, 2021. For further information about opportunities in the consortium, contact J. Todd Arnedt, Ph.D., MICHMED Training Program Director (tarnedt@med.umich.edu) or Beau Nelson, Ph.D. VAAAHS Training Program Director (Clayton.Nelson2@va.gov).