The Dolce Postgraduate Fellowship
The Dolce Postgraduate Fellowship at Iona University Counseling Center is a paid fellowship that may be done as a full-time, 12-month appointment, or as a part-time, two-year appointment. New graduates of doctoral programs in Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, and School/Clinical Psychology, and of Masters’ programs in Mental Health Counseling, are eligible to apply for the Fellowship.
The Dolce Postgraduate Fellowship offers Fellows the opportunity to expand the breadth of their clinical skills while earning the necessary supervised hours toward New York State licensure. In a caring, balanced environment, Fellows deliver individual counseling services addressing a broad range of clinical needs, with group and outreach work focused specifically neurodivergent students, including Autism Spectrum Disorders.
The Iona University Counseling Center is a comprehensive mental health clinic, specializing in services for emerging adults. Our services are available to all undergraduate and graduate students matriculating at Iona University.
The Counseling Center provides individual psychotherapy, crisis intervention, consultation, specialized clinical services for substance abuse and interpersonal violence, and outreach programs addressing a wide variety of concerns to the College community.
The Counseling Center remains deeply committed to providing excellent clinical training in a nurturing, mentoring environment. Our multidisciplinary staff, trained in a variety of treatment modalities, provide high-quality supervision encouraging trainees to hone their skills and expand upon their personal styles. Staff members make themselves available to trainees whenever the need to consult arises, and prioritize their questions and concerns.
Counseling Center clients are a diverse group presenting a full spectrum of mental health needs, offering an excellent opportunity for clinical skill enhancement. Fellows work with students’ presenting symptoms in the context of broader life transitions inherent to the emerging adult stage, including identity formation, individuation, relationship transition, trauma recovery, and behavioral choices.
The Dolce Postgraduate Fellowship's mission is:
- To prepare fellows for a career in clinical psychology, and to practice in a manner that is informed by the Mission of Iona University to foster “opportunity, justice and the liberating power of education” in a context of “intellectual inquiry, community engagement, and appreciation for diversity";
- To provide a broad range of clinical experiences, preparing fellows to serve as assets in any treatment setting;
- To develop and deliver comprehensive outreach programs to students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), enhancing the commitment of Iona University to maximize their opportunities for success;
- To immerse fellows in the culture and focus of a College Counseling Center, with the object of developing a specialization in collegiate mental health;
- To support skill development in creating and delivering outreach initiatives, targeted for students with ASDs as well as the broader College community, in service of the Counseling Center’s objective of promoting and enhancing the mental health of the entire student body.
A primary objective of the Dolce Postgraduate Fellowship is to address the complex needs of Iona students who are neurodivergent. Iona University has created a number of innovative, specialized programs intended to enhance neurodivergent students’ opportunities for achievement and personal fulfillment. In acknowledgment of the particular challenges posed by collegiate life, the Dolce Postgraduate Fellowship supports and expands these initiatives by offering specialized outreach services to enhance social and emotional skills development for students with neuroatypical conditions, so that they may optimize their full academic potential, increase integration into the College community, and feel fully empowered to actualize their vision for the future.