The Fellowship Program.

As first-generation college students ourselves, we know what it’s like to have a goal but no idea how to get there. That’s why we want to demystify career development and business ownership for recent graduates. Diversifying the field starts with developing the skillset and self-trust of early career professionals who do not come from generational wealth or privilege. We’ll tell you where we went wrong, how we stay sane, and the things we’re learning along the way! Start the year with a dream, end the year with a plan.

bespoke training.

our training model.

We’re doing things a little differently. Our program operates using an apprenticeship model, with an explicit goal of moving Fellows toward independent practice and financial freedom rather than seeing training as a profit-generating enterprise for the practice. Our 1-year fellowship is designed to ensure you meet your pre-licensure hours and financial goals, while moving you toward that next step as soon as you’re ready:

Competitive 50% fee split and W-2 status
40 hours of paid time off earned on day one in compliance with the Chicago Paid Sick Leave Ordinance
Support building a caseload of 18-25 clients/week, depending on the financial goals and bandwidth of the Fellow
Furnished office space in the heart of Andersonville within a collective of psychologists, professional counselors, and social workers in solo practice
2 hours/week of individual supervision: one provided by the owner of Bespoke Healing, Dr. Fern Pinkston; the other provided by contracted supervisor Dr. Caleb Chadwick who has his own private practice, The Argonne Center, and can therefore offer invaluable outside perspective on clinical work and practice development
1 hour/week of group supervision with other Foster Training Consortium trainees from neighboring practices
Quarterly Field trips to non-clinical spaces doing similar work to inspire your future brand identity and get a sense of how your future business fits into the larger community
Optional additional training in hiring, evaluation, supervision, and policy development
A tried-and-true timeline to efficiently get licensed and start your own business

experienced, intentional supervision.

Our supervisors are deeply interested in the training and development of future clinicians, but also recognize the need for more mentorship and autonomy in the post-graduate phase of training. We value personal-professional integration and the development of a brand in the image of the Fellow, not a carbon-copy of their supervisors. (See our Supervisor Bios below for more about us!)

Bespoke Healing Fellows have access to a plurality of approaches through weekly encounters with trainees and professionals who work in neighboring queer-focused practices. This encourages healthy critical thinking and allows for outside consultation so that when it comes time to develop their own policies and procedures, Fellows are more confident in the efficacy of their choices.

Due to the exposure to leadership and business development, our Fellowship Program also serves as excellent training for work across multiple sectors of the psychology field, including supervision and administration. So if this is sounding good but you’re not so sure about the starting-a-practice bit just yet, we encourage you to apply!

ideal candidate.

This fellowship program is best suited to serve trainees interested in the following:

Working primarily in direct service with queer/poly/kinky folks in both individual and relationship modalities. 91% of our clients are LGBTQIA+, so experience providing gender-affirming care will be considered an asset. Interest in working with couples and poly/open/CNM relationships is also a must given our clientele.
Serving the working class. Unlike many private practice settings in Chicago, we are proud that 88% of Bespoke Healing clients are of low- to middle-socioeconomic status. The vast majority of our clients access our services through insurance or sliding scale. We live out our values to provide accessible, high-quality care to folks who are often in helping roles themselves.
Practicing using trauma-informed, relational frameworks. Most of our clients come in with a complex trauma history. Our site serves as excellent training for folks wanting to develop a trauma specialization, as Dr. Fern Pinkston teaches coursework in the Trauma Concentration within the Counseling Psychology program at The Chicago School. Past finalists have also been able to demonstrate comfort and interest in relational-cultural, liberation, humanistic-existential, narrative, feminist, and queer theories.
Engaging in self-examination and identity development. As relational-cultural supervisors, we ask questions about what informs trainees’ interventions and countertransference. We also model lifelong learning through use of self and dialogue. This often opens meaningful, growth-fostering conversations about intergenerational and cultural messages imbuing our work and deepens critical consciousness.
Learning about the business and administrative sides of private practice. No prior experience in private practice is required! We are accustomed to orienting folks to the particulars of private practice and spend a great deal of time providing direct training and support in marketing to prospective clients.

We are also listed on the appic universal psychology postdoctoral directory.

View Listing

meet the supervisors.

Our program uses a co-supervision model, meaning we closely collaborate as colleagues to provide Fellows with a cohesive, growth-fostering experience.

Dr. Fern Pinkston (she/her) is a former Training Director with a decade of experience teaching and training future psychology professionals. She conceptualizes trainees using a multicultural, developmental, and liberation-focused training model. She values transparency and humor in fostering meaningful connections with Fellows. Fern is process-oriented and values helping Fellows to understand how their professional selves are influenced by their personal history, cultural identities/context, and natural style. She prefers the supervision hour to be a space where supervisees feel safe to seek support and think critically about their work.
Fern’s approach to psychotherapy is liberation-focused and rooted in existential therapy, though she also draws from relational-cultural, interpersonal, narrative, trauma recovery, and queer theory frameworks.

Dr. Caleb Chadwick (he/him) has a robust background of research and training across the country in diverse settings such as college counseling, cancer support, HIV service agencies, and private practice. He believes that supervision is at its best when both supervisor and supervisee are bringing their full selves into the supervisory space, working with a strong collaborative spirit. With this in mind, Caleb seeks to create a supervision space that is infused with humor, curiosity, empathy, and authentic support to create a sustainable environment for growth. This foundation leaves room for what he sees as the fundamental tasks of supervision: celebrating and bolstering areas of strength, attending to areas for growth, and attuning to the self as therapist.
Similar to his supervisory approach, Caleb has a relational, dynamic approach to psychotherapy, and his practice is strongly informed by theories of multiculturalism and human development. From this perspective, he has developed a particular value for developing a trusting, engaged therapeutic relationship where both therapist and client can be curious about behaviors and experiences that come up during therapy.

application process.

Please submit an updated CV, 3 references, and a cover letter detailing your interest in training with us specifically. Email your application and questions to contact@bespokehealingchicago.com

*Note: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and we are currently accepting applications for a February 1st start. We especially encourage queer, BIPOC, first-generation college students, and folks who have been historically under-represented in our field to apply.