Masters Level Psychologist - Pediatric Feeding Program

Job Summary

Michigan Medicine's Interdisciplinary Pediatric Feeding Program is seeking a full-time Masters-level Psychologist to join our growing team. This hybrid program (in-person and virtual) provides coordinated, interdisciplinary care to some of the most medically complex pediatric cases, including infants and children with feeding tubes and those diagnosed with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).

What You'll Do

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of an innovative, interdisciplinary feeding program that is transforming care for infants and young children with feeding challenges. Our hybrid model increases access to specialized services while providing families with early intervention and ongoing support.

We deeply value partnership and collaboration, recognizing that open communication and strong relationships are essential to high-quality care. Our team prioritizes mutual respect, mental health and well-being both for the families we serve and for our colleagues. We foster a supportive environment where team members are encouraged to share ideas, learn from each other, and grow professionally.

You will have opportunities to engage in research and quality improvement projects, expand treatment services for toddlers and older children with ARFID, and work in a team that values holistic, developmentally appropriate, and compassionate feeding care. Additionally, this position offers a chance to develop group-based interventions, collaborate with pediatricians, and train other professionals, further expanding the reach and impact of feeding care.

Who We Are

Our program uses a holistic approach that integrates physiological, developmental, psychosocial, and behavioral factors to prevent and address feeding disorders. It is staffed by feeding psychologists, registered dietitians (RD), speech-language pathologists (SLP), occupational therapists (OT), a pediatrician and a gastroenterology nurse practitioner to provide close, coordinated care and address all aspects that impact feeding. Our largest referral stream consists of infants discharged from the hospital with feeding tubes, and we provide close, coordinated outpatient follow-up starting within one week of discharge. This allows for proactive, preventative care and oral feeding progression when developmentally and medically appropriate. Instead of using structured, protocolized, consequence-based feeding interventions, we rely heavily on principles classical conditioning to establish and protect a strong foundational relationship with each aspect of oral feeding. This approach minimizes the need for more intensive intervention and supports a natural, stepwise progression in feeding skills. It enables children to reach their full feeding potential in a manner that is sustained long-term.

This proactive, preventative and holistic approach has produced exemplary outcomes and has successfully transitioned medically complex infants and young children off of their tubes to full oral feeds earlier than anticipated, even in populations known to have high rates of long-term tube dependence. This has resulted in significant expansion of our program and referral stream.

Responsibilities*

The core responsibilities of this position are twofold.

• The provider will staff the clinic that treats infants born prematurely and with less medical complexity who are discharged from the hospital with a feeding tube. The provider will provide care alongside a RD and an OT or SLP, to support safe and developmentally appropriate feeding progression. This person in this role will take the lead on case conceptualization, preventing oral aversion by monitoring factors that impact the infant's experience when eating including physiological comfort, hunger, stress, and psychosocial factors, and will collaborate with medical providers to identify and address physiological barriers to oral feeding progression (e.g., discomfort from reflux or constipation).
• This position will expand feeding treatment for toddlers and older children with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), using a whole-child and family-centered approach. This includes emphasizing core nutrition to support brain and body development, broadening food repertoires with a focus on function and practicality and resetting feeding interactions between parent and child to reduce stress around feeding.
• This position also offers opportunities to develop group-based interventions, collaborate with pediatricians, and train other professionals, further expanding the reach and impact of feeding care.
  
  
  

Other Key Responsibilities Include

• Supporting parents and caregivers, incorporating perinatal mental health principles to create a compassionate, family-centered feeding environment.
• Applying behavioral principles in a flexible, individualized manner, avoiding structured, invasive interventions while creatively tailoring strategies to meet each family's values, goals, and needs.
• Minimizing stress on the child and family while promoting feeding progress.
• Applying principles of classical and operant conditioning to support oral feeding while integrating developmentally appropriate attachment-based recommendations.
• Expanding treatment services for toddlers and older children with ARFID through direct care, consultation, and training of other disciplines.
• Developing group programs and collaborating with pediatricians to expand support for children with feeding difficulties.
• Engaging in research and quality improvement projects to advance best practices in pediatric feeding care.
  
  
  

Required Qualifications*

• Master's degree in educational or clinical psychology.
• Eligibility for limited licensure as a Clinical Psychologist in the state of Michigan.
  
  
  

Desired Qualifications*

• Experience working with children with neurodivergence (e.g., ASD, ADHD) and an understanding of developmental norms.
• Familiarity with feeding difficulties preferred but not required. Strong behavioral foundations and willingness to learn and collaborate are essential.
• Comfort with blending behavioral and attachment-based approaches to feeding challenges.
• Collaborative mindset and eager to learn from other disciplines and work within a team-based setting.
• Commitment to compassionate care and a family-centered approach.
  
  
  

Work Schedule

40 hours per week

Work Locations

Ann Arbor

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Union Affiliation

This position is covered under the collective bargaining agreement between the U-M and the United Michigan Medicine Allied Professionals (UMMAP), which contains and settles all matters with respect to wages, benefits, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment.

Background Screening

Michigan Medicine conducts background screening and pre-employment drug testing on job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent job offer and may use a third-party administrator to conduct background screenings. Background screenings are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Report Act. Pre-employment drug testing applies to all selected candidates, including new or additional faculty and staff appointments, as well as transfers from other U-M campuses.

In addition to the screenings indicated above under Michigan law, a criminal history check including fingerprinting is required as a condition of transfer or employment for this position.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.