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Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Curriculum Overview

About the Program Curriculum

The goal of the curriculum is provide a wide range of educational experiences that emphasize both normal and abnormal development across a wide age range and across multiple theoretical orientations so that our residents will grow in their medical knowledge and competence through a gradually increasing level of clinical responsibility through their two-year fellowship experience.

Seminar and Course Listing

Neuroscience Seminar

Principles of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy with Children & Adolescents

Therapeutic Engagement

Family Therapy - Theory & Practice

Developmental Psychopathology

Basic Psychopharmacology

Psychological Assessment

Ethics in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Systems of Care

Pediatric Consult - Liaison Psychiatry Seminar

Play Therapy Seminar

Evidence Based Psychotherapy

Forensic Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Cultural Issues in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Infant/Preschool Observation & Assessment

Department of Psychiatry Journal Club

Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds

Advanced Psychopharmacology

Advanced Case Seminar

Advanced Cognitive Therapies Seminar

Department of Psychiatry Morbidity & Mortality Reviews

Core Competencies

Evaluation and treatment of patients representing the full spectrum of psychiatric illnesses in children and adolescents, including developmental and substance use disorders.

Treatment of children and adolescents for the development of conceptual understanding and beginning clinical skills in major treatment modalities, including brief and long-term individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention, supportive therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and pharmacoltherapy.

Evaluation and treatment of patients from diverse cultural backgrounds and varied socioeconomic levels.

Performance and documentation of an adequate individual and family history, mental status, physical and neurological examinations when appropriate, supplementary medical and psychological data, and integration of these data into a formulation, differential diagnosis, and a comprehensive treatment plan.

Basic neurobiological, psychological, and clinical sciences relevant to psychiatry and the application of developmental, psychological, and sociocultural theories relevant to the understanding of psychopathology.

The full range of psychopathology in children and adolescents, including the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the major psychiatric conditions that affect children and adolescents.

Recognition and management of domestic and community violence, including physical and sexual abuse, as well as neglect, as it affects children and adolescents.

Diversity and cultural issues pertinent to children, adolescents, and their families.

The appropriate uses and limitations of psychological tests.

Fellowship Evaluation

A formal examination assessment procedure for cognitive knowledge, the Child Psychiatry Resident In-Training Exam (CHILD PRITE), developed by the American College of Psychiatrists, will be administered annually to all fellows. The results of this written examination will help the program director assess the effectiveness of the educational program and identify areas of strength and weakness in the fellow’s knowledge of child psychiatry, including development, biological science, epidemiology, psychopathology, assessment procedures, treatment, psychiatric aspects of pediatric disorders, issues in practice, consultation other than pediatrics and prevention. It will also afford the fellow the opportunity to compare their performance with their peers in the program and with child psychiatry fellows nationwide in participating programs, at their level of training.

A formal assessment of clinical skills of all fellows will be completed during each year of their training. The process and evaluation forms were developed to satisfy both ABPN and ACGME child psychiatry fellowship requirements. The examination will involve a board-style faculty-observed live patient (30 minute) interview followed by an oral examination (additional 30 minutes).

Domains assessed will include the fellows’:

  1. interviewing skills;
  2. His/her ability to elicit an appropriate present and past psychiatric, medical, social, and developmental history;
  3. Assess mental status;
  4. Present a verbal summary of the clinical data collected; and
  5. Present a relevant formulation, differential diagnosis, prognosis, and provisional treatment plan.

Performed in the general board format, this experience will provide the basis for clinical skills verification, utilized to verify competency to be board certified in psychiatry by the ABPN.

Resident Scholarly Activities

Thanks to a grant from the State of California to recruit and retain child psychiatrists, we will work to support academic opportunities via financial support for attendance of meetings and other scholarly activities. Other activities include:

  • Residents will be expected to participate in scholarly activities, including academic journal club, and will additionally have the opportunity to present at departmental grand rounds.
  • Residents will receive formal instruction in research in an academic seminar series.
  • Residents will be encouraged to pursue research projects and will have attendance at national meetings supported by the department.