Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Didactics

Year One
Fundamentals of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this seminar provides fellows with fundamental principles and skills and a basic knowledge base upon which to build in their work with child and adolescent psychiatric patients. Topics include ethical issues pertaining to work with children and families; mandated reporting issues; models of development; psychopharmacologic issues in the treatment of children; models for working with families; accessing and critical reading of the child psychiatric literature; and biopsychosocial-developmental case formulation. Developmental issues pertaining to interviewing, observation, assessment, and treatment are emphasized. Specific content of the course varies each year.
Infancy Seminar	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this seminar provides fellows knowledge requisite to understanding typical and atypical early child development. Theories of early child development and skills in assessment are taught, including both structured and unstructured clinical diagnostic methods. Fellows are introduced to current biopsychosocial methods of treatment used in infant mental health programs. This seminar often includes live observation of young children in the context of dyadic relationships, and clinical and childcare settings. Attachment disturbances, feeding disorders, sleeping disorders, and other psychopathologic conditions affecting young children are addressed.
Research Seminar	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, fellows develop and share their own hypothetical research projects. The seminar focuses upon development of a testable hypothesis; identification of an appropriate sample population and assessment measures; exposure to the process of seeking funding; identification of appropriate statistical methods for interpretation of results; and development of skills in writing for publication.
Middle Childhood (Latency)	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this seminar familiarizes fellows with the scientific and cultural literature, and best practices for assessing and treating children from 6-12 years of age with psychiatric symptoms. The seminar addresses the continuum of normal development in middle childhood; focuses upon the recognition of major psychiatric syndromes seen in middle childhood (including ADHD, learning disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, etc.); and emphasizes treatment planning, selection of treatment modalities and evaluation of treatment outcomes. Live observation in academic and clinical settings are included; memoirs and film are used as springboards for discussion.
Adolescence	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this seminar focuses upon the understanding of typical and pathological adolescent psychosocial development; use of this data in formulation of cases; and best practices for intervention. The seminar includes specific focus on psychiatric disorders which may present during adolescence (e.g. eating and substance use disorders, schizophrenia, conduct disorder) and fieldtrips to relevant clinical and research settings.
Family Therapy	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this seminar focuses on developing an understanding of family dynamics that may impair child and family functioning; and on learning techniques of effective intervention. Emphasis is placed on case-based work, including live observation of clinical work.
Continuous Case Conference	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this weekly seminar is led by a child psychiatrist/psychoanalyst. It has been a mainstay of our program for many years. In this seminar, fellows present and discuss ongoing psychotherapy cases. Emphasis is placed upon psychodynamic formulation of cases, and utilizing techniques of psychodynamically-informed psychotherapy.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds	Child psychiatry fellows, general psychiatry fellows, and faculty from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences attend bi-weekly departmental grand rounds. When child psychiatry topics are featured (approximately 3-4 times per year), child fellows also meet as a group with the grand rounds speaker to discuss career issues or research questions, or to present cases.

Year Two
Fundamentals of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this seminar provides fellows with fundamental principles and skills and a basic knowledge base upon which to build in their work with child and adolescent psychiatric patients. Topics include ethical issues pertaining to work with children and families; mandated reporting issues; models of development; psychopharmacologic issues in the treatment of children; models for working with families; accessing and critical reading of the child psychiatric literature; and biopsychosocial-developmental case formulation. Developmental issues pertaining to interviewing, observation, assessment, and treatment are emphasized. Specific content of the course varies each year.
Topics in Child Psychiatric Consultation	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, principles of consultation are presented and discussed, with particular attention paid to issues regarding child psychiatric consultation to schools, to the juvenile court, and within pediatric settings.
Psychotherapy with Children	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this seminar focuses upon psychotherapeutic issues unique to child and adolescent work, including play, countertransference issues, beginning and ending treatment, and working with parents.
Clinical Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this course provides fellows with an understanding of the drug development and clinical trials process for medications used to treat childhood mental disorders. The course focuses upon helping fellows to identify potential medication targets, including neuromodulators, neuroanatomical sites, and genes. The course includes an in-depth discussion of drug classes commonly used in the treatment of child and adolescent mental disorders. Emphasis is placed upon integration of psychopharmacologic treatment with other treatment modalities, and issues pertaining to compliance. Ethical and safety issues in the prescribing of psychotropic medications to children and adolescents are emphasized.
Child, Family, Culture and Society	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this course provides fellows an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to sensitively assess and treat children, adolescents, and families whose cultural and social backgrounds may differ from those of the fellow. The course focuses on understanding cultural differences and their impact on child development, the physician-patient relationship, and adherence to treatment; exploration of new attitudes based on self-awareness; and development of skills in the lifelong acquisition of cultural competence.
Developmental Disorders and the PDD Spectrum	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this seminar focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, course, treatment, neurobiology, and presentation of neurodevelopmental disorders, with particular emphasis placed on the pervasive developmental disorders spectrum.
Continuous Case Conference	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this weekly seminar is led by a child psychiatrist/psychoanalyst. It has been a mainstay of our program for many years. In this seminar, fellows present and discuss ongoing psychotherapy cases. Emphasis is placed upon psychodynamic formulation of cases, and utilizing techniques of psychodynamically informed psychotherapy.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds	Child psychiatry fellows, general psychiatry fellows, and faculty from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences attend bi-weekly departmental grand rounds. When child psychiatry-related topics are featured (approximately 3-4 times per year), child fellows also meet as a group with the grand rounds speaker to discuss career issues or research questions, or to present cases.
Board Prep Review	Attended by first- and second-year child psychiatry fellows, this mini-course is focused on helping to prepare fellows for the child and adolescent psychiatry board exam.