Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Program

This course reviews the neurobiology of pediatric disorders and the pharmacological targets of psychotropic medications. All of the major pediatric psychopharmacology clinical trials are reviewed in a seminar format. Each resident is assigned a seminal paper to prepare to present to colleagues for discussion.

This course teaches second-year residents how to apply psychodynamic psychotherapy principles to their work with children and adolescents. In this interactive seminar, residents learn to recognize and classify defenses, work with common developmental challenges, and conduct developmentally-appropriate psychotherapy. Residents also hone their skills in using a developmental perspective in case formulation and treatment planning by choosing age-appropriate therapeutic modalities like imaginative play, structured play, and talk therapy. Throughout the course, residents also explore how to work effectively with caregivers, identifying and managing countertransference, and integrating psychodynamic psychotherapy with other interventions such as medications, family therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

This course examines the major empirically-supported psychotherapy modalities used to treat pediatric psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, and OCD. Residents explore the principles of behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents (IPT-A), and dialectical behavior therapy. Residents also become familiar with the indications for and the use of relaxation techniques, systematic desensitization, exposure/response prevention, interpersonal inventory, and affective regulation and problem-solving techniques.

This seminar series reviews topics in forensic child psychiatry and addresses ethical considerations in child and adolescent psychiatry.  The forensic lectures are supplemented with an introduction to the Bronx Family Court that includes courtroom observation and the assessment of court-referred youth.

This seminar offers residents the opportunity to present and discuss clinical journal articles with peers and seminar leaders. Residents practice the critical appraisal and presentation of findings from scientific literature, and gain an appreciation for how new research can impact individual practice, advocacy, and the allocation of resources and policy.

This lecture series explores substance use and misuse among youth, and accompanies the residents’ observational experience at a treatment program for adolescents with addiction. Residents learn about rehabilitative strategies in adolescent populations.

This seminar offers a review of the contributions of developmental neuroscience to our understanding of normal development and of psychopathology that emerges during childhood and adolescence.

This series provides the second-year residents with panel discussions regarding academic, administrative, research, and clinical practice careers; a primer on risk management; guidance around interviewing for and securing jobs after training; and opportunities to develop skills related to supervision, management, and sustainable career development.