Training Director: Bela Sood, M.D.

The Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University training program in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is a two-year program, fully accredited by the ACGME We offer physicians an educational experience which is carefully supervised by our faculty in a variety of busy clinical settings. The patient population is diverse socioculturally and treatment services are tailored to individual needs. Coursework emphasizes a developmental neuroscience and neuropsychiatry approach; and supervision requires evaluating a case from multiple perspectives and choosing a treatment which is most likely to keep a child in the community, preserve family integrity, and support parents in their struggles to be good parents. There is a strong eclectic didactic curriculum, spanning 11 months of the year. There is strong emphasis on individual supervision. The development of consultation skills for complex clinical and administrative problems is a priority in the training. Knowledge of and the ability to critically review the scientific literature in the field is an essential component of our training experience as is the development of teaching and presentation skills. Training is eclectic with appropriate emphasis on short term and long term treatment models, cognitive behavioral as well as psychodynamic approaches in understanding and treating children. The fellowship is supervised by a 8 full time faculty which makes it one of the largest division of Board Certified Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, in the country.

Fellows will work intensively with short-term, intermediate-care and day-treatment patients. The Fellowship offers training in subspecialty clinics, such as ADHD/Developmental Disabilities and Mood Disorders. It also offers training in juvenile forensics, pediatric consultation/liaison and community psychiatry. There are opportunities to work with the deaf and hearing impaired.

The program accepts 2 fellows per year. Eligible candidates for the fellowship are residents who will have completed their PGY 3 year in General Psychiatry by the anticipated date of joining. The first year involves training in the assessment and management of children and adolescents in acute and intermediate stay settings. The second year involves outpatient experiences in community mental health centers and the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, consultation liaison with pediatrics and forensic training.