Psychotherapy Training

Psychotherapy can help children and families understand and resolve problems, modify behavior, and make positive changes in their lives. Evidence-based treatment for most child and adolescent mental health disorders includes psychotherapy as a first-line treatment. Child and adolescent psychiatrists often combine different therapeutic techniques with medication management to alleviate emotional and/or behavioral symptoms in our patients. Throughout their two years of training, CAP residents receive multiple didactics on different psychotherapeutic modalities. They begin by participating in individual and group therapy during the inpatient rotation, and carry a caseload of psychotherapy patients throughout their time in the outpatient clinic. CAP residents are expected to become proficient in common therapeutic modalities used children and families, including:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Family Therapy
• Parent Management Training (PMT)
• Group Therapy
• Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
• Play Therapy
• Psychodynamic Therapy

In addition, CAP residents participate in joint learning activities with affiliated Psychology and Social Work internships. Residents provide collaborative care and participate in case conferences and didactics alongside students from the Clinical Psychology Internship at Hawthorn Center, the Clinical Psychology Internship at the Children's Hospital of Michigan and the Wayne Health Social Work Internship.
 

Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute

Residents who are interested in learning more about psychodynamic principles or in pursuing a psychoanalytic fellowship post-residency have a variety of opportunities through the residency program to explore these interests. Our program has a long-standing connection with the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute (MPI). As a result, our residents often participate in various MPI clinical activities, including the following:

• Monthly Clinical Moments, where residents are invited to attend a dinner and case presentation at the home of a member of the MPI. Residents enjoy this opportunity to socialize and network with psychodynamically-oriented mental health professionals.
• Early Admissions Program, which features Saturday morning seminars showcasing clinical material presented by applicants to the MPI. Residents are invited to attend these sessions and are given advanced psychoanalytic readings.
• Psychoanalytic Fellowship, which is a 1-year fellowship program in which residents and other mental health professionals meet weekly, observe case presentations by a practicing analyst, and discuss cases and psychoanalytic readings. Upon completion, a certificate is received.

Research Opportunities

The field of psychiatry is turning increasingly more to evidence-based guidance of formulation, diagnosis and treatment. With this in mind, WSU provides required didactics and seminars throughout residency, to ensure its residents build the basic skills necessary to comprehend and integrate ongoing research findings into their clinical practice. In addition, there are several options available to increase exposure to those interested in a more research-intensive career.

Curriculum-required Experience:

• Evidence-based practice integrated into all rotations
• Wayne Health Psychiatry Livonia scholarly case presentation in each year of training
• CAP-II weekly Journal Club
• CAP-II evidence-based scholarly paper and brief Grand Rounds presentation
• Ongoing quality improvement projects

Individual research is supported and encouraged. The department offers New Investigator Awards annually to assist interested residents in realizing their projects. CAP residents may spread out their elective time throughout the second year of training to participate in research.

Faculty supervisors for such projects are abundant and include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, clinical and basic scientists, and epidemiologists. The program is home to former members of NIH, and leaders of other prestigious national organizations and review bodies. These individuals closely collaborate with residents and one another on educational and research projects. List of supervisors and projects for residents.

Our residents have been selected for numerous national and international awards for research. 

Teaching Opportunities

CAP residents have the opportunity to complete a one or two month elective in medical student education.  During this elective the resident is directly supervised by the director and/or assistant director of medical student education.  The focus of the elective is improving skills to teach medical students and junior residents.  Time is spent in several patient care settings within the DMC, working with medical students and junior residents individually and in small groups.  The elective provides the opportunity to foster teaching skills, with time to create and practice teaching materials to use in these settings.  In addition, the resident takes part in larger group weekly didactics under supervision.  During the two month elective, the resident can complete an education project of his/her choice to contribute to the development of the educational curriculum.

Throughout residency training, residents have an opportunity to teach general psychiatry residents, junior and senior medical students, graduate students and undergraduate students on a regular basis.  As an academic program associated with WSU SOM, which has a class size of 290, medical students are a frequent part of the treatment team. CAP experience is included in the core psychiatry clerkship for several rotation sites, and the CAP elective is very popular among fourth-year students. The academic atmosphere fosters opportunities to both learn and teach.