Program Didactics

Post Graduate Year One (PGY-1)

PGY-1 Orientation (One week)

An introduction and overview of psychiatric patient-care, clinical rotations, general hospital policies and procedures and on-call case discussions. The orientation also includes an overview of medical student experiences in psychiatry and general guidelines for resident teaching.

Psychopharmacology Crash Course/Clinical Psychopharmacology (19 weeks)

A discussion of the DSM diagnoses most likely to be encountered while on call along with relevant psychopharmacological interventions designed to prepare incoming residents for on call experiences. This course will also cover the major classes of drugs utilized in psychiatric practice including indications, dosages, monitoring, adverse reactions, drug interactions and FDA concerns.

Foundations of Psychopharmacology (19 weeks)

This course covers a conceptual understanding of the recent paradigm shift in psychopharmacology with increased emphasis on brain circuitry, neuroimaging, genetics and signal transduction cascades. This course focuses on understanding mechanism of action and neurophysiological perspective on medications and neurotransmitters.

Introduction to Psychiatric Interviewing (21 weeks)

This didactic series will teach future psychiatrists the art of interviewing and provide an in-depth review of important psychiatric skills such as empathy, asking sensitive questions and flow of the interview. The course will also cover formulation of initial biopsychosocial assessments. One of the highlights of the course is that each student will have a psychiatric interview recorded and receive feedback afterwards.

Psychopathology (22 weeks)

Residents learn about on identifying the phenomenological diagnostic criteria of mental disorders encountered in psychiatric practice as well as conditions that present in general medical settings.

Emergency Psychiatry (Eight weeks)

This course focuses on acute mental health illnesses in emergency settings and includes a discussion of common situations that will be encountered on-call, managing common situations encountered on call. The instructors will also review psychopharmacological interventions to be used in emergency situations.

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (11 weeks)

A didactic series intended to instruct residents about assessment and management of psychiatric clinical issues seen on the Consult-Liaison service. Topics reviewed include medical mimics of psychiatric disorders, identification and diagnosis of depression in the medically ill, treatment of terminally ill patients, management of acute agitation and psychotropic medication use in the medically ill population, informed consent/capacity assessments and mental illness in medically-ill patients. This course prepares residents for this rotation in the PGY-2 year.

Neurobiology (10 weeks)

This course focuses on understanding the basic neuroscience principles behind mental illness and the interplay between CNS structures and function. Residents will review important aspects of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the central nervous system that apply to psychiatry.

Clinical Case Conference (19 weeks)

The class covers interactive case presentations starting with how to conduct a full history and physical exam and progressing through how to manage patients. Treatment options are discussed along with how to start each medication and how to make changes as treatment progresses. Residents are provided with a foundation of knowledge to build from as they begin to practice.

Post Graduate Year Two (PGY-2)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Workshop (Eight weeks)

A course which teaches the basic tenets of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, such as automatic thoughts, thinking patterns, and the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behavior affecting patients.

Psychopharmacology (32 weeks)

This course provides a more in-depth perspective on psychotropic medications with a special emphasis on drug-drug interactions, pharmacokinetics and treatment strategies

Forensic Psychiatry (10 weeks)

A review of major topics such as involuntary hospitalization, involuntary treatment, court proceedings, fitness to stand trial, not guilty by reason of insanity and outpatient restoration to fitness.

ECT (6 weeks)

This course is designed to educate residents about the theoretical and practical aspects of electroconvulsive therapy, including history, physiology, evalution and treatment. It includes discussion of indications and complications associated with ECT.

Neuropsychiatry (10 weeks)

This course expands on the knowledge obtained in the PGY-1 Brain and Behavior course, with a focus on neural networks and their relationship to neuropsychiatric syndromes and symptoms. Residents will learn about neuroanatomy and large-scale brain networks, as well as their relationship to the neuropsychiatric evaluation.

Suicide Prevention (Six weeks)

A survey course in the vast topic of suicide prevention. Residents will review suicide epidemiology and risk assessment practices; asses the current literature pertaining to both clinical and public health strategies for suicide prevention; develop greater understanding of medicolegal aspects of suicide risk assessment and mitigation; and discuss current recommendations regarding suicide post-vention.

Women's Mental Health Seminar (Eight weeks)

This class covers the influene of female sex, gender and reproductive cycle stages on psychiatric disorders and their treatment.

Child Development Seminar (Seven weeks)

A lecture series devoted to understanding the human psyche, its needs, and changes from birth through adolescence. The course reviews major developmental theories including those of Freud, Erickson and Kohut.

Substance Abuse (13 weeks)

The substance abuse lecture series reviews the neurobiology of addiction, substance use disorders, intoxication, diagnosis and pharmacological management of withdrawal states and pharmacological methods to aid in addiction recovery. The course also includes an overview of treatment models and rehabilitation resources.

Neuropsychological Testing (Eight weeks)

Lectures aimed at teaching basic psychometric principles, commonly used tests, intelligence tests, neuropsychological tests and the ability to understand the utility of tests in the outpatient, inpatient, and consultation settings.

Marital & Family Therapy (Six weeks)

An instructor guided course to learn the dynamics of couple’s therapy in addition to therapy in the family setting, exploring common challenges and techniques for successful therapy.

Group Therapy (Eight weeks)

This is an interactive course as residents get opportunities to lead practice group sessions under the supervision of the instructor. Residents learn how to mediate challenging group sessions and how to provide meaningful therapy for members participating in these sessions.

Post Graduate Year Three (PGY-3)

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Seminar (15 weeks)

Comprehensive instruction of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders and treatment guidelines for management of the pediatric population with mental health concerns. Also includes a discussion of current societal and clinical issues in child and adolescent psychiatric practice.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Seminar (21 weeks)

This course covers elements of longer-term psychodynamic theory and practice. It highlights the most important practice areas that include the phases of therapy, defenses, therapeutic alliance, major change factors and therapist best-practice behaviors.

Geriatric Psychiatry (Nine weeks)

A review of how common psychiatric diagnoses present in the geriatric population. Also includes a thorough review of dementia, delirium and medical co-morbidities in this population.

Clinical Neuropsychiatry (Eight weeks)

Continuing on from the PGY-1 Brain and Behavior and PGY-2 Neuropsychiatry courses, the PGY-3 seminar focuses on clinical practice of neuropsychiatry. Topics include the neuropsychiatric syndromes associated with neurologic conditions such as stroke, seizures, and headaches, as well traumatic brain injury, catatonia, dementia, and other syndromes that exist on the “border” of psychiatry and neurology.

Advanced Psychopharmacology (16 weeks)

A comprehensive psychopharmacologic review that emphasizes treatment strategies to consider when first and second-line treatments are ineffective and/or ill tolerated by patients. This includes an in depth review of the management of treatment-resistant patients and new pharmaceuticals on the market.

Cultural Psychiatry (16 weeks)

A series of didactics instructing about the cultural, gender and societal factors can affect an individual’s belief system and mental health.

Research Methodologies (Six weeks)

Residents learn about the various aspects of research, such as how to submit proposals, various phases of trials, biases, and confounding variables. 

History of Psychiatry (Eight weeks)

This seminar reviews the historical progression of psychiatry as a medical specialty, including historical accounts of recognition and treatment of mental illness through the ages.

Post Graduate Year Four (PGY-4)

Integration of Psychopharmacology and Psychotherapy (28 weeks)

Lecture series that analyzes the interface between psychotherapy and pharmacology treatment in patients with psychiatric illness. Residents learn about strategies to combine approaches for optimal treatment and outcomes.

Psychotherapy Practicum (28 weeks)

A series of structured, instructor guided didactics that comprehensively studies the diagnosis and management of various personality disorders.

DBT Course (17 weeks)

This course is designed to educate residents in the basic principles and applications of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). DBT is an evidence-based treatment that emphasizes teaching skills to patients for managing emotional, cognitive, interpersonal and behavioral dysregulation. The first half of the DBT course content is delivered via lectures and discussions. The second half is experiential. The residents first learn the theory and techniques of DBT and then they have the opportunity to learn and practice skills in a mock group setting.

Ethics (Seven weeks)

This course examines several potentially challenging ethical areas that psychiatrists often will have to examine clinically in their practice. Each PGY-4 resident chooses and researches an area and then presents the ethical dilemmas involved and some theoretical cases to illustrate it for discussion with the rest of the class. There is an expert attending who collaborates with the resident in the preparation and discussion.

Psychotherapy Case Conference (Four weeks)

The purpose of this conference is to enhance psychotherapy skills. PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents attend and each week, a PGY-4 resident presents a real-life challenging therapy case for group discussion and feedback. The attending faculty serve as mentors and facilitators for the discussion.