Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship – Our Program

 

The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at UT Tyler School of Medicine offers a rich and well-rounded training experience designed to prepare fellows for excellence in clinical care, education, advocacy, and leadership. Our fellowship combines strong academic teaching with diverse clinical experiences across East Texas, emphasizing both psychotherapeutic and biological approaches to treatment. 

Our dedicated team of psychiatry and psychology faculty members provide exceptional supervision and mentorship. Fellows learn directly from experienced clinicians and have opportunities to collaborate with psychology interns, postdoctoral trainees, and residents—creating a multidisciplinary learning environment that mirrors real-world practice. 

A central component of the fellowship is the Child and Adolescent/Family Psychiatry Clinic, where fellows provide outpatient care at least two afternoons each week. In addition to mastering psychopharmacology, fellows follow patients longitudinally for psychotherapy throughout their training. We view medication management as one tool among many in the holistic treatment of children and adolescents, and our fellows gain expertise in evidence-based psychotherapies including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, and applied behavior analysis (ABA). 

Fellows meet twice weekly with faculty to discuss individual cases, treatment planning, and professional development topics such as confidentiality, therapeutic alliance, and the balance between psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. This supportive group environment helps fellows grow both emotionally and professionally as they develop their unique identities as child psychiatrists. 

Advocacy and addressing healthcare inequities are core values of our program. Fellows engage in community-based experiences that focus on child maltreatment, trauma, and systems of care. Through partnerships with the Trauma and Abuse Services for Kids (TASK) program and local Child Advocacy Centers, fellows participate in forensic evaluations, courtroom observations, and evidence-based treatments such as Trauma-Focused CBT. 

Our fellows also rotate at Terrell State Hospital, gaining valuable experience in inpatient child and adolescent psychiatry alongside adult psychiatry residents. Additional experiences include consultation-liaison psychiatry for the pediatric unit at UT Health Tyler and school-based consultation through the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program. Fellows collaborate with regional partners including the Andrews Center, Lakes Regional Mental Health Center, and CPAN (Child Psychiatry Access Network), providing real-time consultation to primary care providers. 

Through these diverse and immersive experiences, the UT Tyler Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship cultivates compassionate, well-rounded physicians who are prepared to serve children, adolescents, and families with excellence and empathy—locally and beyond.