Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology - Department of Psychiatry

Exterior of Virginia Treatment Center for Children Data from the National Institute of Mental Health reveals that one in five children will experience a serious mental illness. As the field of pediatric mental health care evolves, we in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology are proud to be at the forefront of evidence-based patient care, innovative research and robust training for the next generation of health care professionals.

We strive to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health by normalizing psychological and psychiatric care, educating the community and making services available and accessible to all patients and their families, regardless of socioeconomic backgrounds.

Faculty in our growing division provide compassionate, highly specialized care for the children of Central Virginia and their families in outpatient areas such as the following:

Anxiety disorders
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders
Behavior disorders
Mood disorders
Psychotic disorders
Developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders
Psychological needs related to chronic illness
Trauma-related disorders

Our multidisciplinary approach involves close collaboration with experts in adjacent fields such as psychology, pediatrics, social work, nursing and pharmacy, among others. For patients with acute needs, we provide the following inpatient services:

Crisis stabilization through behavioral and pharmacologic interventions
Educational services
Individual, group and family psychotherapy
Occupational therapy
Recreational therapy

Explore our state-of-the-art facilities at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children.

Education

Psychiatry Residency

During PGY-1, residents spend six months rotating off-service on internal medicine, emergency medicine and neurology, and those with an interest in child and adolescent psychiatry may spend one to three blocks in pediatrics instead of internal medicine.

Learn more about our residency ⟶

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship

Accredited by the ACGME, our two-year pediatric psychiatry fellowship provides extensive training in the delivery of psychiatric care for children and their families. he program includes experiences in acute inpatient hospitalization, outpatient clinical treatment, including specialty clinics, consultation-liaison experiences and community collaborative programs.

Explore our fellowship ⟶

Pre-Doctoral Clinical Child Psychology Internship

Accredited by the American Psychological Association on Accreditation, this one-year program at the VTCC provides training in a continuum of care for treating children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances. With four-month rotations and a strong emphasis on didactics and culturally competent care, the internship prepares trainees for careers in clinical psychology.

Learn more about the internship ⟶

Social Work Internship

The Virginia Treatment Center for Children serves as a field placement site for the VCU School of Social Work, accepting graduate social work students during their concentration year. Students are part of the interdisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and therapists who work to stabilize children in psychiatric crisis.

Learn more about VCU School of Social Work field placements →