Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is a very broad specialty. It includes the assessment and treatment of children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, ADHD, learning disability, epilepsy and other developmental disorders. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists are also responsible for the assessment and treatment of children and young people experiencing mental illness such as eating disorders, depression and psychosis. They also work with children and young people with behavioural disorders, psychosomatic disorders and the emotional and developmental consequences of physical illness and disability (i.e paediatric liaison) as well as the sequelae of abuse and neglect.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists may also specialise in the care of mentally disordered young offenders and in the care of young people who have problems with substance misuse. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists are usually based in community settings although they may also work in in-patient units and general hospitals. Trainees are required to develop a high level of competence in psychosocial/psychological treatments such as CBT, family therapy, behavioural management and psychodynamic psychotherapy.
The Eastern Region has a strong tradition of providing specialist training in child and adolescent psychiatry which has benefited from the strong links with the Cambridge University Dept of Developmental Psychiatry. The Royal College of Psychiatrists described the scheme as providing excellent training when they visited in 2005, as did PMETB in their visit in Sept 2006.
The scheme has traditionally been organised into two sub-rotations: one based principally in Cambridgeshire and the other in Norwich, with Norwich trainees rotating to Cambridge for specialist in-patient experience. The expansion of higher training we will create two further sub-rotations based principally in South Hertfordshire and Suffolk/Essex. Trainees on the two new rotations will rotate into Cambridge for specialist experience.
The Eastern Region higher training programme in child and adolescent psychiatry is able to offer a very wide range of experience including:
- general community child and adolescent psychiatry
- neuropsychiatry
- learning disability
- substance misuse
- specialist eating disorders
- paediatric liaison
- parent-infant psychotherapy
- in-patient experience.
A particular strength of the Cambridgeshire and Norfolk schemes has been the training in psychological therapies with trainees being able to gain high level experience in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) family therapy, multi-systemic therapy for young offenders, child psychotherapy and behavioural management
All placements are of nine months duration. The first ST4 placement will usually be in a general community placement with subsequent placements including an in-patient placement in either the childrens' or one of the adolescent units and an additional specialist placement, for example in child learning disability, eating disorders and substance misuse.
Trainees' progress is carefully monitored to ensure that training needs are met.
All trainees attend the academic programme which is run jointly by the Cambridge University Department of Developmental Psychiatry and which is fortnightly during termtime. All trainees have the opportunity to join the research supervision groups run by the University Department and can become involved in research.
For further information contact Dr Margaret Murphy.