Our program's four pillars (Wellness, Inclusion, Subspecialty Clinical Experiences, and Experiential Learning in Psychotherapy) distinguish our training. These pillars characterize our educational philosophy, which we refer to as WISE. Our WISE residents will not only have excellent clinical and didactic training but will also be able to work effectively in diverse healthcare delivery systems while managing personal well-being.
WELLNESS
We recognize the importance of wellness in the curriculum for trainees and the future care they provide patients. Interns start their formal didactics with Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART), an evidence-based program from the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Several staff members and department faculty are SMART-certified. The department provides weekly lunches before didactics and quarterly opportunities for personal wellness activities. Also, each class has a faculty advisor who meets with the class for lunch regularly to discuss non-clinical issues and help further advocate for residents. (This person will not be on the clinical competency committee to preserve autonomy on promotion decisions).
INCLUSION
The department and leadership are committed to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DEI). We recognize disparities in society and condemn racism and discrimination. The department supports efforts toward antiracism and the promotion of diversity. We recruit and encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds to apply to our program through social media and residency fair activities. A department DEI Committee meets regularly to create a conversational space and solutions. Its leaders participate in curriculum development and resident recruitment and help implement best practices. We invite a diverse slate of Grand Rounds speakers who often highlight diversity, inclusion, and equity issues. For 2021, Implicit Bias training is required to interview candidates. The residency core team works closely with stakeholders and University leadership to create a more welcoming and diverse training environment.
SUBSPECIALTY CLINICAL EXPERIENCES
Residents will have ample opportunities to work with faculty with subspecialty expertise in Reproductive Psychiatry, Anxiety Disorders, Geriatric Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and other areas. Specialized clinics are led by several board-certified faculty members, most with fellowship training in areas of expertise. Residents will also have an immersive experience in Community and Rural Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, ECT, and numerous elective opportunities.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN PSYCHOTHERAPY
Residents in our program will have direct experience in the powerful and disease-changing properties of evidence-based psychotherapy. Beginning in the second year, trainees will enter a half-day Psychotherapy Clinic focused on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) in individual and group settings. Psychotherapy supervisors and psychotherapy course directors are experienced clinicians trained in their respective evidence-based modalities. Residents will have primary therapy patients in their caseload. Our trainees will receive individual and group supervision to ensure growth in skills and mastery in delivering high-quality psychotherapy. Residents will carry and begin new psychotherapy cases in their third- and four-year outpatient rotations to provide a richer, longitudinal experience.