Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

The Pediatric Psychosomatic Medicine Service provides psychiatric consultations to inpatients and outpatients cared for at LPCH and those with psychiatric crises who present to the pediatric emergency department.  The main educational goals for this rotation are to understand and manage the psychiatric needs of children, adolescents, and families affected by acute and chronic medical conditions, and how to develop therapeutic alliances with these patients and their families. During this elective rotation individuals will learn to conduct a psychiatric interview of patients and families, evaluate for psychiatric diagnoses, understand the impact of medical illness on the patient and family from a functional and developmental perspective, to develop a plan of care including psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic interventions for depression, anxiety, insomnia, behavioral dysregulation, delirium, psychosis and somatoform disorders.  A major focus of the rotation will be learning how to liaise effectively with consulting medical services and to provide guidance and consultation regarding psychological aspects of medical illnesses, while also delivering therapeutic support for patients, families, and staff. A secondary goal is to gain an understanding of psychosomatic disorders, while learning to manage these conditions using a culturally informed, biopsychosocial approach.

Child Psychiatry Rotation Summary