Panel Discussion 8 - Interdisciplinary Collaboration to Develop a Comprehensive, Evidence-based Psychotherapy Curriculum

Clinical psychologists are important educators in psychiatry residency programs. Their expertise enhances the goal of training strong future psychiatrists while meeting the training requirements set forth by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The purpose of this interdisciplinary panel discussion is to demonstrate how psychologists can be integrated in resident outpatient psychotherapy education.

Our first panelist will discuss the development and implementation of CBT curriculum that meets ACGME requirements. Our CBT curriculum has four evidence-based components (Sudak et al., 2015): 1) weekly didactics on CBT basics and advanced topics such as specialty treatments; 2) provision of weekly psychotherapy with adult patients; 3) weekly group supervision; 4) completion of CBT assignments. Data on the Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale will be provided to demonstrate CBT competence.

Our second panelist will discuss how psychologists can be integrated into specialty clinic teams to enhance interdisciplinary, patient-centered care through the provision of consultation, case conceptualization, and specialized intervention (Pellegrino et al., 2021). This model enhances clinical decision-making and longitudinal learning, which in turn enhances patient outcomes. Residents deepen their understanding of applied psychological principles and develop key competencies in communication and collaboration by participating in interdisciplinary specialty clinics, important facets of ACGME requirements.

Our third panelist will discuss their experiences as a learner engaged in core curriculum as well as participating in a 6-week pilot group therapy training experience. This experience introduces residents to evidence-based group psychotherapies, including ACT and DBT. Using a developmental framework, residents move from observation to co-facilitating over the course of the program. Pre- and post-data on group facilitation skills will be provided.

Using a combination of objective and subjective data from educators and learners, this interdisciplinary panel will discuss what we have learned, barriers we have encountered, areas for continued growth, and future ideas to enhance resident education.