PGY I Year
Fundamentals of Psychiatry (The so-called "Crash Course"): This intensive 2 month course provides introduction and overview of the primary psychiatric disorders and their treatment. Emphasis is placed on essential knowledge necessary for immediate interactions with psychiatric patients and their families, safe pharmacological management of patients, and Emergency department clients.
Psychiatry Drill Down Series: A 9-month seminar series that provides greater in-depth coverage of fundamental material introduced in the Crash Course. Residents examine the major domains of modern psychiatry, receiving instruction in core areas of assessment, clinical psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, research and neuroscience. The course is team-taught by basic and clinical faculty, providing ample opportunity for residents to interact with many of our faculty.
Interviewing, Listening, and Being Psychotherapeutic: This 10 month weekly seminar will afford residents the opportunity to participate in a clinical experience in their first year. The seminar is lead by Dr. Bozzuto, a senior faculty member who has been teaching at UConn for the past 36 years. Dr. Bozzuto is still in active private practice. He is a Psychoanalyst who has received numerous awards for his teaching. Dr. Karen Jones is a co-leader who recently graduated from the UConn program and is now in private practice. This seminar is divided into two parts. The first, from September to December, consists of a weekly clinical case conference. Cases are selected by residents from the inpatient services. Co-leaders alternately interview these patients in front of the class. Discussion reviews clinical diagnosis, mental status, and treatment management. Particular attention is paid to interviewing styles. Different approaches are required for different patients. The second half of the seminar, from January to June, focuses on the individual interviews of the residents, who now interview patients directly. Sessions are reviewed and interviewing techniques are critiqued. Everything we do as psychiatrists is therapeutic and this is emphasized.
Inpatient Case Conference at John Dempsey Hospital: Residents present patients from their team who are interviewed and then discussed by the faculty. The emphasis is on interviewing techniques; criterion-based diagnosis and treatment interventions.
PGY II Year
Group Therapy Seminar: This 12 week course takes an experiential approach to learning about group processes and dynamics and the development of practical skills to facilitate optimal group functioning. Particular theories and principles of group therapy are emphasized. Residents use these to observe and examine the effects of the group’s process on their behavior and enhance their capacity to apply their understanding to various group situations. Opportunities to observe the group’s leader, participate and facilitate the group, read about and discuss group leadership will increase residents’ understanding of group facilitation and skills for leadership.
Clinical Psychopharmacology: Over the course of 8 months, this course provides an in-depth presentation of the psychopharmacotherapy of psychosis, major depression, bipolar disorder, the specific anxiety disorders, severe character pathology, as well as special topics. Links are consistently made between clinical aspects and neurobiology/neuroscience. An introduction to the conduct of clinical research is also included.
Normal Development and Child Psychopathology: This 3 month course reviews the fundamentals of normal human growth and development in preparation for examining psychopathology encountered in children and adolescents. Residents will read and discuss both seminal and current writings including biologic, cognitive, learning, and behavioral theories.
Psychotherapy Seminar An 8 month didactic series that provides exposure to a range of perspectives on the treatment of psychological/psychiatric problems. Residents will gain an understanding about effective therapies for treating affective, anxiety, addictive, personality, and thought disorders. Developmental and life span issues are addressed, as are cultural competence, and legal/ethical issues in the conduct of psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy Practicum: This year long seminar allows residents to discuss their psychotherapy cases with their peers and learn from the insight and guidance of two accomplished psychotherapists who oversee the seminar.
Inpatient Case Conference at John Dempsey Hospital Residents present patients from their clinical services who are interviewed and then discussed by the faculty. The emphasis is on interviewing techniques, diagnostic evaluation, and case management. Emphasis is also placed on residents developing expertise in presentation skills.
Forensic Psychiatry: The essential aspects of forensic psychiatry including civil commitment, competency, expert testimony, mental health legislation, interactions with social agencies, and related ethical issues are covered in this course. Readings, case presentations, and work in the courts and legislature are utilized.
PGY III Year
Brief Dynamic Therapy Seminar and Supervision: This course focuses on work with outpatients in brief psychotherapy. A major section of this course is devoted to training (and supervision) of brief dynamic psychotherapy (with particular emphasis on the Mann and Strupp models).
Advanced Neuropsychopharmacology: This course covers a broad range of topics in neurosciences, neurobiology and neuropsychopharmacology that are relevant to clinical practice. The first third of the course reviews basic neuroscience concepts in preparation for more detailed assessment of psychopharmacological drug action in the brain. The second third reviews translation of genetic, biochemical, and neuroendocrine data from animal models to development of therapeutic drugs relevant to treatment of psychiatric disorders. The final portion of the course examines the current mechanisms of drug action underlying treatment of specific disorders. A research module is included to discuss reviewing the literature, critical thinking, and experimental design/analysis. Residents are also assigned papers to present to the group for critical review.
Family Therapy / Psychotherapy: This weekly seminar provides an overview of basic concepts and prominent schools and models of evidence-based approaches to psychotherapy and family therapy. Disorder-specific individual, couple, family, group, and milieu treatment models are reviewed with a particular focus on emotion regulation, attachment working models, and structural family therapy. The roles of culture, ethnicity, and social resources are addressed. Relevant research and clinical implications are discussed.
Outpatient Case Conference at Talcott Outpatient Clinic: Residents present challenging patients from their caseload and the case is discussed with an emphasis on transference, countertransference, and treatment interventions.
Public Sector Psychiatry This 6 month seminar series investigates a variety of central issues in public sector psychiatry. Areas discussed include comprehensive care for chronic mental illness, systems of care, continuity in treatment, multidisciplinary issues, historical and political aspects, and specialized current treatment programs and strategies. There is also a focus on cross-cultural issues.
PGY IV Year
Neuroscience of Psychotherapy: This 9-month seminar focuses on the history, evolution, anatomy, physiology, and neurochemistry of psychotherapy based on “The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy” by Louis Cozolino. Residents will use this knowledge to construct a neurobiological framework within which to understand and practice different forms of psychotherapy, in particular, insight-oriented psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Contemporary Health System Issues This course is a series of presentations by experts in public health and administration and issues in the evolving health care field with particular emphasis on psychiatry, service delivery, politics, and administration. There is also a section on career options.
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