Inpatient and Outpatient Rotations
PGY2 is the foundational clinical training year in psychiatry. Residents spend 12 months in General Adult Psychiatry, divided equally between inpatient and outpatient settings at Royal Columbian Hospital and Surrey Memorial Hospital, two of British Columbia’s largest teaching hospitals serving diverse and rapidly growing populations.
Through rich clinical exposure, diverse patient populations, and comprehensive didactic teaching, residents develop expertise in the assessment, diagnosis, and management of major psychiatric disorders. Training is supported by a highly regarded educational program that includes case-based learning, seminars, rounds, interview skills development, and evidence-based psychopharmacology, helping residents build confidence in managing complex psychiatric illness and leading multidisciplinary care teams.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Site: Royal Columbian Hospital
CBT training is a core component of the PGY2 outpatient General Adult Psychiatry rotation and provides residents with extensive, hands-on experience in the assessment and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. The program emphasizes the development of practical psychotherapy skills through supervised clinical experience, structured teaching, and direct observation.
Residents receive training in evidence-based CBT approaches for a wide range of conditions, including major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, and related psychiatric conditions. Under the supervision of experienced faculty, residents learn to develop case formulations, create treatment plans, and apply CBT techniques tailored to individual patient needs.
Clinical training includes the opportunity to co-facilitate a weekly two-hour CBT group while also providing individual CBT. This combination of group and individual therapy allows residents to develop confidence in a variety of therapeutic settings. Residents are also encouraged to observe their peers conducting therapy sessions, promoting collaborative learning and exposure to different therapeutic styles and approaches.
Teaching methods are highly interactive and include direct observation of therapy sessions with immediate feedback, live and recorded demonstrations of CBT techniques, case discussions, and evidence-based psychotherapy seminars. These experiences help residents refine their therapeutic skills and integrate CBT principles into their broader psychiatric practice.
To support learning, residents have access to a comprehensive collection of educational resources, including treatment manuals, clinical guides, instructional videos, and patient education materials. In addition, residents actively participate in Psychotherapy Rounds and Journal Club, where they critically review and discuss current literature related to psychotherapy and evidence-based mental health care.
By the completion of training, residents have acquired a strong foundation in CBT theory and practice, equipping them with practical psychotherapy skills that can be applied across a wide range of clinical settings throughout their careers.
Goals and Objectives: UBC Training Objectives – Adult General Psychiatry
UBC Fraser Health Psychiatry 