UBC Training Objectives – Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (the link opens a PDF file)

Adolescent Psychiatric Unit

– Surrey Memorial Hospital

• The Adolescent Psychiatric Unit, located at Surrey Memorial Hospital, is a 10 bed psychiatric unit serving residents of Fraser Health. The unit provides assessment, stabilization and initial treatment for the acutely psychiatrically ill adolescent between the ages of 13 and 18 years. The length of stay ranges from 21 – 28 days.
• The APU serves as one part of the continuum of mental health services for adolescents, developing strong links with existing community programs such as the Adolescent/Youth Day Treatment Programs, the Adolescent/Youth Crisis Response Programs, Early Psychosis Intervention Programs, as well as Child and Youth Mental Health within the Ministry of Children and Family Development. It also provides service to local community hospitals across Fraser Health.
• The APU multidisciplinary treatment team consists of psychiatrists, a psychologist, nurses, social workers, an occupational therapist, recreation therapists, and youth care counselors, and consultation with dietitians, speech language pathologists, pharmacists and other specialists as needed.
• While on the unit, adolescents have a comprehensive multi-disciplinary assessment that includes psychiatric, psychological, family, nursing, occupational, recreational and behavioural assessments. Initial treatment will be provided on the unit as indicated by the assessment and includes individual, group, family and milieu interventions. Follow up treatment recommendations are made for community mental health. In addition, there is a classroom on the unit. The focus of the education activities is on assessment of the education needs of the youth upon returning to their pre-admission school.
• Psychiatry residents can be accommodated in a part time or full time rotation at APU; the recommended length of the rotation would be 3 to 6 months. Generally, the clinical day begins at 9:30 am and finishes by 5 pm. Residents can expect a diverse clinical experience in adolescent psychiatry, including mood and anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, concurrent disorders, ADHD, personality traits, pervasive development disorders, learning disorders, and intellectual disabilities.
• This rotation allows for residents to gain additional knowledge in learning, academic, occupational, and speech and language assessments, while working alongside with other allied health professionals. Residents will have ample opportunity to conduct psychiatric assessments; monitor medication trials in acutely ill youth; provide individual, family and group therapeutic interventions; work as a member of a multidisciplinary team; develop skills in communication, conflict resolution and leadership; provide clinical teaching to medical students; provide psychiatric knowledge to other members of the multidisciplinary team; participate in group learning activities; and develop skills that build relationships with community resources. Residents will be assessed according to the CanMEDS guidelines.

Adolescent Crisis Response Program (ACRP) – Surrey, Port Moody

• Adolescent/Youth Crisis Response Programs provide crisis response services to children and youth (ages 6-18 inclusive) experiencing an acute mental health crisis and require immediate mental health assessment. Services include assessment, crisis intervention (up to 6 sessions), short term resource coordination, community referral, group intervention, and threat assessment. Referrals are accepted from the emergency departments of local hospitals and from community professionals. The program is open 7 days per week, including evenings and weekends.
• There are 3 crisis response programs in Fraser Health, each serving a sub-region of the health authority. Rotations are available for 2 of the programs: ACRP South located in Surrey and serving Surrey, White Rock, Langley and Delta, and YCRP in Fraser North, located in Port Moody and serving Burnaby, Tri-Cities, New Westminster, and Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows.
• Learning objectives for residents include:
1. Exposure to crisis presentation in youth
2. Exposure to suicidal behaviours in youth and its assessments
3. Assessments of youth who present with wide ranging mental health issues (Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, Psychosis)
4. Opportunity to also plan management and refer to appropriate services (Child & Youth Mental Health, Addictions Services, etc)
5. Multi-disciplinary consultative role with opportunity to be the medical expert
6. Opportunity to organize teaching for non-medical staff

The Regional Program Lead for Child Psychiatry is Dr. Doug Maskall.