PROGRAM
This one-year full time fellowship in addiction psychiatry is for graduates of accredited psychiatry residencies during the PGY–V year. The fellowship is designed to meet the objectives of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). In 1999, the program received full accreditation from the ACGME Residency Review Committee and was re-accredited in 2004. Psychiatrists completing the fellowship are eligible to take the ABPN exam for Added Qualifications in Addiction Psychiatry. Beginning in 2007, for fellows who have established a research mentorship within the HMS department, we have been able to offer the fellowship half-time for two years to be complemented by a half-time research position.

SITES
Clinical training is based at four sites including the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, and North Charles Foundation.

TRAINING EXPERIENCE
Core training will include an overview of the field of addiction psychiatry with an emphasis on identification, assessment, diagnosis, and successful treatment. Training is provided in individual, group and family therapy using techniques that include motivational interviewing, education, cognitive behavioral therapy, relapse prevention, psychopharmacology, dynamic psychotherapy, and twelve-step facilitation. Training is provided across the spectrum of levels of clinical care including inpatient, partial hospital, intensive outpatient, outpatient, hospital consultation, and methadone maintenance outpatient clinics. Fellows are exposed to a range of twelve-step and other self-help programs and learn about integrating these treatment modalities into the overall program for individual patients. Fellows receive exposure to a diverse urban and suburban population from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds and see patients with a range of substance use disorders, as well as co-occurring psychiatric and medical disorders. Fellows learn to work in a team model with other professionals including counselors, social workers, nurses, psychologists, and physicians from a variety of specialties.