Testimonials from our Child and Adolescent graduates/residents
Dr. Peter Cordell, CAP subspecialty resident, graduated
I strongly recommend the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program at Western and have had an excellent experience as a trainee. The faculty is easy to approach and heavily involved in both formal teaching as well as psychotherapy and clinical training. I think the greatest unique clinical training strength of the program is the eating disorder and neurodevelopmental disorder training. Further, the flexibility in directing your clinical rotations based on your specific career goals is highly desirable and was a big factor for me in choosing the program. I have especially enjoyed the DBT training opportunities with adolescent group work, individual work, and consult group longitudinal experience, which was quite straightforward to arrange. Finally, the call structure and frequency is highly desirable and compares favourably with other Canadian programs, providing fair volume for boosting your skills and excellent supervision, while reducing the frequency to focus on your clinical rotations and learning.
Dr. Julia Mastrangelo, CAP Subspecialty Resident, graduated
I think one of the best qualities of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program at Western is its flexibility. The program works with you to create a schedule that supports your particular learning needs and interests, whether that is spending more time on psychotherapy, research, or in a specialized clinic. They are also very focused on resident wellness, and they involve fellows in the decisions that impact us and our learning. I also love working with all of the staff psychiatrists, who are excellent clinicians and teachers.
Dr. Jennifer dela Paz, CAP Subspecialty Resident, graduated
Though I was already familiar with the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from doing my general Psychiatry training at Western, the subspecialty program went above and beyond to facilitate that transition even more, including a formal 2 week orientation to the sites, services, and clinical topics that would be most relevant to my work in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Everyone in the program, from the admin staff, faculty, and allied health, to our amazing Program Director, were so welcoming and generous. Training expectations and guidelines were clear but also accommodating to my own learning goals, and this made it easy to truly personalize and specialize my path in subspecialty training in the areas I planned to practice in as a career. I also appreciated that resident wellness and quality improvement were priorities in the program from the beginning, as feedback from my fellow residents and I was always factored into ongoing policy and curriculum improvement to best meet residents’ needs. I always felt supported, even when something world-changing and unexpected like the COVID-19 pandemic hit; I feel very lucky that I was able to complete my training with relatively few disruptions in spite of this, and I credit this to the responsiveness and dedication that everyone in the Division has for resident learning and wellness. My training truly has prepared me to have a successful career going forward!
Dr. Nina McCurdy, CAP Subspecialty Resident, graduated
My experience at the Western Child and Adolescent Psychiatry subspecialty program was amazing! The quality of the faculty and the educational experience in child and adolescent psychiatry at Western was the main reason that I chose to do my general psychiatry residency in London. During the two year subspecialty program, I loved having the opportunity to work in clinical settings that are unique to London, from working with young children in the residential program at CPRI to seeing transition age youth at FEMAP. I was happy to have the flexibility to pick rotations that contributed to my career goals, such as following patients in a longitudinal clinic throughout my last 14 months of the program. On every rotation, my supervisors were enthusiastic and supportive, providing both mentorship and outstanding clinical supervision. The program director's dedication to the program is unparalleled and the entire experience was coordinated seamlessly by the amazing program administrator. I definitely recommend that any residents interested in child and adolescent psychiatry come to Western!
Dr. Rebecca Barnett, CAP Subspecialty Resident, graduated
I can say with sincerity and confidence that the Western Child and Adolescent Program is a wonderful place to train. The rotations available in the city allow for varied experiences that can be tailored to the individual learner’s interests. There is no shortage of supervisors available, and they are capable and skilled teachers. I am grateful to be part of a program that makes its subspecialty residents feel supported and valued. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in pursuing Child and Adolescent subspecialty training.
Dr. Christina Yee, CAP subspecialty resident, graduated
My time with the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program at Western was fantastic. I came to London after graduating from another program out-of-province, and the program went above and beyond to ensure that my transition was seamless. They helped me personalize my clinical experiences to suit my career goals and allowed me to make adjustments along the way as my goals shifted. The call schedule and workload ensured that I had ample opportunity to hone my skills, while also permitting an excellent work-life balance. One of the highlights of my experience was the neurodevelopmental disorder training provided by top-notch psychiatrists and allied health professionals. All of the faculty provided both teaching and mentorship throughout my time there to ensure that I was prepared for my transition to practice.
