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About the UC San Diego Community Psychiatry Program

Future of the Psychiatric Field 

Focus on community psychiatry is the future of the psychiatric profession. As the healthcare system changes and collaboration between the academic, public, community, and private sector becomes the norm, there is a need for clinician leadership. Our program's vision is to train "the next generation of community psychiatry clinicians and leaders."

Our program is funded through the California Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), San Diego County Behavioral Health Services, and external partners led by the University of California, San Diego, Department of Psychiatry. In this regard, we adhere to MHSA's goal of "development and implementation of the client, family-driven, integrated, culturally competent, and recovery/resiliency-oriented services within a collaborative environment."

Our Principles 

Our unique track embraces UC San Diego's principles to:

  • Alleviate human suffering and improve the quality of life of those with mental disorders through the provision of quality mental health, alcohol and drug treatment, and rehabilitation and recovery services.
  • Provide evidence-based clinical training to psychiatrists, family medicine, physicians, medical students, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, social workers, and peer mentors.
  • Conduct research into the causes, course, and treatment of individuals suffering from mental disorders.

Expert Faculty

Our faculty and trainees work throughout San Diego County and within San Diego County contracted partnership sites to have clinical, administrative, managerial, leadership, and policy exposure. We take a life spans approach to our residents and fellows' rotational placement to ensure that each physician receives the right balance in clinical care provision and administrative/leadership exposure.

Training the Next Generation of Leaders

We have devised the rotational sites as a "Longitudinal and Rotational" experience. Longitudinal Experience consists of 2 days at one location where the residents/fellows provide psychiatric care and leadership service. Rotational sites act as 4-6 week experiences where residents/fellows are exposed to numerous different programs that emphasize diversity in age groups, perspectives (including that of an ethnic minority, culturally sensitive and consumer groups), financial models, and care delivery models. Our Didactics include weekly journal club, supervision, grand rounds, hands-on leadership/management training, and experiential sessions in research methodology and skills building.

We have created a general residency track in community mental health and specific advanced adult and child/adolescent fellowship tracks. To achieve Population-Based Care and Cross-Professional Training Model, we have designed clinical training and curriculum for psychiatric nurse practice students in partnership with the Hahn School of Nursing at the University of San Diego and School of Nursing at California State University, San Marcos. We also continue our relationships with programs of marriage and family therapy, social work, and psychology. We have also created a robust Telemental Health service line designed for outreach to those with limited or no access to high-quality mental health care. Our research and scholarship activities are designed for healthcare leadership, management, quality improvement, healthcare outcomes, and creating value.

We welcome you to explore our programs and contact us with any questions.