Training: Didactic
Didactic work includes a yearlong lecture series that covers all aspects of forensic psychiatry. In addition, fellows will participate in seminars on legal philosophy, landmark cases, and psychiatric and forensic ethics. They will also partake in journal club, case reviews, and the training of general residents. The lecture series are conducted by faculty from forensic fellowship programs located in both New York City and New Jersey. These include New York University, Rutgers University, Montefiore/AECOM, and Columbia University. Fellows will also attend lectures given by private forensic psychiatrists, lawyers and judges. Fellows participate in a mock trial, in addition to testifying in the cases that they have evaluated and prepared formal reports. There are also monthly preceptorships with senior faculty in private and civil forensic expert work.
Training Experience: Clinical
We train our fellows at numerous sites, where they will become proficient in all areas of Forensic Psychiatry. These include:
- Correctional Health Services Court Clinic
- Bronx Psychiatric Center
- Bronx Mental Health Court/Bronx TASC Mental Health Program
- Correctional Health Services (Rikers Island)
- Sing Sing Correctional Facility
- Westchester Jewish Community Services
Through these rotations, our fellows gain experience in the following areas:
- Court-ordered forensic evaluations of adult and child cases
- Examination and treatment of criminal offenders (including sex offenders)
- Dangerousness assessments
- Child Custody
- Mental Health Court-Based Diversion
- Immigration
- Veterans Affairs
- Evaluation and treatment of insanity acquittees
- Correctional mental health administration and treatment
- Civil assessments for involuntary hospitalization, treatment over objection, outpatient commitment, immigration relief, and guardianship
Over the course of their training, fellows will have ample opportunity to give courtroom testimony.
Supervision
All fellows receive at least 90 minutes of formal supervision from the Program Director and/or Associate Fellowship Program Director on a weekly basis, in addition to weekly supervision by each individual site director at their assigned rotations. We encourage close collaboration and mentorship and offer after-hours supervision and ongoing, informal guidance, as needed.
Seminars
Fellows participate in a yearlong, weekly full-day didactic program consisting of seminars in the fundamentals of criminal and civil forensic psychiatry, forensic research and ethics, correctional psychiatry, and landmark cases. They will also participate in a journal club.
This is augmented by a July and August orientation to forensic practice, risk assessment, and relevant New York State law as well as participation as student and teacher in the forensic curriculum for the medical students and psychiatric residents.
In addition, we encourage fellows to submit abstracts for annual meeting presentations. Past submissions have covered a wide range of topics, including:
- Legal research into liability issues
- Risk assessment in mentally ill offenders
- Emergency Department care
- Comparison studies of sexual offenders
- The ethics involved when psychiatric patients must decide on elective surgery
