Elective Years 3 and 4: Evening Treatment Program for Patients with Personality Disorder and Comorbid Axis 1 Disorders

Department: Psychiatry
Title:

Evening Treatment Program for Patients with Personality Disorder and Comorbid Axis I Disorders

Diversification = R1 Psychiatry

Location: Department of Psychiatry, 1E7.03 Walter MacKenzie Centre
Duration: Minimum 1 week
Contact:

University of Alberta Students: Placement Contact and Preceptor Dr Kathleen Perreault Kathleen.Perreault@albertahealthservices.ca
Visiting Medical Students: visitingelectives@ualberta.ca

Overview:

This elective allows students to be involved with a skilled multidisciplinary, team who offer intensive group psychotherapy to patients with personality disorders, particularly borderline personality disorder, and a range of associated comorbid Axis I disorders. The student will have the opportunity to sit in on all aspects of the therapy including intensive groups, family interviews, initial individual interviews, and related psychopharamcological assessments.

Objectives:

On completion of this elective students will acquire skills necessary for seeing and evaluating challenging patients with personality disorders.

Knowledge to Gain: Offer experience on what it is like to work within a multidisciplinary team. It will also offer an opportunity to see how psychodynamically informed therapy is used to treat a difficult patient population.

Skills to Acquire: an ability to look at and utilize one's countertransference in an emotionally charged treatment setting. It will also introduce the student to not only prescribing medication for such individuals, but how the impact of this medication is viewed by patients and integrated into their treatment delivery.

Attitudes to Learn: the ability to be empathic towards often challenging and demanding individuals, and the importance of a biopsychosocial approach to helping these patients

Additional Notes:

No prerequisites necessary, but it is preferred that medical students have completed their student intern rotation in psychiatry.

Last Updated: September 3, 2020