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Child mental health - sub-specialty

Medical Recruitment team
This page is for those exploring, applying to or already in the child mental health sub-specialty training programme! We have insights from current specialists on what it's like working in child mental health, opportunities to try out the sub-specialty and links to the relevant group(s) and other contacts.

Each sub-specialty has its own syllabus as part of Progress+ which you can download from this page, plus get details of the College Specialty Advisory Committee (CSAC) managing this sub-specialty.
Contents
Table of contents

1. What makes a child mental health paediatrician?

A child mental health paediatrician is a doctor who has expertise in promoting mental聽wellbeing, 鈥減arity of esteem鈥 (the principle by which mental health must be given equal priority聽to physical health) and working with children, young people and families with mental health聽difficulties.

This includes children and young people with somatisation and complex presentations,聽behavioural challenges, neurodevelopmental disorders, eating disorders, mood disorders,聽anxiety and other mental health presentations.

Child mental health paediatricians have a thorough knowledge of theoretical aspects of聽mental health, including psychological, social and neurobiological aspects and apply it in a聽clinical and advisory capacity. They can use the biopsychosocial model and know the range of聽psychotherapeutic approaches within the multidisciplinary team.

They are involved in developing formulations, managing complex cases and liaising with other聽mental health specialists, including paediatricians, paediatric sub-specialists and local teams聽in order to enhance holistic care. They have the ability to provide specialist regional advice in聽complex cases.

2. Applying to a child mental health programme

In summer of 2023, we launched RCPCH Progress+, our updated, two-level paediatric training programme in the UK.

Paediatricians start in core training and then move on to specialty training - when some choose to apply to train in a paediatric sub-specialty, such as child mental health.

The Progress+ curriculum聽provides a framework for paediatric training and outlines the聽Learning Outcomes聽and聽Key Capabilities聽required at each stage before attaining the聽Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).

The RCPCH Progress+聽syllabi聽support the curriculum with further guidance on how the Learning Outcomes can be achieved and demonstrated, with sub-specialty Learning Outcomes. You can download the Progress+ syllabi for this sub-specialty and for specialty training (generic) below.聽