State-University Collaboration in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

The lack of trained professionals is frequently cited as one reason why emotionally disturbed children and adolescents are greatly underserved in the United States. Because most mental health services to children are delivered in public-sector facilities, state-university collaborations in child and adolescent psychiatry offer one solution to the problem of children's unmet mental health needs. The author examines the special considerations of developing such a collaboration and the incentives for doing so, including remaining involved in the mainstream of mental health, economic constraints on academic programs, and revisions in certification examinations in child and adolescent psychiatry and in accreditation requirements. She describes the state-university collaboration in child and adolescent psychiatry in Maryland, which has helped the state recruit 58 percent of its new graduates into public-sector positions.