Problems of providing community psychiatry training to residents

Designing a curriculum in community psychiatry for residents is an evolutionary process. One year after training in community psychiatry was introduced in the residency program at a major urban university, residents had negative responses to their community service in a community mental health center. They could not identify with authority figures, felt unprepared to treat patients with severe reality problems, and complained about the way the staff and clinic functioned. To alleviate those problems, a training curriculum incorporating supervisory, administrative, and community consultation techniques is planned.