Child & Adolescent Psychiatry | Psychiatry | School of Medicine

Welcome to Queen’s University’s Residency training Program in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry!

Program Overview

The Queen’s University Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Subspecialty Program is a two-year Royal College accredited residency program that adheres to the Royal College Competence by Design (CBD) model. The curriculum is organized around four graduated stages of training defined by the Royal College competence continuum:

Transition to Discipline
Foundations of Discipline
Core of Discipline
Transition to Practice

These stages are designed to support residents as they progress through increasing levels of clinical responsibility, professional development, and independence in the assessment and treatment of infants, children, adolescents, and their families.

Residents progress through the stages of training by demonstrating competence in Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) and receiving regular coaching, assessment, and feedback from faculty members and multidisciplinary team colleagues.

The program offers comprehensive training across a broad range of clinical settings and provides residents with opportunities to work within highly collaborative multidisciplinary teams.

Clinical training includes both inpatient and outpatient psychiatry experiences, with dedicated exposure to specialized services including:

Mood and Anxiety Disorders
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Eating Disorders
Urgent Psychiatric Consult Care

Clinical Training

We maintain strong collaborative relationships with community partners throughout Kingston, Brockville, Belleville, and Smiths Falls, providing residents with exposure to diverse patient populations and models of care.

Residents also work closely with:

Community mental health agencies
Local school boards
Child protection agencies
Family Health Teams
Primary care physicians
Pediatricians

These partnerships allow residents to develop expertise in collaborative and community-based models of child and adolescent mental health care.

The program’s multidisciplinary teams include experienced psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, and behavioural therapists who offer a wide range of individual and group-based interventions, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Family Therapy, Positive Parenting programs, and groups focused on anxiety, social skills, self-regulation, organizational skills, temper management, and emotional regulation.

Academic Curriculum

Protected academic time is provided every other week and covers the Royal College Child & Adolescent Psychiatry curriculum. Educational sessions are delivered by both psychiatry faculty and multidisciplinary team members, providing diverse perspectives and expertise. This protected educational time is safeguarded from competing clinical responsibilities whenever possible to support resident learning and professional development.

Residents are encouraged to participate in:

Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Journal Club
Departmental Grand Rounds
National and regional educational opportunities
Teaching activities

The program emphasizes lifelong learning, scholarly inquiry, and professional development.

Scholarly Activity and Research

The Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry is committed to supporting resident scholarly activity and research.

Scholarly activity is an integral component of the training program, and residents are supported in completing a scholarly project relevant to Child & Adolescent Psychiatry during their training. Residents work closely with the Program Director, their Academic Coach, and the program’s Research Lead to identify and develop projects that align with their interests, career goals, and the needs of the field. Protected time is incorporated into the curriculum to support residents in the development, completion, and dissemination of their scholarly work.

Opportunities exist to participate in clinical research, quality improvement initiatives, educational scholarship, and collaborative projects with faculty and community partners. Residents receive mentorship and support throughout the development, implementation, and dissemination of their scholarly work.

Resident Support and Wellness

The program places a strong emphasis on resident wellness, psychological safety, mentorship, and professional growth.

Residents meet regularly with the Program Director on an individual basis and are assigned an Academic Coach who provides guidance, mentorship, feedback, and support throughout training. Residents also meet with the Program Director as a group throughout the academic year, including informal lunches and resident meetings, to discuss their training experiences, provide feedback, and participate in open dialogue regarding the program. Educational experiences can be tailored to support individual learning objectives and career goals while ensuring all Royal College training requirements are achieved.

The program is committed to fostering a supportive learning environment that promotes psychological safety, wellbeing, and professional development. Residents have access to a variety of wellness supports through Queen’s University, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, and the Department of Psychiatry. The Program Director and faculty maintain an open-door approach and encourage residents to seek support whenever needed.

The Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry values equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) and is committed to creating a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment for all learners, faculty, staff, patients, and families.

Residents are encouraged to provide feedback regarding their training experiences and have access to formal and informal reporting pathways to raise concerns in a safe and confidential manner. The program supports a culture of continuous quality improvement and responsive action based on resident feedback.

Residents receive appropriate supervision throughout their training that is tailored to their stage of learning and level of competence. Progressive responsibility is provided within the Competence by Design framework to support the development of independent clinical practice.

The program is committed to supporting resident learning, professional development, and scholarly growth. Residents have access to educational funding to assist with conferences, educational resources, courses, and other approved learning opportunities.

Residents are encouraged to actively participate in the educational and academic life of the program through Academic Half Day, Journal Club, Grand Rounds, the Resident Program Committee, and ongoing program evaluation and quality improvement initiatives.

Application Process for Enrollment

The Child & Adolescent Psychiatry programs participate in the Fall Subspecialty Residency Match (FSRM) through CaRMS. Applications are accepted through the CaRMS portal. Please refer to the CaRMS website for current application timelines and deadlines.

Our program accepts Canadian Medical Graduates (CMGs) and International Medical Graduates (IMGs) currently enrolled in a Canadian General Psychiatry residency program.

CaRMS FSRM (First Iteration) — Applicant Timeline

International Medical Graduates

Queen’s University CAP accepts IMG applicants who are completing or have completed General Psychiatry training within a Royal College accredited Canadian residency program and who have approval from their sponsoring funding agency.

IMG applicants accepted into Ontario programs are subject to provincial Return of Service (ROS) requirements. Please refer to the Ministry of Health website for additional information.

Positions Available

Approximately 1–2 positions are offered annually, depending on program capacity.

Contact Information

Dr. Amer Sapru, MD, FRCPC
Program Director, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Allie Singers
Program Assistant
CAPadmin@queensu.ca

Residents

Child & Adolescent Faculty

Dr. Amer Sapru (Program Director)

Dr. Jen Wong ( Assistant Program Director)

Dr. Sarosh Khalid-Khan (Division Chair)

Dr. Johanne Roberge

Life in Kingston

Living in Kingston | School of Medicine | Queen's University