Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Division Focus

The Child and Adolescent Division is part of the Department of Psychiatry and provides care at the Dallas and Plano campuses of Children’s Health System of Texas and with several community partners.

The focus of the Division is on clinical care, education and research. We strive to provide the best evidenced based care to our patients and their families, to educate and train experts in the practice of child and adolescent psychiatry, and to participate in cutting-edge research to help understand the causes of psychiatric illness and to development new and refined treatments 

Patient Care

The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry provides multidisciplinary assessment and individualized care for children and adolescents with specific psychiatric disorders at Children’s Medical Center, Dallas; Children’s Medical Center, Plano; and UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Services

  • Outpatient Psychiatry
    Services for children from birth to age 18. Diagnoses such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are treated here with medication management and individual and group psychotherapy. Children with co-morbid medical illnesses are primary area of interest within the program
  • Suicide Prevention and Resilience at Children’s (SPARC)
    An intensive outpatient program for patients with a history of suicidal thinking or attempts where they learn coping techniques and tolerance to stress
  • Early Childhood Mental Health Clinic
    A program in which very young children with developmental difficulties are evaluated by a team including psychiatry, psychology, and speech therapy
  • The Day Treatment Program
    A partial hospitalization program in which patients ages 3 to 17 attend daily to learn coping strategies, behavioral interventions, and family interventions to improve overall functioning
  • Inpatient Hospitalization for Eating Disorders
    Patients are in the hospital around the clock for assessment and treatment of severe eating issues and the medical and psychological complications associated with significantly disordered eating
  • Partial Hospitalization Program for Eating Disorders
    A daily program in which patients with eating disorders, including avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, receive psychiatric and psychological care
  • Intensive Outpatient Program for Eating Disorders
    A less intense service in the eating disorders continuum that helps provide transition from a higher level of care back to the community
  • Teen Recovery Intensive Outpatient Program
    An intensive outpatient program that provides care to adolescents with the dual diagnosis of mental health issues and substance abuse and that includes individual group and family care
  • The UT Southwestern and Children’s Health℠ Center for Autism Care
    Outpatient psychiatry, psychological testing, and therapy for patients up to age 17 with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities
  • Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence
    Outpatient psychiatric care for children in foster care who also receive primary pediatric care in the same program
  • Consultation/Liaison Service
    Psychiatric, psychological, and therapeutic assessment and treatments for patients in the Emergency Department or hospitalized on medical units

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Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium

The State of Texas supports specialized programs for child mental health in Texas through the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC).

These programs are delivered at Health-Related Institutions around the state, including Child Psychiatry Faculty at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Programs

  • Child Psychiatric Access Network
    CPAN
    A call-in psychiatry consultation program for area pediatricians and family practitioners
  • Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine
    TCHATT
    A program that targets students at risk who are identified by their schools where care is provided by telemedicine to their campuses
  • Community Psychiatry Workforce Expansion
    CPWE
    Placement of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Faculty along with Psychiatry residents and fellows in community mental health centers
  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowships
    Creation of additional fellowship positions in training programs to increase the number of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists in practice in Texas
  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Research
    Research in the areas of depression and trauma

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Involvement in Education and Training

The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry provides education and training for many different types of learners, including child psychiatry fellows, psychiatry residents, neurology residents, and medical students, as well as clinical psychology doctoral students, undergraduate and graduate nursing students, master’s-level special education teachers, and psychology, social work, and clinical nutrition interns.

The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program has trained psychiatrists for over 60 years and is one of the largest programs in the United States. Graduates from the Fellowship go on to careers in academic medicine, community mental health, and private practice, among other positions. A Triple Board Program in Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry will begin training residents in 2023. 

Research in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Depression and associated suicidal thinking is our most prolific area of research. Current studies include research in the areas of pharmacotherapy, including the use of novel treatments, suicide assessment, and treatment and psychotherapy. 

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Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Faculty

Dr. James Norcross

James D. Norcross, M.D.

  • Professor
  • Division Director
Dr. David Atkinson

David Atkinson, M.D.

Dr. Rabia Ayvaci

Rabia Ayvaci, M.D.

  • Assistant Professor
  • Outpatient Psychiatry
Dr. Sabrina Browne

Sabrina Browne, M.D.

  • Assistant Professor
  • Behavioral Health Integration and Guidance (BHIG)
Dr. Andrew Diederich

Andrew Diederich, M.D.

  • Associate Professor
  • Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Dr. Stephen Elliott

Stephen Elliott, M.D.

  • Assistant Professor
  • The UT Southwestern and Children’s Health℠ Center for Autism Care
  • Fellowship Associate Program Director
Dr. Graham Emslie

Graham Emslie, M.D.

  • Professor
  • Outpatient Psychiatry
  • SPARC
Dr. Latoya Frolov

Latoya Frolov, M.D.

  • Assistant Professor
  • Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Dr. Joseph Guillory

Joseph Guillory, M.D.

  • Assistant Professor
  • Outpatient Psychiatry
  • Transitional Age Youth
Dr. Medha Iyer

Medha Iyer, M.D.

  • Assistant Professor
  • Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Dr. Catherine Karni

Catherine Karni, M.D.

  • Professor
  • Outpatient Psychiatry
  • Early Childhood Mental Health Clinic
Dr. Urszula Kelley

Urszula Kelley, M.D.

  • Professor
  • Eating Disorders Program
Dr. Mili Khandheria

Mili Khandheria, M.D.

  • Assistant Professor
  • CPAN
Dr. Muruga Loganathan

Muruga Loganathan, M.D.

  • Assistant Professor
  • CPWE
Dr. Jane Miles

Jane Miles, M.D.

  • Associate Professor
  • Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Dr. Charles Odom

Charles Odom, M.D.

  • Assistant Professor
  • Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Dr. Laura Stone

Laura Stone, M.D.

  • Associate Professor
  • Day Treatment Program
Dr. Kathlene Trello-Rishel

Kathlene Trello-Rishel, M.D.

  • Professor
  • Fellowship Training Director
Dr. Maria Weidmer Mikhail

Maria Weidmer Mikhail, M.D.

  • Assistant Professor
  • Eating Disorders Program

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