AACAP Psychodynamic Faculty Initiative (PsyFI) Mentorship Award

Application Deadline: May 1, 2026

Objective
The AACAP Psychodynamic Faculty Initiative (PsyFI) Mentorship Award seeks to strengthen psychodynamic psychotherapy training in child and adolescent psychiatry residency programs through faculty development. Under the supervision of a PsyFI mentor, awardees will design a psychodynamic training project applicable to their child and adolescent psychiatry division.

Goals

Support efforts of child and adolescent psychiatry faculty in training programs striving to enhance competencies in psychodynamic therapy for their trainees;
Recognize child and adolescent psychiatrists who teach psychodynamic therapy and theory;
Create a community of knowledgeable and effective psychodynamic teachers who will become leaders in psychodynamic child and adolescent psychiatry and will serve as a resource for all AACAP members.

Activities

Awardees and their assigned mentors will meet at a one-day Project Planning Retreat on the Monday of AACAP’s Annual Meeting. This session focuses on creating and developing their projects and enhancing their teaching and supervisory skills, as well as knowledge of psychodynamic psychiatry. Following the session, there will be a networking meet and greet. PsyFI mentorship award recipients will be acknowledged in AACAP’s awards programs and during the AACAP Training and Education Luncheon.

Over the course of the one-year award term, each awardee will collaborate with their mentor to create and develop a project designed to enhance the psychodynamic training experience at the awardee’s institution.

Mentors and mentees will meet/talk monthly. There will be two to four additional web-based check-in meetings with their cohort and the PsyFI Leadership Team. In conclusion, awardees will present their work at a virtual meeting of the AACAP Psychotherapy Committee the following year, and will turn in a finalized Project Summary and any deliverables that result from the project.

What Are Suitable Projects?

We encourage applicants to think broadly about developing a project. The first step is to identify a problem or an area in need of improvement. The need could be in any facet of the program’s plan to meet or exceed the ACGME requirements. For example, a program might struggle to find cases for their residents or may need to develop a coterie of supervisors. Other programs may be looking to improve didactics or wanting to use more varied technology. The applicant is not expected to already know how she/he will solve the problem.

What Is the Meaning of “Psychodynamic” in the Context of This Initiative?
For this Initiative, we are supporting the broadest definition of psychodynamic as therapies based on the core propositions of psychoanalytic theory. Psychodynamic theory and technique have been evolving rapidly in recent years making it difficult to make a definitive list of characteristics. Whatever your training program is using to meet the ACGME requirements for psychodynamic training can be a starting point for an Initiative project. Certainly, psychodynamics as defined in AACAP's Practice Parameter for Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Children published in JAACAP (Volume 51, May 2012) is acceptable. Additionally, there are two issues of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America titled “Psychodynamic Approaches to Psychopathology” (Volume 22, No. 1 and No. 2, published in 2013), available from the JAACAP home page. These volumes provide examples demonstrating the breadth of psychodynamic approaches.

Stipend Distribution

PsyFI provides a stipend of up to $450 to help cover mentee expenses for attending the project planning session, as well as a $200 stipend for mentors.

Length of Program

One year in total, with required attendance at events of the AACAP Annual Meeting the year of acceptance

Number of Awards

Maximum of six mentees selected annually.

AWARDEE/MENTEE REQUIREMENTS IF SELECTED

Required* attendance at the (one-day) PsyFI Project Planning Retreat on Monday of the AACAP Annual Meeting
Attend the first of two Psychotherapy Committee Meetings at the AACAP Annual Meeting
Attend the AACAP Training & Education Luncheon on the Friday of the AACAP Annual Meeting
Meet/correspond, at a minimum, once per month with your assigned mentor
Submit an Initial and a Final Project Summary and Report
Present a Final Project Report at a virtual Psychotherapy Committee meeting the following year
Share any producible items that result from your project (e.g. presentations, curricula, posters)

Faculty at all stages of their careers – including Early Career Psychiatrists and Junior Faculty – and all positions within a training program may apply.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must:

Have an MD, DO or equivalent degree;
Teach in an ACGME-accredited child psychiatry, triple board or post pediatric portal training program;
Be an AACAP member or have a membership application pending at the time of submission;

Faculty at all stages of their careers – including Early Career Psychiatrists and Junior Faculty – and all positions within a training program may apply.

APPLICATION

Submission Deadline
The application deadline for 2025 admissions is May 1, 2026 (11:59 p.m. PST).

Application Requirements
In order for your application to be processed, you will need to submit the following to training@aacap.org:

Completed PsyFI Application Form which includes a proposed project for improving some aspect of the current training program’s teaching of psychodynamic psychotherapy;
Most recent curriculum vitae (CV);
Letter of endorsement showing support for the enhancement of psychodynamic psychiatry in their training program from EITHER
1. The Residency Program Director/Training Director, or
2. Division Head/Department Chair if applicant is the Training Director

Application Form
Download AACAP’s Psychodynamic Faculty Initiative Mentorship Award Application.

Selection Process
Applications will undergo review by AACAP members with experience in psychodynamic psychotherapy and related topics.

Administrative Review - Applications are screened for eligibility and completion.
Selection & Review - Participants are selected by a committee comprised of the two co-chairs of the Initiative, one member of the Psychotherapy Committee and one member of the Training & Education Committee. The Selection Committee will rank the candidate pool and provide written comments regarding the application submission Key criteria assessed include:
- Applicant: Degree of which the applicant is well-suited to participate in the program and complete a project.
- Significance: Degree to which the proposed project addresses important challenges within the training program specific to psychodynamic psychotherapy.
- Environment: Degree to which the fellowship program environment contributes to the probability of success through their support of psychodynamic psychiatry and the applicant’s project.
- Feasibility: Potential for a successful and feasible project can be completed within the allotted time.

Mentors
PsyFI recruits mentors with teaching experience and well-developed psychodynamic knowledge and skills, who are willing to cultivate professional relationships with the awardee(s), while supporting the development and implementation of the proposed training project. The PsyFI Leadership matches mentors with mentees based on the expertise needed for the proposed projects.

Mentor responsibilities include:

*Required* attendance at the (one-day) PsyFI Project Planning Retreat on Monday of the AACAP’s Annual Meeting.
Connecting with mentee(s) on a regular basis for the duration of the project, advising and supporting the assigned mentee(s) on the development, execution, and completion of the proposed training project
Working with mentee(s) to prepare a brief presentation or report on the training project following AACAP's Annual Meeting
Completing an evaluation form regarding participation in the Initiative

Mentor Sign-up Form
If you are interested in serving as a mentor for the program, please download, complete and submit AACAP’s Psychodynamic Faculty Initiative Mentorship Award's Mentor Form, along with a copy of your CV to training@aacap.org.

Funding
PsyFI is made possible by a generous donation by the Samuel and Lucille B. Ritvo Charitable Fund.

Need More Information?
Visit the Child Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Toolkit webpage to learn more about child psychotherapy. Contact the Asst. Director of Training and Education at training@aacap.org or (202) 587-9663. For questions regarding a proposed project, contact Marty Drell by email at mdrell@lsuhsc.edu or at 504-568-6001, Rachel Ritvo by email at rzritvomd@gmail.com or phone 301-946-9229, or Michael Shapiro by email at Michael.shapiro@chkd.org.