Outpatient Mental Health

Department of Psychiatry

  • Course Information

    Course Number: RPSY604

    Prerequisites: Completion of all Phase 2 clerkships

    Length of Time: 2 weeks

    Phase Availability: Phase 3

    Credit Type: Physician Assessed Patient Facing (PAPFE) or Open

    Call: No

  • Contact Information

    Program Director: Benjamin Shepherd, MD

    Coordinator/Scheduling: Allison King (aking75@uic.edu)

    Location: Arukah Institute of Healing (1916 North Main St., Suite 3, Princeton, IL 61356)

DISCLAIMER: Dr. Benjamin Shepherd is the instructor for Outpatient Mental Health and also provides psychiatric care for UICOM R students. If you have been under the care of Dr. Shepherd or have conflicts of interest with him (such as familial or financial ties), you are not eligible to enroll in this elective. Upon registration, you will be required to confirm that you have no conflicts of interest with the faculty of this course. It’s important to note that this elective is optional and not mandatory coursework. If you find yourself in a situation where you have a conflict of interest but still wish to pursue a similar course with a different faculty member, please reach out to Dr. Cummins (johnsc@uic.edu), the Psychiatry Department Chair, to explore alternative opportunities. You are not obligated to disclose the specifics of your conflict of interest when discussing alternative courses with Dr. Cummins.

Narrative Description:

This course is designed to provide the student with experience in community psychiatry. The location is Arukah Institute in rural Princeton, Illinois. Arukah is a mental health center and CCBHC that provides a wide variety of services to patients in an underserved community. This would provide benefits for students interested in psychiatry, primary care, or any specialties to enhance education of community mental health treatment.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the course students will be able to:

  1. Evaluate patients in an outpatient psychiatric setting.
  2. Learn about the specific roles involved in a community mental health center.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of health care disparities in patients with mental illness and substance-use disorders.

Learning Activities: Outpatient

Description of Learning Activities: Bedside teaching 1:1 discussion, experience working with psychiatry therapists, crisis team, mind-body, and others.

Method of Assessment: Community-oriented project/presentation. This would be flexible in terms of content but could include patient presentation/case study, or a mental health topic. This would be a pass/fail project and would be incorporated into the overall grade. Direct faculty evaluation of performance and standard UIC evaluation form completed and submitted.

Required Reading: CCBHC criteria 2023

General Scheduling:

  • Mon, Tue, Thu: 8:30-5:00pm – Med Management
  • Wed: 8:30-5:00pm – Psychotherapy crisis
  • Fri: 8:30-12:00pm – Psychotherapy crisis

Additional Resources:

  • Swann WL, Kim S, Kim SY, Schreiber TL. Urban-Rural Disparities in Opioid Use Disorder
  • Prevention and Response Activities
  • Darkness Visible: by William Styron
  • Beautiful Boy: by David Sheff
  • Textbook of Community Psychiatry: the AACP’s (American Association for Community Psychiatry)

Miscellaneous Information: None