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Adorable little african american boy with curly hair having fun at pediatric specialist appointment, happy child drawing with female therapist, exercises for children with autism.

Workforce Development

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) Fellowships

Training the next generation of child and adolescent psychiatrists through funded fellowship positions.

A friendly doctor performs a medical examination on a smiling young girl in a warm and inviting healthcare environment, symbolizing trust and professional care in pediatrics.

What is CAP?

Texas faces a critical shortage of psychiatrists and other mental health specialists. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) Fellowship program strengthens the Texas mental health workforce by funding two-year fellowships in child and adolescent psychiatry.

Smiling therapist listening to young patient during therapy session at office

By expanding fellowship positions across the state, the CAP Fellowship program:

  • Directly increases the number of child and adolescent psychiatrists trained to meet the mental and behavioral health needs of Texas children and youth.

  • Reduces wait times for care.

Who Participates in CAP Fellowships?

CAP fellowships are available to physicians pursuing specialized training in child and adolescent psychiatry. Child and adolescent psychiatry is a subspecialty of general psychiatry and requires an additional two years of fellowship training. These two-year fellowships are offered through the Consortium’s participating health-related institutions (HRIs) across Texas.

(*Note: UTMB has no TCMHCC-funded slots at this time.)

What Do CAP Fellows Learn?

A CAP Fellowship provides psychiatric training in working with children from infancy through late adolescence. Fellows learn how to work with the parents, extended families, schools, hospitals, courts, and communities where patients live.

The training is provided in different therapeutic modalities (e.g., group, individual, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, psychopharmacologic, family systems) and treatment settings (inpatient, day hospital, outpatient, sometimes residential).

CAP Fellowship participants:

  • Learn how to be a teacher, a supervisor, and an administrative leader.

  • Learn to work with interdisciplinary teams as well as independently.

  • Are trained in pediatric neurology and in hospital consultation-liaison to pediatrics.

  • Receive extended coursework in typical child developmental theory throughout the life cycle, as well as the full range of clinical syndromes and their treatments.

  • Are exposed to research methodology and opportunities for research participation.

Data and Impact

Data is since TCMHCC launch and was last updated 09-01-2026

21

filled first-year fellowship slots since TCMHCC inception

79%

graduates who stay in Texas

TCMHCC