Objective: This paper provides a report of an academic department of psychiatry's journey into the change process associated with addressing the new requirements in health-care delivery, the emphasis on person-centered treatment models, and the implications for residency training programs. Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Department of Psychiatry's experience is based on responding to real-world shifts in which academic departments can play a leadership role., Methods: Importantly, methods are based on person-centered collaboration being central to a successful change process and include a description of the training, with data supporting implementation of the model., Results: The model demonstrates increased access to care and improved behavioral health symptoms. It indicates that with proper training and supervision, psychiatry residents can be an agent of change., Conclusion: This brief review of our experience offers to other departments of psychiatry examples of collaborative strategies substantially informed by the needs and preferences of both persons accessing services and local communities.