Collaborating with Child Psychiatry

Pediatric consultation-liaison (CL) psychologists collaborate with other care providers in the hospital, including psychiatrists. Whether the CL team contains both a psychiatrist and a psychologist or they are separate entities, collaboration between psychiatry and psychology facilitates better patient care. When psychologists and psychiatrists work together, the two disciplines can benefit from the differences in their training. Psychologists benefit from a psychiatrist’s expertise in medication management, diagnostics (e.g., imaging, lab testing, etc.), knowledge of complex clinical presentations (e.g., catatonia, delirium, etc.), and understanding of medical terminology, while a psychiatrist can learn from a psychologist’s knowledge of psychological assessments and more in-depth training in research and psychotherapy. When working together, the psychologist’s and psychiatrist’s conceptualization and treatment of the patient improves. To facilitate effective collaboration, efforts should be made to maximize communication and clarification of roles and responsibilities between psychiatrists and psychologists. Additionally, collaboration between psychiatrists and psychologists is beneficial for trainees, as it broadens their training and facilitates future referrals.