The behavioral science curriculum is designed to match the clinical needs of future family doctors' office practices with appropriate personal and community resources. It is designed to permit the practicing clinician to utilize behavioral skills such as interviewing techniques, doctor/patient relationships and "beside manner" to more effectively diagnose and treat their patients with day-to-day problems. Early in the first year, in preparation for the residents' outpatient training, noon conferences cover topics of psychiatric emergencies, psychopharmacology, crisis management, mental status examination and interviewing techniques. As the year progresses, conferences include family dynamics, growth and development, parenting, aging, substance abuse, psychosomatic symptoms, as well as common psychiatric presentations (hyperactivity, depression, eating disorders, schizophrenia, etc.). This learning is reinforced in a one month rotation in the second year, which includes a combination of inpatient experiences in the hospital psychiatric units and outpatient experiences in the family health centers.

The residents have the opportunity of working in adult and child substance abuse programs as well as a child and adolescent psychiatric treatment facility. Behavioral science learning experiences are provided by other health care professional via video monitoring conferences, consultations and referral. It is the expectation of the behavioral science program that the resident will be able to function as a prudent "broker" of a wide range of physical and mental health services for their patients. Based on the resident's interests, he/she will have the opportunity to learn specific behavioral assessment and intervention techniques

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