What does a Child Psychiatrist do?
A child psychiatrist specializes in diagnosing and treating behavioral and psychological issues of children. They develop treatment plans through various assessments and examinations, prescribing medication as needed. Their responsibilities include conducting therapies in an individual or group setting, coordinating with parents and guardians to keep them updated on all procedures and progress, providing consultations for social services and court proceedings, and helping families cope and understand the patient's situation. Furthermore, as a child therapist, it is essential to build rapport with patients, making them feel comfortable every step of the way.
Child psychiatrist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real child psychiatrist resumes:
- Perform psychotherapy, psychopharmacology and drug detoxification.
- See frequently hospitalize patients on outpatient basis as part of multidisciplinary team.
- Implement individualized care plans, using a variety of treatments to stabilize patients during their hospitalization.
- Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.
Child psychiatrist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 34% of Child Psychiatrists are proficient in Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychopharmacology, and Mental Health. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Detail oriented, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Child Psychiatrists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Adolescent Psychiatry, 34%
Published poster for AACAP (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)
- Psychopharmacology, 19%
Provided psychopharmacology and individual, family, and parental therapy to children and their families.
- Mental Health, 18%
Provided medical management for mental health disorders, as well as medical issues requiring attention when hospitalized.
- Medication Management, 15%
Provided assessment, evaluations, and medication management for children, adolescents, and adults.
- Medical Education, 5%
Provided medical education, training, consultation and supervision to nurse practitioners, residents, psychologists and psychosocial services staff.
- Mental Illness, 4%
Assess and treat mental illnesses through psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, hospitalization, and medication.
"adolescent psychiatry," "psychopharmacology," and "mental health" are among the most common skills that child psychiatrists use at work. You can find even more child psychiatrist responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a child psychiatrist to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what child psychiatrists do because "physicians and surgeons need to be excellent communicators." Additionally, a child psychiatrist resume shows how child psychiatrists use communication skills: "used therapeutic communication techniques to establish rapport, and deliver care to mentally ill patients. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling child psychiatrist duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "patients must receive appropriate treatment and medications." According to a child psychiatrist resume, here's how child psychiatrists can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "draw blood samples, room patients, prepare charts, and take detailed patient histories. "
Leadership skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of child psychiatrists is leadership skills. This skill is critical to many everyday child psychiatrist duties, as "physicians who work in their own practice must manage a staff of other professionals." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "initial psychiatric evaluations, psychotropic medication management, crisis stabilization and leadership of the treatment team approach to patient care. "
Physical stamina. child psychiatrist responsibilities often require "physical stamina." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "physicians and surgeons should be comfortable lifting or turning disabled patients, or performing other physical tasks." This resume example shows what child psychiatrists do with physical stamina on a typical day: "worked closely with behavioral therapist, psychiatrist, physical therapists and occupational therapists to provide best patient care. "
The three companies that hire the most child psychiatrists are:
- The Medicus Firm
18 child psychiatrists jobs
- New York State Restaurant Association7 child psychiatrists jobs
- Virginia Commonwealth University4 child psychiatrists jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable child psychiatrist resume templates
Build a professional child psychiatrist resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your child psychiatrist resume.
Compare different child psychiatrists
Child psychiatrist vs. Outpatient psychiatrist
Outpatient psychiatrists are medical professionals who are responsible for providing diagnosis, treatment, and prevention plans for outpatients with mental health problems as well as substance use disorders. These psychiatrists are required to supervise psychiatry residents with outpatient psychotherapy and medication management while working with patients at the psychiatry wards. They must coordinate with insurance providers so that they can provide all the required information that is necessary to process payments for patient care. Outpatient psychiatrists must also supervise clinical professionals who are involved in mental health such as social workers and behavioral health technicians.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, child psychiatrist responsibilities require skills like "adolescent psychiatry," "mental health," "health treatment," and "medical education." Meanwhile a typical outpatient psychiatrist has skills in areas such as "child psychiatry," "emr," "outpatient clinic," and "epic." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Outpatient psychiatrists tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $210,992. In contrast, child psychiatrists make the biggest average salary, $204,719, in the health care industry.On average, outpatient psychiatrists reach lower levels of education than child psychiatrists. Outpatient psychiatrists are 8.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 18.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Child psychiatrist vs. Staff psychiatrist
A Staff Psychiatrist provides psychiatric services for the treatment of patients with mental health problems in an outpatient and/or inpatient setting. They are also responsible for supervising and training advanced psychiatry residents.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that child psychiatrist responsibilities requires skills like "adolescent psychiatry," "health treatment," "medical education," and "clinical practice." But a staff psychiatrist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patients," "rehabilitation," "dea," and "patient care."
Staff psychiatrists may earn a higher salary than child psychiatrists, but staff psychiatrists earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $219,122. On the other hand, child psychiatrists receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $204,719.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Staff psychiatrists tend to reach lower levels of education than child psychiatrists. In fact, they're 8.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 18.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Child psychiatrist vs. Consulting psychiatrist
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists are mental health professionals who deal with children and adolescent individuals. Much like most psychiatrists, they are trained to handle individuals with mental health concerns. They are important in the diagnosis of mental health problems and the treatment of these problems. They specialize in diagnosing and treating children and adolescents. Child and adolescent psychiatrists are equipped with the skills to communicate with their clients effectively. This helps them identify the problems or mental health challenges that their clients are going through. Upon diagnosis of mental health problems, child and adolescent psychiatrists work with their clients to help ease their mental health problems and possibly treat them in the long run.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, child psychiatrists are more likely to have skills like "adolescent psychiatry," "mental health," "health treatment," and "medical education." But a consulting psychiatrist is more likely to have skills like "board certification," "substance abuse," "behavioral health," and "patient care."
Consulting psychiatrists earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $224,314. Child psychiatrists earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $204,719.When it comes to education, consulting psychiatrists tend to earn lower degree levels compared to child psychiatrists. In fact, they're 12.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 19.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Child psychiatrist vs. Child & adolescent psychiatrist
Types of child psychiatrist
Updated January 8, 2025
