What Sets Us Apart?
Provide psychiatric care in a variety of disciplines at more than five inpatient and outpatient settings. Enjoy a reasonable call schedule, and participate in clubs, volunteer and social activities with your fellow residents. Work closely with our faculty, who serve as mentors as well as supervisors, in practice and in research.
Our residents say they truly feel like part of a team and are highly supportive of one another, yet they also have the autonomy to refine their individual strengths and skills as psychiatrists.
What sets us apart from other programs is the one-on-one experience we receive in numerous clinical settings. As a mid-sized program, we are exposed to diverse patient populations, while working with teams small enough that we obtain ample experience in practicing psychiatry on a daily basis. By working so closely with our attendings, we have the chance to develop long-lasting relationships both professionally and personally. By the end of our residency journey, I have no doubt that this program allows us to flourish into well-balanced, competent, and successful psychiatrists.
Evan Smith, DO, 2025-2026 Co-chief Resident
The Psychiatry Residency is an ACGME-accredited four-year program leading to eligibility for certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Where you'll train
Outpatient Psychiatry Training
Our residents receive comprehensive outpatient psychiatry training throughout residency, with opportunities to develop strong clinical relationships with patients and gain experience across a broad range of psychiatric conditions and treatment approaches.
Residents and full-time faculty provide outpatient care at the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences offices in Hofheimer Hall. Residents begin seeing outpatients during much of their first year and continue outpatient clinical experiences throughout their second, third, and fourth years of training.
A key component of our program is continuity of care. Residents maintain their long-term psychotherapy cases throughout residency, allowing them to develop meaningful therapeutic relationships and follow patients over time. Trainees gain experience providing psychodynamically oriented psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and supportive psychotherapy, with opportunities to develop their individual therapeutic style under faculty supervision.
Our outpatient training also provides residents with exposure to specialized clinical populations and collaborative care settings, including the Reproductive Psychiatry Clinic and the Family and Community Medicine Clinic. These experiences allow residents to explore the intersection of psychiatry with reproductive health, primary care, family medicine, and the broader health needs of the communities we serve.
Through longitudinal outpatient experiences, residents develop the clinical skills, therapeutic expertise, and confidence needed to provide compassionate, patient-centered psychiatric care across the lifespan.
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, the primary teaching hospital for Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, is home to the area's only Level I trauma center and burn trauma unit. Residents take on primary patient care responsibility as part of a multidisciplinary team when they rotate on inpatient psychiatry, adult and geriatric psychiatry, consultation psychiatry, and neurology at this facility. First- and second-year residents work in the 34-bed inpatient mental health units. Residents also cover the emergency department and supervise medical students on the ward. Trainees gain experience working with patients with psychotic and mood disorders, substance abuse disorders, and personality disorders.
The Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center is a 670-bed facility with units in acute care, extended care and rehabilitative residential care. First-year residents have two separate two-month internal medicine rotations. Working with internal medicine residents, they care for patients in the ICU and on the wards. Residents work with psychiatric patients in the emergency department, Mental Hygiene Clinic patients and geriatric psychiatry, inpatient psychiatry and substance-abuse patients on second- through fourth-year rotations.
The Virginia Beach Community Services Board strives to be responsive to the needs of individuals with mental disabilities and their families and promote independence, recovery, behavioral health and public education surrounding the needs of individuals with mental disabilities. One PGY-3 resident is selected to rotate there the entire year. During the PGY-4 year, all residents rotate at this facility for three months, acting as senior residents on the PACT team and serving in the outpatient mental health clinic and the Pathways crisis stabilization and detoxification unit.
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters is the only freestanding children's hospital in Virginia. With 206 beds, it is the regional pediatric referral center for coastal Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. The hospital, a pediatric Level I trauma center, is home to the area's largest and most advanced neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, as well as the state's only acute inpatient rehabilitation unit. Residents complete a rotation in child psychiatry at this facility during their second year.
The Norfolk Community Services Board treats patients with mental health, intellectual disabilities and substance abuse needs. This program serves more than 9,000 Norfolk residents per year. During their third year of training, residents in this facility provide these citizens with the treatment they need.
Although our office is known as Counseling Services, we offer much more than the name suggests. We are committed to supporting the mental health, well-being, and overall success of our students and residents.
Our services provide a welcoming, confidential, and supportive environment where students can access individual and group counseling, psychiatric services, crisis intervention, wellness resources, workshops, and outreach programs. Our goal is to help you navigate the challenges of graduate medical education, manage stress, strengthen resilience, and develop the skills needed to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
The Office of Counseling Services also offers a Meditation Room, a quiet space designed for mindfulness, meditation, and personal reflection. You can reserve thirty-minute sessions through the Monarch Wellness Portal.
We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where every student feels respected, supported, and valued. Our services are available regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or physical status.
Your well-being matters. Our team is here to support you throughout your training and to help you thrive both personally and professionally. We encourage our residents to use the resources available to support their mental health, wellness, and success throughout their residency journey.
Outpatient Psychiatry Training
Our residents receive comprehensive outpatient psychiatry training throughout residency, with opportunities to develop strong clinical relationships with patients and gain experience across a broad range of psychiatric conditions and treatment approaches.
Residents and full-time faculty provide outpatient care at the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences offices in Hofheimer Hall. Residents begin seeing outpatients during much of their first year and continue outpatient clinical experiences throughout their second, third, and fourth years of training.
A key component of our program is continuity of care. Residents maintain their long-term psychotherapy cases throughout residency, allowing them to develop meaningful therapeutic relationships and follow patients over time. Trainees gain experience providing psychodynamically oriented psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and supportive psychotherapy, with opportunities to develop their individual therapeutic style under faculty supervision.
Our outpatient training also provides residents with exposure to specialized clinical populations and collaborative care settings, including the Reproductive Psychiatry Clinic and the Family and Community Medicine Clinic. These experiences allow residents to explore the intersection of psychiatry with reproductive health, primary care, family medicine, and the broader health needs of the communities we serve.
Through longitudinal outpatient experiences, residents develop the clinical skills, therapeutic expertise, and confidence needed to provide compassionate, patient-centered psychiatric care across the lifespan.
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, the primary teaching hospital for Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, is home to the area's only Level I trauma center and burn trauma unit. Residents take on primary patient care responsibility as part of a multidisciplinary team when they rotate on inpatient psychiatry, adult and geriatric psychiatry, consultation psychiatry, and neurology at this facility. First- and second-year residents work in the 34-bed inpatient mental health units. Residents also cover the emergency department and supervise medical students on the ward. Trainees gain experience working with patients with psychotic and mood disorders, substance abuse disorders, and personality disorders.
The Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center is a 670-bed facility with units in acute care, extended care and rehabilitative residential care. First-year residents have two separate two-month internal medicine rotations. Working with internal medicine residents, they care for patients in the ICU and on the wards. Residents work with psychiatric patients in the emergency department, Mental Hygiene Clinic patients and geriatric psychiatry, inpatient psychiatry and substance-abuse patients on second- through fourth-year rotations.
The Virginia Beach Community Services Board strives to be responsive to the needs of individuals with mental disabilities and their families and promote independence, recovery, behavioral health and public education surrounding the needs of individuals with mental disabilities. One PGY-3 resident is selected to rotate there the entire year. During the PGY-4 year, all residents rotate at this facility for three months, acting as senior residents on the PACT team and serving in the outpatient mental health clinic and the Pathways crisis stabilization and detoxification unit.
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters is the only freestanding children's hospital in Virginia. With 206 beds, it is the regional pediatric referral center for coastal Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. The hospital, a pediatric Level I trauma center, is home to the area's largest and most advanced neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, as well as the state's only acute inpatient rehabilitation unit. Residents complete a rotation in child psychiatry at this facility during their second year.
The Norfolk Community Services Board treats patients with mental health, intellectual disabilities and substance abuse needs. This program serves more than 9,000 Norfolk residents per year. During their third year of training, residents in this facility provide these citizens with the treatment they need.
Although our office is known as Counseling Services, we offer much more than the name suggests. We are committed to supporting the mental health, well-being, and overall success of our students and residents.
Our services provide a welcoming, confidential, and supportive environment where students can access individual and group counseling, psychiatric services, crisis intervention, wellness resources, workshops, and outreach programs. Our goal is to help you navigate the challenges of graduate medical education, manage stress, strengthen resilience, and develop the skills needed to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
The Office of Counseling Services also offers a Meditation Room, a quiet space designed for mindfulness, meditation, and personal reflection. You can reserve thirty-minute sessions through the Monarch Wellness Portal.
We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where every student feels respected, supported, and valued. Our services are available regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or physical status.
Your well-being matters. Our team is here to support you throughout your training and to help you thrive both personally and professionally. We encourage our residents to use the resources available to support their mental health, wellness, and success throughout their residency journey.
CHKD Mental Health Hospital Opens New Facility
CHKD expanded its mission to encompass mental health with the addition of a new mental health hospital and outpatient treatment center. The 14-story tower on the Norfolk campus offers unique features such as indoor and outdoor recreation areas, art and music zones, and education and training rooms as well as room to grow.
See yourself in Hampton Roads
The Hampton Roads region is a vibrant community with 1.7 million residents scattered across nine cities and five counties in southeastern Virginia.
Miles of waterfront, historical and cultural attractions, parks and outdoor recreation areas, lively nightlife, seasonal festivals, and family-friendly entertainment make it clear that there's something for everyone here in Hampton Roads.
We know life happens, and we want you to be covered when it does. That's why we offer competitive benefits packages for our residents and fellows.
A supportive environment
Work-life balance is important during your residency, and we are committed to supporting our residents throughout their time at the school. Through the Wellness Works program, our residents and fellows receive the same wellness resources as our faculty and staff.
In addition, our Resident Wellness program for residents and fellows gives you access to support groups, after-hours counseling services, running clubs, leadership coaching, and more.
