Setting the highest certification standards for psychiatrists and neurologists since 1934

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Deadlines, Fees and Content for Initial Certification in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

*Application deadlines are at 11:59 p.m. CST.

Other Important Dates
Active, full, unrestricted license due to the Board or application is denied September 1, 2026
Graduation verification from training programs due to the Board for residents graduating June 30, 2026 July 15, 2026
Graduation verification from training programs due to the Board for residents graduating July 31, 2026 August 15, 2026
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Overview and Statement of Principles

Child and adolescent psychiatry is a subspecialty of psychiatry. ‘Candidates’ or ‘applicants’ in child and adolescent psychiatry are board-certified psychiatrists who have completed subspecialty training and seek ABPN Board Certification in the subspecialty.

As a medical subspecialty, child and adolescent psychiatry involves specific expertise in caring for mental disorders in children and adolescents — that is, the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions that affect thinking, emotions, and/or behaviors. Please see the description of the field of Psychiatry for more information about the field.

Subspecialty Certification in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP)

A. Training in ACGME-accredited Programs

Applicants for certification in child and adolescent psychiatry must be certified by the Board in Psychiatry by December 31 of the year prior to the CAP examination administration. All CAP training requirements must be completed no later than September 30th of the year of the CAP exam. All child and adolescent psychiatry training must be completed in programs accredited by the ACGME. All requirements below that specify months or years of training are based on full-time effort. The required training may be done on a part-time basis, provided that it is at no less than half-time effort; for any effort less than full-time, the length of training must be extended on a prorated basis to meet the stated requirements. The exposure to child and adolescent psychiatry given to Psychiatry trainees during their residency training years does not count toward the required two years of CAP training. Training programs accredited by the ACGME can be found on the ACGME website at www.acgme.org. The ABPN training and leave of absence policy is located on the Policies page.

B. Training Requirements

Applicants must complete two full years (24 calendar months) of subspecialty training in child and adolescent psychiatry. Credit is not given for periods less than six (6) months. If the two years of subspecialty training in child and adolescent psychiatry are not done in one continuous block, they must be done in no more than two blocks that are not more than five years apart.

Up to 12 months of Psychiatry training may be spent in an ACGME-accredited child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship program. However, this is not allowed for the PGY-1 year. As well, integrated Psychiatry / CAP training programs are allowed for any or all years after the PGY-1 year. To be clear, CAP fellowship training will not be accepted as a Psychiatry PGY-1 year. All applicants must have completed an ACGME accredited PGY-1 year as described in the psychiatry certification training requirements section of the ABPN website before entering child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship training.

The above requirements apply to all trainees who entered CAP training after July 1, 1995. Trainees who entered child and adolescent psychiatry training on or before July 1, 1995, contact the Board for detailed guidance about the specific requirements pertaining to them.

C. Implications of the 12-month Continuous Outpatient Psychiatry Requirement for Fast-Tracking into Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship

As noted in the requirements for Psychiatry certification, the ABPN requires that residents have at least 12 full calendar months of continuous outpatient psychiatry experience. No more than 20% of this experience can be with child/adolescent psychiatry patients. Please note that, for residents fast-tracking into CAP fellowships, the 12-month continuous psychiatry outpatient requirement necessarily means that only residents who fast-track into a CAP fellowship at the same institution are allowed to complete up to 20% of the continuous psychiatry outpatient requirement during the CAP fellowship. Residents who fast-track into a CAP fellowship at a different institution must complete the entire 12-month continuous outpatient requirement during their psychiatry residency prior to moving to another institution for CAP fellowship. The ABPN will not approve exceptions to this requirement for any reason.

D. Clinical Skills Evaluations Requirements

All applicants seeking certification in child and adolescent psychiatry must successfully complete three clinical skills evaluations (CSEs, or CSVs in child and adolescent psychiatry) as part of the credentialing requirements to sit for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Certification Examination.  Visit the ABPN webpage for clinical skills evaluation requirements, FAQs, and forms: Clinical Skills Evaluation Requirements for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

E. Off-Cycle Graduating CAP Fellows

In order for off-cycle graduating CAP fellows to be eligible to sit for the certification examination in that year, the ABPN must receive written notification from the program director no later than July 31st that the resident will not finish training by August 30th but will finish no later than September 30th of the year of the CAP exam administration. The CAP training director subsequently must confirm to ABPN via the preCERT system that training has been successfully completed immediately after the fellow has finished training.

Once approved, ABPN will email the applicant scheduling instructions that allows them to schedule the certification exam. Off-cycle applicants must sit for certification within three weeks of their application being approved. This may require sitting for the examination in mid to late October. Applicants are responsible for updating their email address through their ABPN Physician Portal account to ensure they receive the instructions in a timely manner. The Board will be unable to extend examination dates due to an incorrect email address on file.

ABPN will not allow a candidate to sit for the certification examination if training has not been completed by September 30 in the year of the certification examination.

F. Training in Programs Not Accredited by the ACGME 

Canadian Training Programs
Canadian trainees may apply for the ABPN examination if they meet the following requirements:

      1. Completed their full CAP training in a Canadian program accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, AND
      2. Achieve child and adolescent psychiatry certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, AND
      3. Possess an unrestricted license to practice medicine in a Canadian province

All requirements must be met, and documentation must be received by September 1 of the year of the CAP exam. Please contact the Board for additional information at credentials@abpn.org.

The ABPN also recognizes PGY-1 training completed in a Canadian program accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, if (a) the training meets the PGY-1 requirements described above in section B, (b) the trainee subsequently completes three years of psychiatry residency training in an ACGME-accredited program, meeting all other requirements described in the requirements for Psychiatry certification, and (c) the trainee completes two years of CAP fellowship training in an ACGME-accredited program, meeting all other requirements described above.

The ABPN does not recognize training done in Canada other than as just described.

Other International Training
The ABPN does not directly accept training done under the auspices of other international training programs. However, internationally trained specialists may wish to review ABPN’s pilot Academic Pathway. Please note that this pathway confers eligibility for certification in a primary specialty only, e.g., in Psychiatry; physicians who achieve certification via the Academic Pathway are still required to complete ACGME-accredited subspecialty training in order to sit for a subspecialty certification exam.

Training in Programs Accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
The ABPN does not directly accept training done in program accredited by the AOA prior to the institution of the ACGME-AOA single accreditation pathway. However, specialists who completed earlier AOA-accredited training may wish to review ABPN’s pilot Academic Pathway.

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc.

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Phone 847.229.6500

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