Seattle Children’s Psychiatric Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Fellowship

Transform the delivery of pediatric mental health care in Washington State through the expansion and development of expert Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants to meet the complex needs and improve the outcomes of the acute and chronically ill child and adolescent mental health population.

Program Goals

1. Provide advanced training for the novice Psychiatric APP in order to achieve confidence, mastery and competency in all domains of full scope of practice to care for children and adolescents with highly complex acute and chronic mental health disorders.
2. Grow our future Psychiatric APP workforce to increase access to pediatric behavioral health services and improve quality care outcomes.
3. Improve retention of Psychiatric APPs in organizations that provide care to the most vulnerable populations.
4. Promote an environment of respect, support and collaboration.

Program Objectives

1. Develop advanced assessment and diagnostic skills necessary to treat children and adolescents with complex acute and chronic mental health disorders.
2. Investigate and integrate evidence-based care into clinical practice.
3. Receive advanced psychopharmacology training to gain expertise in medication management of children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders.
4. Cultivate clinical leadership skills to lead multidisciplinary teams.

Prior to matriculation into the Psychiatric Fellowship Program, the APP applicant must meet the following requirements:

• Master’s Degree and/or Doctorate of Nursing Practice
• Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification (PMHNP-BC™)
• Physician Assistant-certified

• Seattle Children's Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
• Seattle Children’s Psychiatric Behavioral Medicine Unit (PBMU)
• Autism Center
• Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic
• Ryther
• Community Based Partners - TBD

Boot Camp

All fellows spend the first two weeks in Boot Camp. Boot Camp is a period of intensive orientation to the practice environments at Seattle Children’s and with community-based partners. During Boot Camp, fellows will learn about the fellowship program structure and be introduced to the core competencies they are expected to achieve over the course of their training. They will also begin shadowing specific roles to help them orient to hospital and community based mental health care and services.

Clinical Rotations

Psych APP fellows will spend the first three months engaged in foundational learning on the PBMU. Psych APP fellows will then spend the next six months in a hybrid learning environment providing direct patient care in both inpatient, outpatient, and community-based settings with supervision and mentorship. During the final three months, Psych APP fellows will practice on the PBMU with increasing independence.

Didactics

Didactic sessions are held twice monthly during the first 9 months of the year. Didactic sessions will focus on developing core competencies and learning will be presented using a variety of modalities including self-study, journal clubs, case presentations, and lectures delivered by a variety of disciplines across multiple specialty areas. In addition, because Seattle Children’s is a teaching hospital, there will be multiple additional learning activities that fellows will be able to access throughout the course of the year (e.g., Psychiatry Grand Rounds). There will also be intentional learning focused on building resilience and self-care as well as learnings to understand and promote cultural humility and health equity.

Faculty Members

• Fellowship Director: Lindsey Miller, MN, BC-PMHNP
• Fellowship Supervisor: Jeovana Oshan, MSN, BC-PMHNP
• Fellowship Faculty Lead: Melissa Jensen, MSN, BC-PMHNP
• Program Coordinator: Nick Bresolin

Gabriel Hardt

Gabriel Hardt is an APP Psychiatry Fellow at Seattle Children’s Hospital. My name is Gabriel or Gabe! I got my bachelors in public health from the University of Washington and a doctorate in nursing from Seattle University. I’ve worked on the PBMU as a PMHS, and then came back as an RN (just keep coming back for more). I’ve also worked as a school nurse and at the Emily Program residential for eating disorders. I love working with kids because of their resiliency, humor and brutal honesty (can be real humbling...) 

For fun I am a very stereotypical Seattleite and enjoy hiking, paddle boarding, taking photos of my cats, drawing and running. I’m excited to join the team and learn this new role!

Mickey Kander

Mickey Kander is a Physician Assistant in the APP Psychiatry Fellowship at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Mickey has 6 years of family medicine experience, and most recently practiced at Valley Medical Center where he is a primary care provider in Renton, WA and at a homeless youth clinic for Kaiser Permanente in Seattle, WA. Mickey graduated from the University of Washington’s MEDEX Northwest program in 2016. Prior to transitioning to health care, Mickey was a social worker and public health professional – working for Casey Family Programs, a foundation dedicated to improving foster care, and for the Washington State Department of Health where he was the state’s adolescent health coordinator. Mickey also completed a post-graduate fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in public health leadership. 

His passions include underserved populations, medication assisted treatment, gender affirming care, primary prevention and of course, psychiatric medicine. When he’s free he likes to spend time with his husband Paj, bake and be outside. Paj and Mickey are privileged to serve an orange tabby named Tango who is a benevolent tyrant in their household.

Sydney Berkman

Sydney is an APP Psychiatry fellow at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Born and raised in Seattle, she received a bachelor’s degree from University of Washington, later attending nursing school and earning a doctorate at Seattle University. Her nursing career so far has been dedicated to Addiction Medicine, highlighting the importance of compassionate, equitable, and accessible mental health care for all ages. She is passionate about creating a safe and therapeutic space for her patients, empowering young people to advocate for their mental health.

In her free time, she enjoys upcycling reclaimed clothing, sewing, cooking, and picnics with her cat, Barb.

Upcoming cohorts and dates:

Applications for the September 2024 cohort are due March 31, 2024. Interviews will be scheduled for April and final selections will take place in May. September cohort will start September 3, 2024. 

In addition please submit the following to Nick Bresolin:

• A professional resume
• Essay to include the following:
  • One paragraph describing why you are interested in participating in a fellowship program
  • A Statement of Purpose up to 500 words

Your application will not be considered without submission of these items.

Seattle Children’s Psychiatric APP Fellowship (PDF)