Fellowship Experience

The John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center is a premier training site operated by UTHealth Houston in partnership with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). This state-of-the-art facility offers a dynamic and immersive experience for fellows passionate about acute psychiatric care and the intersection of mental health and the law.

At the Dunn Center, you’ll work with a patient population that includes individuals in acute psychiatric crisis to those undergoing competency restoration. The Dunn Center provides unmatched exposure to justice-involved individuals, offering a rare opportunity to engage in meaningful, high-impact psychiatric care within a legal framework.

As a fellow, you’ll conduct competency to stand trial evaluations, collaborating closely with seasoned forensic psychiatrists. You’ll master the art of clinical interviewing, psychological assessment, and forensic report writing, while gaining confidence in courtroom testimony and legal consultation. With its interdisciplinary approach, modern facilities, and commitment to community reintegration, the Dunn Center offers a training environment that is as rigorous as it is rewarding.

The Harris County Psychiatric Center (HCPC) offers an unparalleled fellowship experience at the vital intersection of psychiatry and the legal system. As one of the largest academic psychiatric hospitals in the country, HCPC provides fellows with a rich, hands-on immersion into the complexities of forensic psychiatry.

Fellows work directly with individuals admitted through court-ordered and involuntary commitments. This experience offers invaluable exposure to real-world forensic practice, ranging from psychiatric evaluations and legal documentation to courtroom testimony and judicial procedures, all under the mentorship of seasoned forensic psychiatrists.

What sets HCPC apart is its integration of specialized units such as the Dual Diagnosis Unit, where fellows engage with challenging cases involving co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders. Additionally, the Mental Health Court at HCPC offers a front-row seat to a collaborative legal-medical model that ensures timely psychiatric intervention while safeguarding patients’ legal rights. Fellows participate in mental health warrant processes, probable cause hearings, and the development of individualized treatment plans.

This dynamic, interdisciplinary environment cultivates critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and collaborative skills, providing the ideal foundation to start your career in forensic psychiatry.

The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office (FBCSO) offers fellows a rare and impactful opportunity to explore the delivery of psychiatric care within a correctional environment.
As the largest law enforcement agency in one of Texas’s rapidly growing counties, FBCSO operates a robust detention system that includes intake, bonding, and inmate housing. With a capacity of 1,783 beds and 90 holding cells, the facility maintains an average daily population of over 700 individuals, many of whom are awaiting trial or serving short-term sentences. This setting provides fellows with direct exposure to the unique challenges of correctional mental health care.

During this experience, fellows engage in crisis intervention, suicide risk assessment, and the management of acute and chronic mental illness within a secure facility. They also collaborate with legal and law enforcement personnel, gaining firsthand insight into the legal, ethical, and clinical complexities of treating justice-involved individuals.

This immersive experience equips fellows with the skills and perspective needed to succeed in forensic psychiatry, an essential component of a well-rounded forensic psychiatry fellowship.

In a one-of-a-kind collaboration between Rice University’s Medical Humanities Program and the UTHealth Houston Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship, fellows play a central role in a twelve-week seminar that explores the ethical and philosophical dimensions of mental health care, all conducted at the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center.

This seminar invites graduate students from Rice to shadow forensic psychiatry fellows, observe patient care, and participate in guided debriefings. Fellows serve as clinical mentors, helping students connect theoretical discussions on topics such as culpability, punishment, and the ethics of psychiatric care in correctional settings with the realities of clinical practice.

At the same time, fellows deepen their own understanding of medical ethics through structured discussions, interdisciplinary dialogue, and reflective practice. This experience enhances their ability to navigate complex ethical dilemmas in forensic psychiatry and strengthens their capacity for thoughtful, compassionate care.

As a capstone, fellows collaborate with students and faculty to co-author a 3,500–5,000-word paper aimed at publication in a medical ethics journal that provides an opportunity to contribute to academic scholarship and build a strong professional portfolio.
This seminar is a teaching opportunity and transformative experience that sharpens ethical insight, fosters leadership, and prepares fellows to be thoughtful, well-rounded forensic psychiatrists.

In collaboration with the UTHealth Houston Expert Witness Program, fellows work alongside nationally recognized forensic psychiatrists who serve as legal consultants and expert witnesses in high-profile civil and criminal cases. Here, fellows will gain unparalleled experience in one of the most high-stakes and intellectually demanding aspects of forensic psychiatry, Expert Testimony. You’ll observe and participate in real-world forensic evaluations, deposition preparation, and courtroom testimony, developing the skills to communicate complex psychiatric findings with clarity, precision, and authority.

Fellows will also have the opportunity to gain immersive, hands-on experience conducting forensic psychiatric assessments across a wide range of legal contexts,
including evaluations for competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and risk assessment. Working under the close mentorship of seasoned faculty who actively serve as expert witnesses in both state and federal courts, fellows receive individualized guidance in the practice of forensic consultation. They will observe depositions and courtroom proceedings, offering a rare, behind-the-scenes perspective on legal strategy, cross-examination, and the role of psychiatric expertise in judicial decision-making. The rotation also emphasizes skill-building in forensic report writing and courtroom communication, essential tools for delivering clear, credible, and persuasive testimony. With exposure to a diverse caseload spanning violent criminal offenses to complex civil litigation, fellows emerge from this experience exceptionally well-prepared to serve as ethical and effective expert witnesses.

This virtual experience offers forensic psychiatry fellows a focused and in-depth exploration of the assessment and treatment of individuals involved in sex offense cases. Through expert-led instruction, fellows will gain a comprehensive understanding of the psychological, legal and ethical dimensions surrounding this population.

Training includes exposure to evidence-based methods and psychological testing commonly used in these evaluations, as well as an overview of influential intervention models that have shaped contemporary practice. Fellows will also examine specialized risk assessment tools designed to evaluate the likelihood of recidivism and learn how to apply them effectively in clinical and forensic contexts.

In addition to technical skills, the rotation addresses the unique clinical and emotional challenges of working with this population, fostering thoughtful, ethical and trauma-informed approaches to care. This experience allows fellows to engage with leading experts and cutting-edge content while building critical competencies that are increasingly in demand in forensic practice.