Center of Excellence

for children in state custody

Who We Are

The State of Tennessee has designated The University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine's Department of Family Medicine as a Center of Excellence to serve children who are at-risk for or in state custody. The University of Tennessee Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody's services extend to 16 East Tennessee counties.

Who We Serve

The University of Tennessee Center of Excellence serves the following TN counties: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier, and Union.

What We Do

 The COE provides consultation for children with complex medical, behavioral, psychological, and psychiatric problems. Services include: case triage (brief phone consult), monthly case review (on-site, brief records review with recommendations), comprehensive consultation (full records review, meeting with key players in the case, report and recommendations), psychological or psychiatric evaluations, limited medication management, and medication gap filling.

Make a Referral

Referral for a Case Review

The following information is needed for all COE referrals:

  • Social history or non-custodial assessment

  • All previous psychological/all psychiatric intakes and progress notes/intake summaries

  • Last three progress notes from current therapist and treating psychiatrist

  • Hospitalizations: intake summaries and discharge summaries

  • Specialized Evaluations: psychosexual/neurological screenings and reports

  • All previous medical assessments: EPSD&T and all medical records

  • Permanency plan/current notice of staffing/IPP

  • Insurance card and release of information

  • Placement history with dates (include all foster home placements)

  • School records/academic testing and IQ testing/behavior records

Referral for Therapy Assistance

Therapy Request are to be submitted for assistance in identifying a community provider for specific evidence based therapy model ( PCIT, CPP, TF-CBT, ARC).

Statewide Lunch 'n Learn

The Centers of Excellence are committed to promoting best practices and providing no cost educational seminars to community providers who serve at-risk children and families.

All sessions are held via Zoom the second Friday of every month from 12:00pm-1:30pm ET/ 11:00am-12:30pm CT.  Once registered you will be sent an email with a link to the sign in page that you will use on the day of the training to login. A certificate of completion will be offered after a short survey following the presentation.

November 8, 2024

Autism and Sleep: From A to Zzzz’s

Dr. Paige McArdle

January 10, 2025

Attachment, Regulation, and Self-Competency: A intro to ARC

Dr. Jon Ebert

View Past Lunch ‘n Learn Sessions

December 13, 2024

Complex Trauma and LGBTQ+

Dr. Liz Paiml

Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship

The UTGSM fellowship program provides advanced training in trauma-informed care and the child welfare system. Fellows conduct clinical case reviews, assessment, psychological testing, and care coordination with child welfare staff; provide education and consultation to trainees and other community providers; assist with coordinating statewide projects aimed at dissemination and implementation of best practices; and provide intake assessment and evidence-based treatment.

For more information about the postdoctoral fellowship program, please see our brochure. Questions may be emailed to Dr. Kristin Dean at mailto: kdean@utmck.edu.

Staff

Kristin Dean, PhD, ABPP
Director, Clinical Psychologist
Associate Professor

Andrew Burkley, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
Assistant Professor

Caleb Corwin, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
Assistant Professor

Jeffry Jacobs, MD
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

Christina Beaton, PsyD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Caroline Gosselin, LMSW Clinical Case Manager

Karen Gray, BA
Administrative Specialist

COE Locations