Silver Hill Doctor: From Psych Tech to Psychiatrist

Ryan Flanagan, MD, is proof that Silver Hill Hospital is an exceptional place to start and grow your career.

Dr. Flanagan began at Silver Hill as a psychiatric technician, or psych tech, fresh out of college. The work he did, as well as the expert clinicians he worked with, inspired him to pursue a path to become a psychiatrist. Though the road was long, he earned his medical degree at the Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, and returned to the place where he started his career.

Now, on any given day, Dr. Flanagan might be found leading a therapy group, meeting one-on-one with patients, prescribing medications, or mentoring the next generation of mental health professionals. He is the Director of the Resilience Program at River House, Silver Hill’s residential program for the treatment of emotion dysregulation. The program primarily treats personality and mood disorders.

As an undergraduate at Gettysburg College, Dr. Flanagan was unsure what career path to follow until a required psychology course sparked his interest. That course led to another, Abnormal Psychology, where he learned about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and other serious mental illnesses.

“I loved that class,” he recalls. “It opened up a whole new world for me.”

After graduating, Flanagan’s first real exposure to psychiatry came when he joined Silver Hill Hospital as a psychiatric technician, or psych tech, a role that put him under the nursing umbrella. His duties ranged from checking vital signs and monitoring withdrawal symptoms to conducting one-on-one conversations and observing patients on the Acute Care Unit.

“It was my first experience with patients,” he says. “I had only read about these conditions in books. On the ACU, I got to see patients come in very sick and then improve, sometimes dramatically, because of the treatment decisions made by the doctors and the team.”

Inspired by the psychiatrists who led the care teams, Flanagan began to envision himself in their role. Determined, he took post-baccalaureate classes at NYU to meet medical school requirements, while conducting research on arthritis and orthopedics. His efforts paid off when he was admitted to Georgetown University’s School of Medicine.

From the beginning of med school, Flanagan knew psychiatry was where he belonged. He completed his residency at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, serving as chief resident of inpatient services during his final year.

“I like talking to people and learning their stories,” he explains. “Psychiatry gives me the chance to develop relationships with patients. I can prescribe medications, provide therapy, and really get to know people. That combination is unique in medicine.”

Armed with his medical degree and solid experience in psychiatry, Flanagan hoped to land a position at Silver Hill after his post-graduate requirements. No positions were available at the time, however, and he worked at Danbury Hospital until an opportunity arose at Silver Hill.

Less than a year later, his vision became reality as he accepted a position at Silver Hill in the admissions department and Intensive Outpatient Program. Not long after starting here, Silver Hill leadership approached him about helping to reimagine River House programming. He didn’t hesitate. 

River House had long been known for its expertise in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). With Flanagan’s leadership, and in collaboration with renowned psychiatrists like Peter Fonagy, PhD, FBA, the program expanded to include Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT), which Fonagy co-founded, and Good Psychiatric Management (GPM). Today, the Resilience Program blends multiple approaches to provide comprehensive care for patients with personality disorders.

“This was not the path I thought I’d be on,” Flanagan admits. “Most of my experience was with psychotic illnesses. But my mentor during residency always told me to say yes when opportunities come along, because you don’t know where they’ll lead.”

That openness and flexibility have led him to other leadership opportunities. He is currently serving a four-year term on Connecticut’s Psychiatric Security Review Board,  which oversees individuals found ‘not guilty by reason of insanity.’

More recently, Dr. Flanagan was named chair of the College Student Committee at the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry, an assembly of elite psychiatric leaders dedicated to modernizing the field through their insight and strategic recommendations.

At Silver Hill, Flanagan relishes the variety of his work.

“Every day is different. I see patients, lead therapy, prescribe medications, run groups, manage the program, and teach students,” he said. “It’s not just sitting in an office all day. I’m doing a million things, and it’s really a great place to be.” 

Christy Aherne, Chief People Officer at Silver Hill, says Flanagan’s journey is emblematic of the opportunities available at the hospital.

“He is a perfect example of where hard work can lead. At Silver Hill, if you’re committed, you can go as far as your ambition takes you,” she says. “We’ve built career ladders so employees can grow here.”

Looking back, Flanagan is quick to credit his beginnings as a psych tech with shaping his career. His advice to psych techs who aspire to further their career in clinical psychiatry or psychology is similar to the advice he received so many years ago.

“Say yes. Even if it feels outside your comfort zone, take the opportunity,” he says. “You never know where it might lead and what doors it may open.”