Pediatric Mental Health Care Education

Improving Mental Health Outcomes for Children in Illinois

As a pediatric health care provider, you may have found yourselves on the frontlines of addressing mental health, conducting screenings and interventions to better support your patients. As needs grow, we want to ensure you have the information and resources to effectively address pediatric mental health in the primary health care setting.

Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Partnership

The Pediatric Mental Health Care Access (PMHCA) project seeks to help pediatricians and other pediatric clinical providers improve mental health treatment and care for patients in a primary care setting. In partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), Illinois DocAssist, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), ICAAP has developed a new continuing education webinar series structured on a continuum of mental health.

Earn Free CME and Build Valuable Skills

Building Capacity to Manage Mental Health in Primary Care Settings

In the fall of 2024, ICAAP hosted a series of four webinars addressing pediatric mental health in the primary health care setting. These sessions were a part of ICAAP’s deliverables for the Pediatric Mental Health Care Assess (PMHCA) project. PMHCA is funded by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has distributed awards to ICAAP, the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), and Illinois DocAssist in Illinois.

The series is tailored for the IL primary health care providers and includes IL-specific resources, public health context, and cultural context. Key topics include:

Common medical frameworks
Myths and biases around mental health
The role of trauma and adversity in mental health conditions
Consultation models
Types of disorders and corresponding symptoms
Screening and diagnosis guidance
Addressing multiple conditions
Managing a mental health crisis in real-time
Treatment and care

Webinars Proven to Build Physician Confidence

Each session included a pre-test and a post-test. The data gathered through these assessments showed an increase in knowledge and confidence of the material covered during each of the sessions. The significance value for each question was p< 0.05!

Foundations of PEdiatric Mental Health Care

Management of Pediatric Mental Health Conditions

Diagnosis of Common Pediatric Mental Health Conditions

View All Confidence Data

Start Building Your Mental Health Care Capacity Today

Building Capacity - Improving Pediatric Mental Health Screening, Treatment, and Care in the Primary Care Setting is composed of four unique webinars which address the most common knowledge gaps IL pediatricians self-identified, including:

Webinar 1
Foundations of Pediatric Mental Health Care

Presenter/Faculty: Jennifer Thomas, MD and Mary Dobbins, MD, FAAP

At the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

Describe common medical frameworks in pediatric mental health and behavioral health.
Identify myths, stereotypes, and biases regarding mental health and mental illness.
Explain how adversity and toxic stress play into pediatric development and play out in clinical settings.
Discuss models of consultation, collaboration, and referral for mental health care.

Webinar 1 Recording Webinar 1 Slides

Corresponding Webinar Resources

SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions – collaboration and program integration guidance.

Improving Population Health by Advancing Effective Integrated Care – resources and implementation support for integrated care from the University of Washington.

The Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) Model: An Overview and Operational Definition – more information on the Primary Care Behavioral Health Model.

Behavioral Health Services in Primary Care – additional information on the role of behavior health services in integrated care from Center for Psychology and Health.

Webinar 2
Diagnosis of Common Pediatric Mental Health Conditions

Presenter/Faculty: Nidhi Kukreja, MD, FAAP

At the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

Summarize intrinsic vs experiential disorders.
Discuss the role of development and adaptability in the etiology of mood and behavior problems.
Recognize common presentations of pediatric mental health issues.
Give examples of the different pediatric mental health screening tools and when to use them.
Describe how to diagnose multiple, co-occurring mental health conditions.

Webinar 2 Recording Webinar 2 Slides

Corresponding Webinar Resources

The Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire – a brief behavioral screening questionnaire including versions for completion by parents, teachers, or self-completion by adolescent patients.

Pediatric Symptom Checklist (massgeneral.org) – a brief screening questionnaire that can be used to recognize psychosocial problems and improve treatment in children.

Mental Health Screening Tools – free, anonymous, clinically validated screening questionnaires to share with patients.

Scared Child Screening – Screening for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) Child Version by AACAP.

SCARED Child Screening for Parents – Screening for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED) Parent Version by AACAP.

The Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale – the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (Child and Parent Versions), the Preschool Anxiety Scale, Brief Emotional Distress Scale for Youth (BEDSY), and the Child and Adolescent Social and Adaptive Functioning Scale (CASAFS) in downloadable form, with additional supporting resources.

The Child PTSD Symptom Scale for DSM-V – The CPSS-SR-5 is a modified version of Child PTSD Symptom Scale self-report (CPSS-SR) for DSM-5.

Child Trauma Screen – The CTS can be used to identify children who may be suffering from trauma exposure and need more comprehensive assessment or treatment.

Traumatic Experiences - Sesame Workshop – Sesame Street-themed resources to share with children and families about traumatic experiences.

Screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma – resources for ACEs and trauma screening.

Trauma-Informed Care Resources – AAP guidance on providing trauma-informed care.

Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care (GLAD-PC): Part I. – AAP Statement of Endorsement.

The Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS) – a screening tool to assess the severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms in children and adolescents based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria.

NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Scales – assessment scales for diagnosing ADHD.

Preschool Attention Rating Scale – assessment scales for preschool-aged children.

PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE (PHQ-9) – Quick Depression Assessment screening for patients.

Webinar 3
Management of Pediatric Mental Health Conditions

Presenter/Faculty: Anna Volerman Beaser, MD, FAAP

At the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

Apply steps for assessing and managing the safety of a child experiencing a mental health crisis.
List ways to connect under-resourced populations to therapy.
Recognize the importance of the therapeutic relationship in primary care and specialty settings.
List medications used for the management of common mental health conditions.

Webinar 3 Recording Webinar 3 Slides

Corresponding Webinar Resources

AAP Mental Health Practice Tools and Resources – resources to help promote healthy mental development and address concerns of your patients.

ASQ Toolkit – suicide screening questions and resources for pediatric providers.

Services Provider Identification and Exploration Resource (SPIDER) – interactive, searchable provider and resource map.

IDHS Office Locator - Community Mental Health Centers – search for a DHS Office or Service Provider by county or zip code.

Depression: Parents Medication Guide – a guide to help parents make informed decisions about getting the best care for a child or adolescent with depression.

Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care – a toolkit that aims to assist primary care providers in putting the GLAD-PC recommendations into practice.

Frontiers | Physical Activity for the Treatment of Adolescent Depression – a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Indications for Referral:

Current agitation, suicidal or homicidal behavior, history of suicide attempt, or inability of the family to monitor the safety of the child or adolescent. (See “Suicidal ideation and behavior in children and adolescents: Prevention and treatment”.)

Psychotic features (e.g., delusions or hallucinations). (See “Unipolar major depression with psychotic features: Epidemiology, clinical features, assessment, and diagnosis” and “Unipolar major depression with psychotic features: Acute treatment”.)

Bipolar depression. (See “Pediatric bipolar disorder: Clinical manifestations and course of illness” and “Pediatric bipolar disorder: Assessment and diagnosis”.)

Webinar 4
Management of Complex Mental Health Presentations in Pediatrics

Presenter/Faculty: Frank Belmonte, DO, MPH, FAAP and James Mackenzie, DO

At the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

List practical approaches to safely responding to a pediatric mental health crisis.
Distinguish the use of urgent vs emergent evaluations.
Implement de-escalation techniques when a child or adolescent is experiencing a mental health crisis.
Understand how to communicate with families/caregivers during and after a mental health crisis.

Webinar 4 Recording Webinar 4 Slides

Corresponding Webinar Resources