Integrated Early Childhood Behavioral Health in Primary Care

This book provides a step-by-step guide to integrating early childhood behavioral health care into primary care with hands-on advice for creating, implementing, and evaluating programs. It discusses the unique advantages of pediatric primary care as a setting for mental health services from birth into the early school years, particularly for addressing parent/child stress and trauma issues. Contributors illustrate in depth how bringing behavioral health into pediatric services can engender care that is replicable and sustainable, not only cost-effective but also clinically effective. Guidelines and case examples from frontline practitioners highlight typical challenges and workable recommendations.Among the featured topics:• The fit between early intervention programs and primary care.• Staffing, workforce development, and funding issues.• On-the-job teamwork concerns, from time constraints to continuity of care.• Culturally competent care geared toward key child care issues.• Intervening with parents of young children in the integrated pediatric setting.Integrated Early Childhood Behavioral Health in Primary Care is an essential resource for clinicians/practitioners, graduate students, and researchers in child and school psychology, pediatrics, and social work.

Rahil D. Briggs, Psy.D., is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Director of Healthy Steps at Montefiore, and the Director of Pediatric Behavioral Health Services at Montefiore Medical Group. Dr. Briggs joined Einstein and Montefiore in 2005 as the Director and Founder of Healthy Steps at Montefiore. She was appointed Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in 2008 and expanded the Healthy Steps program to multiple sites within Montefiore Medical Group in 2009 and 2013. She was named the Director of Pediatric Behavioral Health Services at Montefiore in 2013 to spearhead the formation of one of the most comprehensive integrated pediatric behavioral health system in the nation. Her work concentrates on co-location of mental health specialists within primary care pediatrics, with a focus on prevention, early childhood mental health and development, and parent-child relationships. Dr. Briggs completed her undergraduate work at Duke University (magna cum laude) and her doctoral work at New York University.