Addressing Mental Health Concerns in Pediatrics: A Practical Resource Toolkit for Clinicians, 2nd edition
Marian F. Earls, MD, FAAP; Jane Meschan Foy, MD, FAAP; Cori M. Green, MD, MSc, FAAP
All clinicians working with children and adolescents must be prepared to be a first-line advocate when mental health concerns arise.
The tools in this collection align with the current AAP Mental Health Competencies for Pediatric Practice, giving you convenient access to core content, forms, screening and assessment resources, plus videos demonstrating conversation techniques firsthand.
March 2023: Trauma-Informed Care and Resilience Promotion
A new six-unit video-based online course, "Trauma-Informed Care and Resilience Promotion" is now available to AAP members for free. CME/MOC credit is available. To register for the course, visit https://shop.aap.org/trauma-informed-care-and-resilience-promotion/
Quick Links: AAP Policy Statement | Readying the Practice | Practice Workflow and Screening Approaches | Brief Interventions for Use in the Visit | Symptom-based Care | Making Effective Referrals and Linkages | Psychopharmacology Resources | Additional Resources for Families
Editors’ Statements and AAP Policy
• Authors, Editors, Contributors, Staff
• From Your Editors
• American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement: “Mental Health Competencies for Pediatric Practice” (
Readying the Practice
• Core Pediatric Mental Health Competencies
• Pediatric Mental Health Competencies: A Detailed Outline for Use by Pediatric Educators
• Mental Health Practice Readiness Inventory
• Developing a Practice Registry
• Sample Letter to Adolescents on Privacy
• Sample Letter to Parents on Adolescent Privacy
• Mom! Dad! Ask the Doctor About My Emotional Development Too!
Practice Workflow and Screening Approaches
• Mental Health Algorithm
• Mental Health Tools for Pediatrics
• Crosswalk from DC:0-5™ to DSM-5 and ICD-10
• Practice Preparations and Triage for Psychiatric Emergencies
• Pediatric Mental Health: Coding Quick Reference Card 2024
Brief Interventions for Use in the Visit
Specific Interventions With the “Common-Factors” Communication Approach
• Common-Factors Approach: HELP to Build a Better Alliance
• Efficiently Eliciting an Agenda and Settling on a Topic for the Visit
• Determining Timing and Delivery of Advice
• When People Seem Ambivalent About Acting on a Problem, Seem Unaware of a Problem, or Seem to Reject Advice
• When Parents or Children or Teens Believe They Have Been Coerced Into Coming
• Helping People Who Say They Are Stuck or Hopeless or Have Tried Everything
• When Parents and Children Argue During the Visit
• Family Handout: Guidelines for Special Time and Time In
• Video: Professional Neutrality in Family Therapy
• Video: Identifying and Focusing on Strengths
• Video: Emphasizing the Positive While We Are Curbing Undesired Behavior
Symptom-based Care
• Common-Elements Approaches: Brief Interventions for Common Pediatric Primary Care Problems
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Pediatric Mental Health Minute Videos
Suicidality and Trauma
• Tools for Assessing Suicide Risk and Trauma
• Screening for Other Psychiatric Emergencies: Ask and Ask AGAIN!
• Addressing Specific Psychiatric Emergencies: Suicidality
• Addressing Specific Psychiatric Emergencies: Acute Agitation and Acute Psychosis
• Addressing Specific Psychiatric Emergencies: Disaster Exposure
Anxiety and Trauma-Related Distress
• Tools for Assessing Anxiety
• Specific Interventions for Anxiety and Trauma-Related Distress
• Ongoing Care of Children and Adolescents With Anxiety and Trauma-Related Distress
• Family Handout: Managing Anxiety: Tips for Families
• Family Handout: Activities to Help Your Child or Adolescent Manage Anxiety
• Video: Relaxation and Breathing Techniques
Disruptive Behavior and Aggression
• Tools for Assessing Disruptive Behavior and Aggression
• Consider This: Differentiating Symptoms of Disruptive Behavior and Aggression From Normal Behavior and Symptoms of Other Conditions
• Specific Interventions for Disruptive Behavior and Aggression
• Ongoing Care of Children and Adolescents With Disruptive Behaviors and Aggression
• Family Handout: Managing Disruptive or Aggressive Behaviors: Tips for Families
• Video: Positive Attention for Positive Behaviors/Removed Attention for Provocative Behaviors
Emotional or Behavioral Disturbances in Children Younger Than 5 Years
• Tools for Screening and Assessing for Emotional or Behavioral Problems in Children Younger Than 5 Years
• Consider This: Differentiating Symptoms of Extreme Emotional or Behavioral Dysregulation From Normal Behavior and Differential Diagnosis in Children Younger Than 5 Years
• Emotional or Behavioral Disturbance in Children Younger Than 5 Years: When/How to Refer
Depressive Symptoms
• Tools for Screening and Assessing Depressive Symptoms
• Reference Guide: Depressive Symptoms
• Family Handout: Managing Depression or Sadness: Tips for Families
Substance Use
• American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement: “Substance Use Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment” (
• American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Report: “Substance Use Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment” (Pediatrics, July 2016)
• Tools for Screening and Assessing Substance Use
• Substance Use: Differential Diagnosis
• Substance Use and Prevention: Key Resources
Sleep Problems
Gender Expression and Identity
Eating Difficulties and Disorders
Making Effective Referrals and Linkages
• Sources of Key Mental Health Services
• Making Effective Referrals and Linkages for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Substance Use
• HIPAA Privacy Rule and Provider-to-Provider Communication
• “Evidence-Based Child and Adolescent Psychosocial Interventions” (Adapted From PracticeWise)
• Evidence-Based Interventions for Children Younger Than 5 Years
• Early Intervention Program Referral Form
Psychopharmacology Resources
Additional Resources for Families
• Mental Health During COVID-19: Signs Your Child May Need More Support
• Family Handout: Managing Inattention, Impulsivity, and Hyperactivity: Tips for Families
• Advice for Parents Regarding Common Mental Health Concerns
• Ideas for Enhancing a Family’s Mental Health
• Sites for Families of Children With Behavioral Problems
------------------
For more information about this toolkit, or to purchase, please visit shopAAP.org
