Pediatric Mental Health Training for Residency Programs
Resident Education in Anxiety, Depression and Suicidality (READS) gives residency faculty the skills, confidence, and turnkey tools to teach evidence-based assessment and treatment of anxiety, depression, and suicidality to their residents.
Join the Notification ListWHO IT’S FOR
Designed for the Faculty Shaping Residency Mental Health Training
READS is built for pediatric residency core faculty, child and adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, and any clinician responsible for resident mental health education. If you shape how the next generation of clinicians learns to care for children’s mental health, READS is for you.
Most pediatric residents graduate without adequate training in mental health. READS changes that by equipping residency faculty with the skills, confidence, and ready-to-use teaching materials to deliver high-quality mental health education to their residents.
This faculty development program focuses on evidence-based assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of anxiety, depression, and suicidality in children and adolescents. Faculty leave not just better trained themselves, but prepared to teach.
The program includes three components:
10 hours of live, expert-led training
delivered virtually across two focused half-day sessions.
A complete, turnkey teaching
toolkit
everything faculty need to begin teaching immediately, including:
- PowerPoint slides for use with residents
- Video recordings of READS training sessions
- Public domain rating scales for anxiety, depression, and suicide risk
- Handouts for residents — diagnosis, treatment, and clinical algorithms
- Dosing guides and medication cards
- Handouts for families and caregivers
Four follow-up implementation sessions
live group calls after the training to help faculty:
- Support implementation with their residents
- Troubleshoot teaching challenges
- Deepen clinical knowledge
- Prepare to confidently answer resident questions
Course dates
Join the notification list to be alerted as soon as new dates are available.
Join the Notification ListHear from READS participants
Hear from the educators who have completed READS and brought transformative mental health training into their residency programs.
“Bringing together a group of motivated academic pediatricians to discuss the importance of teaching behavioral health to residents is such a gift from REACH. We need to tackle this issue as a team and share resources and strategies.”
— Catherine Kent, MD
Pediatrician, Portland, OR
Having the ongoing training and being able to talk to your peers AND have some support from instructors really did help with confidence building. You always question yourself and whether you’re doing the right thing… but when you see improvement, especially working with families and children, it reaffirms that you’re on the right track.
Kristin Mason, LCMHC, MSW, ESMHL
Vermont
Participants earn up to 13.75 CME credits
CME Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and The REACH Institute are jointly accredited by the ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
AMA Credit Designation
This live activity is designated for a maximum of 13.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim credit commensurate with their participation.
READS Questions Answered
Everything residency faculty and program directors need to know
about READS — how it works, who it’s for, and how to get started.
The Parent Empowerment Program (PEP) is a REACH training designed for family peer advocates — parents and caregivers of children with mental health challenges who support other families in similar situations. PEP equips participants with clinical knowledge, advocacy skills, and practical tools to help families get the care their children need and deserve.
PEP is for parents and caregivers of children with mental health conditions who work in a peer advocate role — supporting other families navigating diagnosis, treatment, and systems like healthcare and schools. PEP is typically organized by healthcare systems, school districts, or community organizations that want to strengthen family advocacy in their community.
PEP covers the critical knowledge and skills peer advocates need — including problem-identification and priority-setting, engagement, listening and boundary-setting, group management, mental health evaluation, diagnosis and treatment, the mental healthcare system, and school systems and special education options. Participants also receive a comprehensive family empowerment manual and ready-to-use materials.
PEP consists of two components: a five-day interactive seminar, followed by 12 follow-up consultation calls held twice a week over six months. The full program is designed to build knowledge during the seminar and reinforce implementation through sustained consultation support over time.
PEP is delivered to groups of 15 or more and is organized through REACH’s group training infrastructure. Healthcare systems, school systems, and community organizations can schedule and host a PEP training for their community. Contact REACH’s group training team to discuss scheduling and delivery format.
Yes. REACH offers specialized PEP programs tailored for child welfare and juvenile justice settings — designed to help parents and staff work together to address the mental health needs of children involved in those systems. Specialized tracks are available as part of group training arrangements and can be customized to your organization’s needs.
All PEP participants receive a high-quality family empowerment manual and supporting materials — practical, ready-to-use resources that help peer advocates apply their learning and support other families with confidence.
Visit REACH’s Group Training page to learn more about scheduling a PEP for your group. PEP is available for groups of 15 or more and can be organized by healthcare systems, schools, and community organizations. Our team will work with you to find the right format and timeline.
Yes. Join the PEP waitlist to be notified when new training dates or group opportunities become available. You can sign up directly on this page.
Still Have Questions?
Our team is ready to help you find the right training solution for your organization and those you serve.
CONTACT USAdditional Resources
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Mental Health in Primary Care: “It’s not a big, scary topic.”
Finnian Steele, D.O., a pediatrician based in Fresno, California, brings a unique perspective to patient care. A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and a Navy veteran, Dr. Steele has a special focus on serving gender-diverse youth and addressing mental health concerns. When they encountered The REACH Institute’s Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care (PPP) program,
“I don’t know how anyone could go through practice without it.” Meet PPP Program Alum, Jean Braden, NP
Jean Braden, a nurse practitioner based in Montana, has been providing dedicated care to children and families since 1987. In recent years, Jean has noted a significant rise in adolescent mental health concerns and often felt overwhelmed by the volume and intensity of those concerns. “For example, I had a patient whose family was really
Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care: One Physician’s Transformative CME Experience
A family physician based in Missouri, Dr. Barbara Miller is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and has been caring for patients of all ages for over two decades. With a background in rural family medicine, Dr. Miller is very familiar with working in spaces with limited access to specialists. “And
The Riveter Newsletter Article (Post)
Newsletter Article from: The Riveter Tuesday, October 24 It’s almost Halloween! Do you have your costume ready? Today, we’ll share the story of another amazing AARP Purpose Prize winner: Dr. Peter Jensen, the founder of the REACH Institute. Every parent out there will want to read about his incredible work. This message is sponsored by
IEP and 504 school accommodations for mental health needs
Children with mental health diagnoses may need special accommodations in order to succeed in school. Patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism come immediately to mind. However, children with depression and anxiety disorders may also struggle in the classroom. Pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) and therapists can help families get the school accommodations their children need. Mark Wolraich, MD, REACH faculty member and retired professor of pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, emphasizes that children are best served when professionals take a team approach to mental health care.
ADHD medication “holidays”?
As summer rolls around, families may ask whether their children can have a “holiday” from their psychoactive medication, especially for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We asked Lawrence Amsel, MD, MPH, a REACH faculty member and associate professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, to lay out the pros and cons.
Overcoming anxiety about the news
In the wake of the Texas school shooting tragedy, your young patients–and their families–may be experiencing anxiety that can affect normal functioning. That anxiety can manifest in many ways, from reluctance to go to school to increased aggressive tendencies. In fact, pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) have been observing the effects of news consumption on their young patients for years now. The spike in anxiety at the beginning of the Covid pandemic is another example. Families may be experiencing trauma as they watch scenes of devastation and displacement in Ukraine. Every act of terrorism or mass violence inspires more fear. The examples go on. As your families’ trusted PCP, you can influence how patients and families deal with anxiety over recent events and the continuous barrage of bad news that characterizes today’s media culture.
Screening for trauma in pediatric primary care
Asked the top three things a pediatric primary care provider (PCP) needs to know about child trauma, Brooks Keeshin, MD, said, “Trauma happens. That’s numbers 1, 2, and 3.” In fact, up to 80% of children experience trauma by the time they are 18. A large body of evidence indicates that childhood trauma affects physical and mental health, both short term and long term. Dr. Keeshin, a child abuse pediatrician and child psychiatrist, is developing a new REACH Institute course to teach PCPs to assess and treat child trauma. “Trauma reactions can look like other mental health conditions,” said Dr. Keeshin. “Traumatic stress can present with symptoms of ADHD, depression, or anxiety. If the pediatrician knows a child has been exposed to trauma, that changes what they do. But first they need to know.”
Assessment & treatment of eating disorders in adolescents
Eating disorders are life-threatening mental health conditions—and they are not limited to affluent white girls! Eating disorders affect people of lower socioeconomic status, members of non-white ethnic groups, preteen children, and boys. LGBTQIA young people are at particular risk. DSM-5 defines four main categories of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, along with several atypical disorders.
Child abuse and neglect
In a study sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10.8% of adults reported having been physically abused as children, and 11.1% reported psychological abuse. Infants and young children are at greater risk than older children; neglect is more commonly reported than physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, according to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. As a pediatric primary care provider (PCP), you play a vital role in detecting and preventing child abuse and neglect.
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