Clinical Round Tables
Primary Care / Integrated Care
Abigail Zisk, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Psychology Fellow
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York
Eliana Butler, M.A.
Psychology Intern
Geisinger Health Systems
Danville, Pennsylvania
Corinne Catarozoli, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychology in Clinical Psychiatry
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York
Alexandra Huttle, M.D.
Pediatric Chief Resident
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York
Stephanie N. Rohrig, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology in Clinical Psychiatry
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York
Becky H. Lois, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor
Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone
New York, New York
Christina Moore, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Psychology Fellow
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon, New Hampshire
This clinical round table aims to demonstrate the application and utility of cognitive and behavioral strategies to support providers in pediatric medical settings in responding to the mental health crisis secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial research shows dramatic increases in youth anxiety, depression, sleep problems, suicidality, and externalizing behaviors during the pandemic. These risks are particularly pronounced in traditionally underserved communities. Pre-pandemic efforts have shown the value of integrating mental health services in medical settings to increase access to psychological screening and intervention. Now, physicians are being confronted with more mental health concerns during medical appointments than ever before. Further, increased demand has saturated mental health programs with referrals and long waitlists, placing physicians on the front lines of the pandemic’s mental health crisis. Supporting these providers is imperative in order to best serve these youth in need.
The panelists represent a range of providers from urban and rural pediatric medical settings who have implemented innovative approaches to target challenges currently facing medical providers, namely assessing for and managing suicidality, depression, and other emotional and behavioral health concerns during medical visits as well as supporting medical providers’ own mental health. Several programs will be discussed, including a Zero Suicide initiative using standardized patients to train pediatric residents in suicide risk assessment and safety planning, a partnership with the American Board of Pediatrics to build provider competencies in addressing emotional and behavioral health needs of patients in medical subspecialty settings, adaptation of the Collaborative Care Model to provide mental health services in rural pediatric primary cares, and implementation of wellness sessions for pediatric physicians using CBT strategies to manage their own burnout related to behavioral health demands. Implications for increasing access to mental health services and supporting medical providers’ competency and self-efficacy in addressing mental health concerns will be discussed.