Treating Complex Mental Health Issues in Youth

2024 Course Overview

Information for the 2025 course is not yet available.

In an increasingly hectic world, young people are encountering common yet complex mental health issues as they navigate their early years, and are unprepared to effectively deal with them. Issues related to gender identity, trauma, neurodiversity, and suicidality are now more openly discussed among youth and also more frequently grappled with at a younger age. Many clinicians are similarly unprepared for or unaware of these issues in the lives of their patients, so they are often not addressed until a child's mental health is significantly affected or rises to a crisis level.

Join us for a new 5-week series that will discuss how clinicians can spot warning signs in their patients and take effective preventive action. Faculty will provide clear and practical steps to advance your practice in these areas. Gain confidence and skills to identify early markers of common complex mental health issues; intervene early to prevent progression into more urgent scenarios; and keep youth engaged in mental health care as they transition to young adulthood. All general practitioners and specialists who treat youth are welcome. 

Who Should Attend

• Specialty Physicians
• Psychologists
• Physician Assistants
• Nurses
• Nurse Practitioners
• Primary Care Physicians
• Social Workers
• Counselors
• Marriage/Family Therapists
• Other 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Review the epidemiology and key features of complex mental health issues that commonly arise in youth, including neurodevelopmental challenges, gender identity, aging into late adolescence/young adulthood, trauma, involvement in the justice system, and suicidality.
• Identify methods to effectively assess young patients for early markers of these issues during routine clinical visits.
• Utilize strategies to address and prevent progression of the issues at an earlier stage of their development.
• Identify related resources that patients and the care team can access.
• Discuss how members of the care team can better communicate and coordinate their efforts in these areas.