Mental Health Resources

Mental HealthWelcome

Developmental and behavioral problems can be subtle and difficult to assess in children. They often emerge in the context of family life, and frequently go unrecognized or untreated during health encounters. An estimated 70% of children with significant developmental and behavioral problems are not identified before school entry.

Parenthood, like childhood, is a developmental process. Each well-child visit presents opportunities for providers to help educate parents about their child’s development and to support effective parenting skills through anticipatory guidance.

The HealthCheck Training & Resource Center addresses mental health in several ways:

  • With a secreening service and assessment component of the health supervision section of HealthCheck visits
  • With a module on developmental and behavioral mental health that addresses:
    • Ages and stages of development
    • Surveillance
    • Screening tools
    • Developmental checklists
    • The Bright Futures approach
    • Office practices
  • With modules on Autism, Early Intervention, and Substance Use and Abuse

LOG-IN to access mental health training and resources

Local Resources

  • Read the new Department of Health Care Finance transmittal – Pediatric Mental Health and Maternal Depression Screening Coverage and Tools (appoved 05/13/19). This transmittal discusses behavioral health in primary care as well as referral and provider resources.
  • The Early Childhood Innovation Network (ECIN) is a local collaborative of health and education providers, community-based organizations, researchers, and advocates promoting resilience in families and children from pregnancy through age 5 in Washington, DC.
  • DC MAP (Mental health Access in Pediatrics) is a program aimed at improving mental health integration within pediatric primary care by offering consultation and training to your practice to help you manage the mental health concerns of your patients and their families. The website offers links to consultation, referrals, education, and medication reviews.
  • DC-Approved Child Mental Health Screening Tools (summer 2017; pdf). DC Medicaid Managed Care Organizations are required to ensure annual mental health screenings by the beneficiaries' Primary Care Provider, using an approved screening tool.
  • The DC-MD-VA (DMV) Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) Resource Guide. A result of an ongoing collaboration between the DMV PMH Resource Guide Team and the community-based network of Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) Professionals and Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) Survivors throughout DC, MD, and VA. This directory will assist healthcare providers, patients, and their families with obtaining specialized mental health evaluation and treatment during pregnancy and postpartum.

Local Resources from the DC Collaborative for Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care