Treating Complex Mental Health Issues in Youth

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.

ABMS/ACGME Competencies

This course is designed to meet the following American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) / Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educational (ACGME) competencies:

• Interpersonal and Communication Skills
• Patient Care and Procedural Skills
• Medical Knowledge

IOM Competencies

This course is designed to meet the following Institute of Medicine Core Competencies:

• Provide Patient-Centered Care
• Work in Interdisciplinary Teams
• Employ Evidence-Based Practice

Questions?

Please contact the Continuing Education Programs with any questions by email at ceprograms@hms.harvard.edu.

All agenda sessions are in Eastern Time.

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Nicholas Carson, MD

Division Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Clinical Research Associate, Health Equity Research Lab, Cambridge Health Alliance/Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Artha Gillis, MD, PhD

Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
Board of Advisors Term Chair in Hospital Psychiatry, UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital

John McKenna, PhD

Attending Psychologist, Gender Multispecialty Service, Boston Children's Hospital
Instructor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School

Michelle Munson, LMSW, PhD

Professor, Silver School of Social Work, New York University

Margaret Weiss, MD, PhD

Director of the Neurodevelopmental Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Course Directors

Harvard Medical School Continuing Education attracts the best and brightest faculty from all around the world. As a student in this course, you’ll have access to outstanding course directors and faculty.

Azeesat Babajide, MD, MBA

Medical Director of Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance
Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Sharmila Mehta, PhD

Clinical Director, Inpatient Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Services, Cambridge Health Alliance
Instructor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Karen Kuc, MPH

Director, Continuing Education in Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance​​​
Associate in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

In support of improving patient care, Harvard Medical School is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians

The Harvard Medical School designates this live virtual activity for a maximum of 7.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Psychologists

The Cambridge Health Alliance, Psychiatry Continuing Education Division, is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Cambridge Health Alliance, Psychiatry Continuing Education Division, maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course offers 7.50 continuing education credits.

Social Workers

This program has been approved for a total of 7.50 Social Work Continuing Education hours for re-licensure, in accordance with 258 CMR. NASW-MA Chapter CE Approval Program Authorization Number D92382.

Counselors

The Cambridge Health Alliance, Psychiatry Continuing Education Division, has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5444. This program meets the requirements for 7.50 continuing education hours. CHA is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. This offering is also applicable for Commonwealth of Massachusetts Counseling/Allied Mental Health accreditation for 7.50 credits.

Family Therapists

This activity has been certified by New England Association for Family and Systemic Therapy on behalf of the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions, for LMFT professional continuing education, Certificate #PC-042204, for a total of 7.5 contact hours. The States of CT and RI accept NBCC and NASW approval for marriage and family therapy.

Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners and Registered Nurses

For the purpose of recertification, the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and the American Nurses Credentialing Center accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.

Canadian Accreditation

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.

European Accreditation

The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found here.

Disclosure Policy

In accord with the disclosure policy of the Medical School as well as standards set forth by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), course planners, speakers, and content reviewers have been asked to disclose any relationships they have to companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. In addition, faculty have been asked to list any off-label uses of pharmaceuticals and/or devices for investigational or non-FDA approved purposes that they plan to discuss.

Disclaimer

CME activities accredited by Harvard Medical School are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of certification of competency. Practitioners should always consult additional sources of information and exercise their best professional judgement before making clinical decisions of any kind.

Note: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ is calculated based on submission of a preliminary agenda and may be subject to change.