ABSTRACT
Child and adolescent mental health problems are a major public health concern, causing significant impairment to patients across the lifespan. Integrated behavioral health care is a promising approach for better serving these patients, particularly those from vulnerable and medically underserved groups, such as low-income, racial and ethnic minority youth. However, there is a shortage of professionals to help deliver such services. The VCU Primary Care Psychology Training Collaborative (PCPTC) is likely the largest training program of its type in the country, having trained more than 90 doctoral students in the provision of integrated care services since 2010. This chapter describes the PCPTC Pediatric Behavioral Health Team and the services it provides in a primary care setting to low-income, urban youth with mental health concerns. Such services include screening, warm handoffs, and short-term therapy. The PCPTC research products thus far are also presented, and the chapter concludes with a case illustration. Pediatric behavioral health teams have the capacity to change the face of mental health care and help to eliminate the significant mental health service utilization disparities that exist for low-income and racial and ethnic minority youth.
