Early Childhood Mental Health Support Now Available For Pediatricians

New Service to Provide Early Childhood Mental Health Support 
to Primary Care Clinicians

Yael Dvir, M.D. 

Pediatric primary care clinicians will now have more support for early childhood behavioral health conditions thanks to a new program between the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (Mass DPH). 

The new service provides quick access via the phone for pediatric primary care and integrated behavioral health clinicians to MCPAP for Early Childhood Mental Health (MCPAP-EC) consultants.  Consultations are with a behavioral health clinician, trained in early childhood diagnosis and management, who are able to meet with the child and family to develop a treatment plan.  The support provides information and diagnostic tools on developmental, emotional, and social issues for children between the ages of 1-5.  Early childhood trained psychiatrists are also available.  In addition, MCPAP-EC runs training programs specific for early childhood.

“Rolling out MCPAP Early Childhood consultations in the Central-Western region of Massachusetts has been a game changer with regards to the quality of care our MCPAP team is able to offer to clinicians and families. Therefore, we are so thrilled that we have been able to expand this service to the rest of the state,” said Yael Dvir, M.D., Vice Chair and Director of the UMass Chan Medical School Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division.  

The program was developed from a pilot program which started at UMASS – MCPAP site, directed by Dr. Dvir along with M. Carolina Clark, LICSW, and Kara Lindquist M.D., all members of UMass Chan Medical School’s Psychiatry Department.  The goal was to address the treatment gap in early childhood mental health (ECMH) between the time when early intervention services are no longer available and a child’s kindergarten enrollment. 

The team knew there is a lack of knowledge and comfort in identifying and treating early childhood behavioral (BH) health issues.  The service helps clinicians address behavioral health conditions, such as attachment issues, internalizing and externalizing disorders, and trauma, among other topics included in the pediatric primary care early childhood mental health concerns ECHO course. 

During the time the pilot program was being conducted in Central and Western Massachusetts, the number of MCPAP consultations for children under 6 increased by 30%. In addition, 107 clinicians were trained through ECHO and additional webinars.

The program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Pediatric Mental Health Child Access Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award in which 20% came from non-governmental entities.

For more information, please contact mcpap@carelon.com