THE LIGHTS ARE STILL ON! HOW CHILD PSYCHIATRISTS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS LEVERAGED NETWORKS TO PROMOTE CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH IN 2020

Abstract

Objectives: Child and adolescent psychiatrists and child psychologists (CPs) have a storied history of child mental health promotion (CMHP). The COVID-19 pandemic increased the risks to the mental health of children and adolescents. Concurrently, physical distancing stymied many traditional routes for CMHP, including advocacy and the identification of children at increased risk for mental illness. However, it did not destroy the strong health-promoting networks that child and adolescent psychiatrists and CPs built prior to COVID-19. This presentation will describe how preexisting interdisciplinary networks were leveraged to provide child mental health (CMH) advocacy, education, and outreach during COVID-19. Methods: The presenters will describe the CMHP network that they built prior to COVID-19, the impact of COVID-19 on their health promotion practices, and how they utilized their networks to maintain CMHP. The presentations include: Shirley Alleyne, MB, BS, Finding Purpose in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Partnering of Child Psychiatrists and Educators for Children’s Health and Academic Success;Debra Koss, MD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists as Mental Health Advocates: Every Voice Matters;Elise Fallucco, MD, Shifting Gears: Statewide and National Efforts to Integrate Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic;and Dominique Charlot-Swilley, PhD, and Matthew Biel MD, MSc, Nurturing the Nurturers During COVID-19: Rapid-Response Virtual Support Groups for Parents and Educators of Young Children. Participants will be invited to share their CMHP initiatives. Jeff Bostic, MD, EdD, will then synthesize themes from the presentations, providing guidance on best practices for CMHP maintenance during national crises. Then there will be a Q&A session. Results: Child and adolescent psychiatrists and CPs were uniquely skilled to forecast and address CMH needs during COVID-19. They utilized innovative adaptations to facilitate a rapid shift in their CMHP models. In the process, child and adolescent psychiatrists and CPs have strengthened their interdisciplinary CMH training, parent education, and advocacy skills. Conclusions: COVID-19 presented unique challenges to all medical professionals. Child and adolescent psychiatrists and CPs have risen to COVID-19’s challenge, leveraging prior networks to amplify the voices of children and families and maintain CMHP. Lessons learned during COVID-19 must inform national policy and permanently keep the CMHP “lights ON” during national crises. PSC, ADV, CON