Increasing Our Commitment to Mental Health

We are pleased to share with you that we will be significantly increasing our commitment and capacity for meeting the mental health needs of our patients and participating nationally in addressing the broader problem of providing diagnosis and treatment of children’s mental health issues.

Back in 2011, Dr. Yellin participated in a mini-fellowship given by the REACH Institute, a national nonprofit led by leaders in child psychiatry, psychology, and pediatrics. The fellowship was intended to equip pediatricians with the knowledge and skill needed to address more of their patient’s mental health needs, consistent with the best evidence-based therapies, to improve the mental health of children and adolescents. The fellowship was delivered in collaboration with CAP-PC NY (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for Primary Care) and had three primary goals:

1. to train pediatricians and other primary care providers to correctly identify and differentiate among pediatric behavioral health problems such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, aggression, mood disorders, and psychosis; 
2. To provide the fellowship participants with training in effectively managing psychopharmacology: selecting medications, initiating and tapering dosages, monitoring improvements, and identifying and minimizing medication side effects; and  
3. To provide the participants with ongoing real-time consultation and mentorship by child psychiatrists at five university-based Departments of Psychiatry at the University at Buffalo; University of Rochester; Columbia University Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute; SUNY Upstate; and Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine. 

After Dr. Yellin completed the mini-fellowship, we were able to expand our capacity here at The Yellin Center for meeting more of our patients' mental health needs, including psychopharmacology. This is an important aspect of the support we provide to families, especially in light of the continuing shortage of pediatric psychiatrists.

Recently, Dr. Yellin applied and was accepted to become a member of the Faculty of the REACH Institute. This weekend he began that journey by participating in the REACH Institute’s two day Train the Trainer Program: Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care. Over the next six months, as Faculty-In-Training, Dr. Yellin will be participating in various activities to complete his training, more fully contribute to this important initiative, and continue to build his clinical expertise to better serve our families.