Child and Adolescent Mental Health Intervention Specialist
One in four or 15 million children and adolescents in the United States have a mental or behavioral health problem that interferes with how they function at home or school. According to the American Psychological Association, only 20 to 25 percent of these children receive any treatment for these disorders. Primary care providers, such as nurse practitioners and pediatricians, are in a unique position to identify and manage common behavioral and mental health problems among children and adolescents as approximately 75 percent of children with mental health disorders are seen in primary care settings. However, primary care providers typically report inadequate knowledge of screening and early intervention practices for these problems.
To help address this growing public health problem, the College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation at Arizona State University (ASU) is pleased to announce the nation’s first Child & Adolescent Mental Health Early Intervention Specialist Graduate Certificate Program. This innovative 15-credit program is designed specifically for pediatric and family nurse practitioners, as well as physicians and other interdisciplinary healthcare providers who desire to enhance their knowledge and skills in the assessment and management of common mental and behavioral health problems in children and adolescents. For information on the Scope of Practice of the Early Intervention Specialist in Primary Care as compared to a Child Psych NP, please see the Comparison Chart (MS Word or Adobe PDF)
The new certificate will be predominantly an online distance education program with two 2-day visits to the ASU Downtown Phoenix Campus for orientation and intensive learning. Nine credit hours of this certificate program can be transferred into the College’s on-line post-master’s child/family psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program for those students desiring more depth in assessing and treating child and adolescent mental health problems as a child/family psychiatric nurse practitioner.
Applicants must either have a Master of Science in Nursing and work as a pediatric/family nurse practitioner or pediatric clinical nurse specialist, or be a health-related professional (e.g., physician, social worker, physician assistant) with experience in child and adolescent behavioral and mental health. Current healthcare licensure in the applicant’s state of residence is needed to complete clinical requirements for the certificate.
The ASU College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation has been consistently ranked among the best in the nation according to the US News & World Report Rankings of America’s Best Graduate Nursing Schools. Co-Directors of the new certificate program are Dean Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, CPNP/NPP, FAAN and Ann Guthery, MS, RN, PsyMHNP, both of whom are child and adolescent psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners.
For more information and application contact:
Sue Callahan
Program Coordinator
Child & Adolescent Mental Health NP & Certificate Programs
Phone: (602) 496-0869
E-mail: Susan.Callahan@asu.edu
Pam Kulikowski, Academic Advisor
ASU College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation
500 N. 3rd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004-0698
Pamela.Kulikowski@asu.edu
(602) 496-0937
