Trainings

Clinical Conversations with ACCESS Mental Health

Join our ACCESS Mental Health Hub Team Psychiatrists for a monthly educational discussion on a variety of behavioral health topics for pediatric primary care providers. Monthly meetings will be virtual through Microsoft Teams and will provide a short, structured didactic followed by an open discussion. Bring your questions! 

Interested in presenting a case or need more information, please email Beth Garrigan at elizabeth.garrigan@carelon.com 

First Thursday of Every Month 12:30pm – 1:30pm

We have transitioned our webinars to Microsoft Teams, see individual registration links below! 

  • October 16, 2026: When the Medication “Isn’t Working”: Adolescent Cannabis Use in Pediatric Mental Health Care — Special collaboration with Connecticut Children’s Ask the Experts series | 8:00–9:00 a.m. | Presented by Dr. Allen |registration link coming soon
  • November 5, 2026: Eating Disorders in Primary Care: Toolkit Introduction | 12:30–1:30 p.m. | Presented by Dr. Mariela Podolski and Dr. Richard Miller | register here
  • December 3, 2026: Expanding ACCESS: What’s New and What’s Next | 12:30–1:30 p.m. | Presented by Carelon and ACCESS Hub Teams | register here

Training Series

April 2, 2026: “Pediatric Use of Antipsychotics”

Provider Toolkit: Anxiety Disorders

A guide specifically designed for pediatric and family care physicians (PCPs) and provides actionable information, algorithms, and insights so that providers and practices can successfully address pediatric mental health and substance use conditions within their practice.

  • October 2, 2025: “Practical Resources: A Review of Our ACCESS Mental Health Toolkits with a Focus on Anxiety”
  • January 2, 2025: “ADHD and Anxiety Differentiating and Comorbidity”
  • April 14, 2022: “Anxiety Disorders”
  • December 3, 2020: “Medication Management for Anxiety Disorders”
  • November 5, 2020: “School Anxiety”

Provider Toolkit: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

A guide specifically designed for pediatric and family care physicians (PCPs) and provides actionable information, algorithms, and insights so that providers and practices can successfully address pediatric mental health and substance use conditions within their practice.

  • March 3, 2022: “Understanding and Addressing Cultural Barriers to Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Asian Families”

Provider Toolkit: Depression

A guide specifically designed for pediatric and family care physicians (PCPs) and provides actionable information, algorithms, and insights so that providers and practices can successfully address pediatric mental health and substance use conditions within their practice.

  • November 4, 2025: “From Evidence to Practice: Treating Depression with Ketamine & Esketamine”
  • June 22, 2022: “Assessment and Treatment of Depression in Primary Care”

  • June 2, 2022: “Assessing and Treating Eating Disorders in Diverse Pediatric Settings”

  • October 6, 2022: “Overview of Early Childhood Programs”

  • March 6, 2025: “Understanding Gaming: A Pediatrician’s ‘Call of Duty'”
  • February 1, 2024: “Diagnosis TikTok, When Social Media Impacts Mental Health”
  • March 2, 2023: “Mental Health Impact of Exposure to Online Sexually Explicit Materials”

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a widely used and validated 10-item questionnaire to identify women experiencing depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period and can take less than five minutes to complete. Items of the scale correspond to various clinical depression symptoms, such as guilt feeling, sleep disturbance, low energy, anhedonia, and suicidal ideation.

Need help connecting your patient’s mom to resources – call 833-978-6667 for AMHSU for Moms program. (same model as AMH for Youth, different team!)

  • Mental Health Screening Tools for Pediatrics – AAP
  • GAD-7 Anxiety is a valid and efficient 7-item screening tool for assessing presence and severity of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The self-report questionnaire has good reliability and may also be used to detect panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. 
  • Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is a 9-question instrument given to patients to screen for the presence and severity of depression. The PHQ-9 is widely used because it is quick, easy to administer, and does not require 2-steps to make a diagnosis. The results of the PHQ-9 may be used to make a depression diagnosis and determine severity.
  • Columbia Depression Scale and Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale support suicide risk assessment through a series of simple, plain-language questions that anyone can ask. The answers help users identify whether someone is at risk for suicide, assess the severity and immediacy of that risk, and gauge the level of support that the person needs. If the answer to question number 4, 5, or 6 is YES, get immediate help by calling 988, call 911 or go to the emergency room.
  • Ask Suicide Screening Questions (asQ) – National Institute of Mental Health asQ toolkit
  • A-SBIRT Toolkit, A-SBIRT Form, and CRAFFT screening tools designed to identify substance use, substance-related riding/driving risk, and substance use disorder among youth ages 12-21. It has been implemented as part of universal screening efforts in thousands of busy medical and community health settings, as it yields information that can serve as the basis for early intervention and patient-centered counseling.
  • AIM – Assisted Intervention Matching Tool – online tool to help determine services well-matched to the specific mental health needs of the youth

  • May 5, 2022: “Somatic Symptoms in Children and Youth”

Talk It Out Connecticut : A toll-free phone line for parents and caregivers who need someone to listen, to understand, and to talk their feelings out.

Prevent Suicide CT: 1Word 1Voice 1Life

Talking About Mental Health Isn’t Easy : 1Word 1Voice 1Life Preventing Suicide Video

Youth Suicide: Be the One to Start the Conversation : 1Word 1Voice 1Life Preventing Suicide Video

  • Trevor Project (crisis intervention & suicide prevention for the LGBTQ community): 1-866-488-7386

October 17, 2024: “Introduction to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)”

May 7, 2026: “Childhood Trauma Screening and Intervention: What Pediatricians Need to Know”

November 7, 2024: “Well-Being for Providers”

May 1, 2025: “Leaving the Nest Without Crashing: Transitioning our Patients to College”

Oversight of the ACCESS Mental Health program is provided by the Central Administrative team at Carelon Behavioral Health.  Any questions regarding the statewide program can be directed to: Elizabeth Garrigan, LPC ~  Statewide Program Director, ACCESS Mental Health CT ~  Carelon Behavioral Health ~  500 Enterprise Drive, Suite 3D ~  Rocky Hill, CT 06067 ~  860-263-2095 ~  elizabeth.garrigan@carelon.com