Foundational Concepts: Children & Adolescents Complex Behavioral Needs

Course Summary

This course aims to lay the groundwork for the development and ongoing practice of cultural competency skills by increasing your awareness of the unique developmental stages and the risk factors that correspond with those stages, the most common behavioral health concerns in Colorado children and adolescent populations and the evidence-based first line of treatment options recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Feel more confident when working with children and adolescents across the spectrum of behavioral health needs.
2. Describe the health status of children and adolescents with complex behavioral needs.
3. Identify some structured screening tools for the most common mental health concerns in children and adolescents in Colorado.
4. Describe how social determinants of health and intersecting identities impact the identification and treatment of adolescents with complex behavioral health needs.

Learning Audience

The learners for this training are behavioral health service providers, social workers, counselors, peer support specialists, and other professionals who support individuals with substance use and behavioral health conditions.

Course Duration

• 60 minutes

Content Contributors

• Sarah Michelle Kennedy, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Licensed Clinical Psychologist