British Psychological Society publishes handbook on pediatric mental health

A handbook outlining potential causes behind pediatric mental health issues was recently launched at the annual conference of the British Psychological Society Faculty for Children, Young People and their Families.

The handbook, titled What Good Looks Like in Psychological Services for Children, Young People and their Families, provides guidance on the provision of quality psychological services and the role of mental health practitioners in the delivery of quality care. It aims to enhance the understanding of:

proper childhood development and potential causes of psychological difficulties;
how psychological services can support positive development of children and adolescents by increasing psychological knowledge within primary care, and pediatric and adolescent services and education;
how to effectively intervene to avoid long-term problems by increasing access to quality care; and
how psychological services can help children with serious and complex problems that require various mental health specialists’ care.

Mental health services can be transformed by developing models of care based on psychological evidence, according to the handbook.

“Children’s mental health is in crisis and, if acted upon, this review has the potential to transform services to prevent long-term problems and offer the effective help that young people and families want and deserve,” Julia Faulconbridge, PhD, chair of the British Psychological Society’s Faculty for Children, Young People and their Families, said in a press release. “It has been a privilege to work with so many experts and young people on this review.”

For more information:

For a copy of What Good Looks Like in Psychological Services for Children, Young People and their Families, visit http://www.springer.com/psychology.