Mission and Goals

The purpose of the Integrated Primary Care Special Interest Group (SIG) will be to create a network of professionals to highlight the work and growing nature of pediatric psychologists caring for children in pediatric primary care and integrated health care settings. The Affordable Care Act and the American Psychological Association (APA) have emphasized the need to integrate psychologists within the primary care system to increase patient access to quality mental health services. Surveys of primary care physicians' needs have repeatedly demonstrated requests for additional behavioral health resources to be included into their practices (AAP Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health and Task Force on Mental Health, 2009).

The Integrated Primary Care SIG will work with the current SPP Task Force on Integrated Care and serve to create a network of professionals to assist in refining competency standards; training models; approaches to service delivery; application of screening, assessment, and intervention strategies; and identification of funding sources to continue training and service efforts. In addition, the SIG will strive to provide a forum for psychologists working in integrated primary care to develop, refine and disseminate assessment and intervention strategies unique to this environment. The focus of the SIG will take a systemic perspective (including family and broader healthcare systems) and will address the following topics:

1. Educate SPP members-at-large about health care reform and the changing landscape for practice and funding of services.
2. Develop effective mechanisms to define competencies for psychologists in pediatric primary/integrated care settings.
3. Explore how pediatric psychologists in particular bring unique skills to integrated care and primary care settings (i.e., screening, triage, consultation, intervention, inter-professional training), and how their role in primary care maps to the roles of pediatric psychologists in other health care delivery systems (e.g., tertiary care).
4. Encourage research efforts and submission of manuscripts so as to contribute to the emerging evidence base for services.
5. Provide opportunities for advocacy efforts on behalf of (pediatric) psychologists at the state and national levels (e.g., GPE), working with APA's Education Directorate GRO, FEDAC and other relevant grass roots efforts.
6. Collaborate with the SPP Task Force on Integrated Care, as well as other APA divisions and governance groups.
7. Strengthen liaison relationships with other national organizations related to children's health care to align and partner for advocacy efforts.

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Leadership

Co-chairs: