Handbook of Pediatric Psychological Screening and Assessment in Primary Care

Dr. Mark E. Maruish is the president of Southcross Consulting, which offers consultation to test publishers, health care research organizations, and others regarding psychological assessment products, publications, and strategies. He has published twelve books as well as numerous book chapters and scientific papers on psychological testing and assessment. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Assessment Psychology.

• I: GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 1: Introduction 2: An Overview of Pediatric Primary Care 3: Uses of Psychological Assessment in Pediatric Primary Care Settings 4: Necessary Training for Psychologists Working in Pediatric Primary Care Settings 5: Selection of Psychological Measures and Associated Administration, Scoring and Reporting Technology for Use in Pediatric Primary Care Settings 6: Screening for Psychiatric Disorders in Pediatric Primary Care Settings 7: Treatment Monitoring and Outcomes Assessment of Behavioral Health Problems in Pediatric Primary Care Setting II: PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS AND PROCEDURES 8: The Clinical Interview 9: Global Screening for Behavior Health Disorders 10: Screening and Assessment of Depression 11: Screening and Assessment of Suicidal Risk 12: Screening and Assessment of Anxiety 13: Screening and Assessment of Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders 14: Screening and Assessment of Eating Behavior 15: Screening and Assessment of Cognitive Impairment 16: Screening and Assessment of Substance Abuse 17: Screening and Assessment of Sleep Disturbance 18: Screening and Assessment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 19: Screening and Assessment of Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders 20: Screening and Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorders 21: Screening for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 22: Optional additional topic III: EXAMPLES OF INTEGRATION Chapter 23: Example 1 Chapter 24: Example 2

Organization makes sense, and including some examples at the end of how to apply the information would be particularly important, especially for less experienced readers. I think what is unique about the volume is its focus on integrating child mental health assessment methods into primary care settings, which are different from typical psychology/psychiatry office practice. I’m sure there are practical challenges to doing this effectively and efficiently, so that the children, the families, and the primary care practitioners benefit without compromising the integrity of the assessment too much. Contributors should be encouraged to focus on how to address these challenges. Katharina Manassis, MD Emeritus Professor, University of Toronto Medical Center