Mitigating the Crisis in Children's Mental Health

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Palo Alto University (PAU) is pleased to present an important conversation about the mental health crisis that exists today among our nation’s youth.

Recently, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts in disease prevention and evidence-based medicine, recommended that children between the ages of 8 and 18 be screened for anxiety. This call to action follows the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) sounding the alarm on a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. 

The event, entitled Good Treatment Matters: Mitigating the Crisis in Children’s Mental Health, will be moderated by Dr. Robert D. Friedberg, head of PAU’s Pediatric Behavioral Health Emphasis.

Panelists will discuss the issues and approaches to addressing this crisis in children’s mental health.

Jennifer Paternostro, PhD (she/her/hers) is a pediatric psychologist in Iowa City, IA. She is clinical faculty at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of youth with chronic medical conditions using a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) framework. Dr. Paternostro also is a co-editor with Dr. Robert Friedberg on their book titled “Handbook of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Medical Conditions.” Dr. Paternostro is a graduate of PAU's PhD in Clinical Psychology program.

Erica Rozmid, PhD, ACT, is a Los Angeles-based Clinical Psychologist practicing in California, Colorado, and Rhode Island. She specializes in working with children, adolescents, and adults using: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Exposure Therapy. Dr. Rozmid is a graduate of PAU's PhD in Clinical Psychology program.

Micaela Thordarson, PhD, is a clinical child psychologist and the program supervisor for a DBT intensive outpatient program at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in Orange, CA. Dr. Thordarson is a graduate of PAU's PhD in Clinical Psychology program.

Michael Tompkins, PhD, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist and board-certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology, co-director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy, and is the author of Zero to 60: A Teen’s Guide to Manage Frustration, Anger and Everyday Irritations.

Robert Friedberg, PhD, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist focusing on children, adolescents, and families and a professor at Palo Alto University. He is recognized as one of the leading experts in applying Aaron T. Beck’s model of cognitive therapy to children.  Beck's approach is considered the gold standard psychosocial intervention for a variety of psychiatric conditions.

Friedberg is Board Certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Clinical Child Psychology, Div.53) and the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

He is the author of twelve books and numerous scholarly articles.  

The discussion is part of PAU’s "At the Forefront of Mental Health" webinar series and is intended for the general public, mental health professionals, clinicians-in-training, and others interested in the field of psychology and counseling. These webinars are free, streamed live, and include opportunities for audience members to pose questions.