Training the Next Generation of Pediatric Mental Health Providers
The Surgeon General sounded the , and after study confirms that our nation’s youth are struggling with mental health. Amplifying the crisis, across the country there is a of behavioral health providers — especially for and youth — which keeps young people from accessing the services they need.
Next Steps for Addressing the Youth Mental Health Crisis
Addressing the issue will take a coordinated effort that involves health care providers, schools, and government. One key step is building a diverse workforce to care for children and youth. Employing highly trained, diverse providers makes a real difference to patients and families.Â
Nemours Children’s implements several federally funded training programs across Delaware to help build the diversity of our behavioral health workforce to meet the needs of our patients and families. Â
Meet Our Trainees
Nemours is proud of our current and past fellows who are embarking on a career to support the behavioral health needs of children and youth. Mycah Ayalah-Brittain, MEd, Martisha Brown, LACMH and Diana Rosales, APRN exemplify three early-career providers who are doing their part to create the healthiest generations of children.Â
Meet Mycah Ayalah-Brittain, MEd
Early experiences volunteering in a special education classroom first inspired Mycah to become a pediatric psychologist. As a resident at Nemours, Mycah had the opportunity to train in behavioral health, allowing her to grow and strengthen her skills within an integrated health care system. The supportive training environment at Nemours highlighted for her the importance of cultural considerations and centering patients’ and family experience in health care. Â
Meet Martisha Brown, LACMH
Martisha grew up in Delaware. When she was in school, she felt like she didn’t have the support she needed, so she decided to give back to her community as a mental health counselor. Learn more about Martisha’s journey to becoming a mental health counselor, her experience at Nemours and what’s next for her.
Meet Diana Rosales, APRN
When Diana finished her education to become a nurse practitioner, she wanted to continue to learn on the ground to become the best nurse practitioner she could be. Through her training at Nemours, she has the chance to learn from experienced providers across different fields of medicine, including behavioral health. Learn more about how Diana’s fellowship experience has prepared her to help create the healthiest generation of children.
If you’re interested in learning more about our programs to train pediatric behavioral health providers, you can check out our two-pager and our from our 2024 Behavioral Health event.