A practical evidence-based toolkit for primary care providers supporting pediatric anxiety and depression. Covers early identification, somatic presentations, screening tools, 60-Second CBT, exposure lite, behavioral activation, parent coaching, regulation skills, clinical scripts, referral guidance, and decision trees.
Pediatric Anxiety & Depression PCP Toolkit is designed for busy primary care settings where emotional health concerns often show up as stomachaches, headaches, sleep difficulty, school avoidance, irritability, withdrawal, or unexplained physical symptoms. It translates CBT-informed care into brief, usable tools that fit real visit constraints without expecting PCPs to become therapists.
This toolkit is included inside the Sticky Brain Studio Clinical Provider Series course, a 3-module training for PCPs covering ADHD, pediatric anxiety/depression, and disparities in clinical judgment. Purchase the course for the full training experience, slide decks, scripts, participant workbook, clinical toolkits, and reference cards.
CLINICAL PROVIDER SERIES · PEDIATRIC PRIMARY CARE
A practical evidence-based guide for primary care providers supporting early identification and brief CBT-informed strategies in pediatric visits.
Brief mental health conversations can make a real difference in pediatric visits
Early Identification of Anxiety and Depression
Helps providers recognize pediatric anxiety and depression presentations, including somatic complaints, school avoidance, reassurance seeking, irritability, withdrawal, fatigue, and motivation changes.
Somatic Presentations in Primary Care
Shows how stomachaches, headaches, chest tightness, sleep difficulty, fatigue, frequent nurse visits, and appetite changes may signal anxiety or depression after medical causes are considered.
Validated Screening Tools
Includes quick reference guidance for PHQ-9A, GAD-7, SCARED, and PROMIS pediatric anxiety/depression measures.
60-Second CBT Conversation
A four-question framework providers can use in brief visits: name the feeling, explore the signal, check accuracy, and choose a response.
Exposure Lite and Behavioral Activation
Introduces the brave ladder for anxiety and small activity scheduling for depression as brief, primary-care-appropriate interventions.
Parent Coaching and Regulation Skills
Includes caregiver scripts, approach-over-avoidance guidance, effort praise, grounding, breathing, name-it-to-tame-it, and sensory reset tools.
Clinical Decision Algorithm and Scripts
Provides a workflow for identifying symptoms, screening, offering brief intervention, coaching parents, and determining follow-up, referral, or urgent evaluation.
This toolkit is a psychoeducational provider resource and is not a substitute for clinical training, individualized medical or mental health evaluation, psychotherapy, crisis assessment, safety planning, or specialty consultation. Providers should use clinical judgment, follow local policies, and refer or escalate care when risk, impairment, diagnostic complexity, or safety concerns are present.