Oregon Health & Science 8th Annual Pediatric Mental Health Update 2025

The 8th Annual Pediatric Mental Health Update is a focused, one-day CME event organized by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). It addresses a critical reality in the current healthcare landscape: due to a severe shortage of child psychiatrists, primary care providers have effectively become the “first line” of mental health treatment for children.
Held in Lake Oswego, Oregon, this conference is designed to equip general pediatricians and family practitioners with the tools to manage complex psychiatric conditions within the constraints of a standard office visit, rather than simply waiting months for a specialist referral.
+ What You Will Learn
The 2025 curriculum focuses on practical, evidence-based behavioral interventions and psychopharmacology. Key learning outcomes include:

Early Childhood Behavior: Effective counseling strategies for common behavioral concerns in toddlers and preschoolers (e.g., “From Tantrums to Takedowns”).

School Avoidance: How to differentiate between anxiety-driven school refusal and truancy, and how to partner with schools for a re-entry plan.

Boys’ Mental Health: Specific updates on addressing the unique emotional and behavioral presentation of depression and anxiety in young boys.

Complex Sleep Issues: Managing insomnia in medically complex toddlers and distinguishing behavioral insomnia from physiological sleep disorders.

Psychiatric Precision: Tailoring medication choices (SSRI vs. SNRI vs. adjunctive therapies) for depression and anxiety based on specific patient profiles.

+ Event Details

Event: 8th Annual Pediatric Mental Health Update

Date: March 7, 2025 (Friday)

Location: Homebuilding Association of Greater Portland (HBA), Lake Oswego, Oregon (In-Person).

Host: OHSU School of Medicine / Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

+ Who Should Attend

General Pediatricians: Who are prescribing psychotropics and need confidence in dosing and side effect management.

Family Physicians: Managing the “whole family” dynamic during a child’s mental health crisis.

Nurse Practitioners (PNP/FNP) & PAs: Who often handle the high-volume acute visits for behavioral issues.

School Nurses & Counselors: Who need to understand the medical management their students are receiving.

+ Why Attend

The “Primary Care” Focus: Unlike general psychiatry conferences, this event is taught by pediatric psychiatrists for primary care. The lectures acknowledge that you don’t have 60 minutes for an intake; they give you tools that work in 15–20 minutes.

Local Resources: It provides specific guidance on navigating the Oregon/Washington mental health system, including how to access the OPAL-K (Oregon Psychiatric Access Line for Kids) for phone consultations.

Actionable “Pearls”: Sessions like “Strategies for Functional Abdominal Pain” bridge the gap between physical symptoms (somatic complaints) and underlying anxiety, a common presentation in primary care.

+ Topics
The 2025 agenda features these specific sessions:

Keynote: Fostering Trust Through Relationship-Centered Communication (Eric Crossen, MD).

Clinical Management:

Assessing and Treating Pediatric Anxiety (Kyle Johnson, MD).

Depression Management in Primary Care (Bruce Leewiwatanakul, DO).

School Refusal: Assessment and Intervention (Amanda Ball, PsyD & Sarah Senderling).

Special Populations:

Goodnight Soon?! Insomnia in a Medically Complex Toddler (Elizabeth Super, MD).

Boys’ Mental Health and Well-being (Christopher Reigeluth, PhD).