Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families

The Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families (VCCYF) is committed to three main efforts: 

VPEPphoto250x180(1) Providing child and family based health care with an emphasis on promoting emotional behavioral wellbeing, preventing the development of new problems, and intervening in an evidence-based, family focused manner.

(2) Training the next generation of providers in the Vermont Family Based Approach (VFBA). VCCYF clinicians and staff train professionals from other disciplines in the VFBA including: general psychiatry residents, pediatric residents (through a novel 'buddy program' that teams senior pediatric residents with VCCYF Fellows), medical students, and other graduate students including social work students and nurse practitioners.

(3) Engaging in Quality Improvement (QI) and conducting research to guide us in both our clinical efforts and training goals.

VCCYF clinicians and staff work in collaboration with VCHIP and the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) on a range of QI initiatives and other initiatives to support pediatric primary care clinicians and behavioral/mental health clinicians throughout the state.

Current VCCYF VCHIP Projects

Child Psychiatry Fellowship Program
  • At the VCCYF, training the next generation of providers in the VFBA and increasing the number of child psychiatrists in Vermont is a primary goal through the Child Psychiatry Fellowship Program. Child Psychiatry Fellows engage in annual QI projects, current projects being completed in collaboration with VCHIP include:
  • Administering a telemedicine survey to determine challenges and successes of the telemedicine platform and identify areas for improvement.
  • Developing a more formalized policy and protocol for routine suicide screening, assessment, and intervention for children with suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Child Psychiatric Phone & E-mail Consultation
  • VCCYF clinicians and staff provide consultative support to pediatric primary care clinicians.
  • This service is available to every Pediatrician and Family Practitioner in Vermont to provide phone and email consultation to assist in the management of children’s emotional and behavioral problems in primary care settings.
  • Examples of these consultations include assisting in assessment, diagnosis, medication management and Family Wellness recommendations.
  • Feel free to ask your clinician to reach out for a consult.
  • Objectives of the Child Psychiatric Phone & E-mail Consultation Program:
  • Increase primary care providers’ (PCPs’) access to expert child psychiatric consultation.
  • Improve PCPs’ expertise in treating child psychiatric disorders with a focus on decreasing medication prescribing while increasing wellness prescription as appropriate.
  • Increase PCPs’ awareness of the Vermont Family Based Approach to child mental health treatment.
  • Outreach:   
  • From July 2019-June 30, 2020, consultations were provided to: (represents July 2019-June 2020 numbers)
  • Total number consultations: 120  (76)
  • Consultation requested by:
  •  60 clinicians  (35)
  • Representing approximately:  31 practices  (23)
  • Located in: 10 Vermont counties  (7)

Additional VCCYF VCHIP Projects

  • UVM Project ECHO series to support Primary Care
    • VCCYF clinicians engage in the UVM Project ECHO series on Children's Mental Health, Beyond the Basics: Clinical Pearls and Case-based learning for PCPs offered by VDH with support from the Vermont Department of Mental Health (DMH).
  • VFBA Family Wellness Coaching Manual
    • VCCYF faculty are manualizing the VFBA Family Wellness Coaching model of intervention for use by healthcare professionals throughout Vermont.
  • Vermont Family Based Approach in Obstetrics
    • The VFBA & wellness coaching are offered to pregnant and postpartum individuals through collaboration with Obstetrics.