2023: What We Accomplished Together

The REACH Institute and our community are helping change the conversation about children’s mental health care. This past year, as mental health needs and provider shortages grabbed headlines, REACH and its alumni stepped up with solutions.

REACH’s training for pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) was covered by Good Morning America, Scripps News, NBC, Yahoo Finance, and Yahoo News, as well as local news outlets in Nebraska, Minnesota, and more.

Our faculty published articles, joined podcasts, and hosted webinars that reached clinicians nationwide.

REACH and our founder, Peter Jensen, MD, received the 2024 AARP Purpose Prize for our work to ensure more children have access to evidence-based mental health care treatment.

Most of all, our 7,000+ alumni changed children’s lives. They treated hundreds of thousands of children struggling with mental health disorders, many of whom would otherwise not have received treatment.

We could not have accomplished this without the help of donors, alumni, faculty members, and supporters like you. Here’s how, together, we made sure more children had access to mental health care in 2023.

1,300+ Clinicians Trained

Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care: 1,122 total pediatric PCPs trained, including 668 trained directly by REACH and 454 trained by licensees

CBT for Anxiety in Pediatric Primary Care: 64 pediatric PCPs trained

Addressing Trauma in Pediatric Primary Care: 53 pediatric PCPs trained

Adult Behavioral Health in Primary Care: 19 PCPs trained

Child/Adolescent Training in Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for mental health clinicians: 25 clinicians trained on depression, 25 trained on anxiety, and 25 trained on disruptive behavior

New Course Launched

When parents are struggling with their child’s disruptive behavior, primary care providers are often the first stop for support. That’s why we developed our newest course, Practical Behavior Management in Pediatric Primary Care.

This one-day training prepares clinicians to assess and address disruptive behaviors, even in a busy practice. They learn the most effective, evidence-based behavior management strategies and how to quickly teach parents the basics.

Scholarships Awarded

REACH scholarships awarded to PCPs practicing in low-income communities: 25

Scholarships funded by a generous donor for greater Atlanta area PCPs: 150

Read About the 2023 REACH Scholarship Recipients

Mahoussi Aholoukpe, MD, a pediatrician in Annville, PA, received a 2023 REACH scholarship.

2024 Scholarship Applications Now Open

Spread the word! Applications are now open for the first round of REACH Scholarships in 2024. The scholarship covers tuition for our foundational three-day course, Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care, for clinicians serving patients in low-income communities.

Making News: REACH's Impact

This past week, Yahoo Finance featured The REACH Institute and our founder, Peter Jensen, MD, in an article about the 2024 AARP Purpose Prize and how awardees are “making a tangible difference in the world.”
Good Morning America highlighted the national state of emergency in children's mental health and how The REACH Institute is working to solve it.
Scripps News investigated how “children are at the front of a mental health crisis” in the U.S. and featured REACH’s work to provide mental health training to more pediatric primary care providers.
In an interview with NBC Boston, REACH CEO, Dr. Lisa Hunter Romanelli discussed the shortage of mental health professionals and the need to train more pediatric PCPs in evidence-based mental health therapies.
KevinMD.com featured an article where the author, Hilary Bowers, MD, part of the second-largest pediatric group in the country, explains why she sends all new recruits through The REACH Institute within the first six months of their employment.
The Virginia Mental Health Access Program (VMAP) worked with 18 local philanthropic foundations to provide funding for expanded REACH training for primary care providers treating children, adolescents, and young adults across the state.

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