Therapeutic Interventions in Pediatric Chronic Illness

 One in every 10 children in the US has been diagnosed with a pediatric chronic health condition that impacts their quality of life. Of these children, one in four will also have a co-morbid psychological challenge, such as anxiety or depression. The impact of this illness reverberates throughout the family system. The current workshop will focus on assessment and treatment approaches for these youth and their family. 

Objectives

•  Describe the prevalence of pediatric chronic health conditions in the US and significant need for mental health services for these families.
•  Demonstrate an understanding of family risk factors and how to take them into account in developing interventions.
•  Outline strategies for assessing and treating a range of presenting problems in the context of pediatric health.
•  Identify a range of evidence based multilevel psychosocial interventions for specific pediatric presenting problems 

About Dr. Larry Mullins

 Larry L. Mullins, Ph.D. is the Vaughn Vennerberg II Chair of Developmental Disabilities in Psychology in the Department of Psychology at Oklahoma State University, where he has been a faculty member since 1995. He received his BA from Oklahoma State University in 1977, and both his MS and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1983. He completed an internship with a specialization in the subspecialty of Pediatric Psychology from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. His primary area of research interest is how youth and families cope and adapt to a wide range of childhood chronic health conditions, including cancer, Type 1 diabetes, cystic fibrosis, developmental disabilities, and disorders of sexual development. He recently completed an NIH-funded investigation of a psychosocial intervention for parents of children newly diagnosed with pediatric cancer, and he is currently Co-PI on two NIH R01 grants. 

Dr. Mullins has written over 210 refereed journal articles, 15 book chapters, 2 books, and has over 370 research presentations. He has received numerous awards for his teaching and mentorship, including the 2006 American Psychological Association Division 54 Martin Levin Mentorship Award, the OSU Arts and Science Mentor Award, and the OSU Regents Distinguished Research Award. He is a Fellow of two Divisions of the American Psychological Association.