Pediatric Psychiatry in Primary Care:
Core Essentials
The Colorado Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation & Access Program (CoPPCAP) is offering this seven-session ECHO series to give participants the knowledge and skills needed to assess and treat pediatric mental/behavioral health conditions in primary care. Topics covered include assessment and screening, “What is Therapy," assessing and treating anxiety, ADHD and depression, assessing suicidality and more. Each session provides a brief didactic overview of the topic followed by participant-initiated, case-based discussion.
This series includes the Medical Director of CoPPCAP, Sandra Fritsch, MD, and other medical experts and will be facilitated by Ellen Brilliant, Executive Director of the Colorado AAP.
AUDIENCE
Prescribing primary care providers (MD, DO, NP, PA) working in Colorado
SCHEDULE
Seven weekly ECHO sessions held virtually
Thursdays 12:00 - 1:00 PM MT
October 1 - November 12
Sign up for this series
In partnership with:
ECHO SESSION 1
Assessment and Screening
October 1, 2026
ECHO SESSION 2
What is Therapy?
October 8, 2026
ECHO SESSION 3
Assessing and Treating Anxiety
October 15, 2026
ECHO SESSION 4
Assessing and Treating ADHD
October 22, 2026
ECHO SESSION 5
Assessing and Treating Depression
October 29, 2026
ECHO SESSION 6
Trauma in Primary Care
November 5, 2026
ECHO SESSION 7
Assessing Suicidality
November 12, 2026
Colorado Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation & Access Program (CoPPCAP)
Pediatric primary care clinicians are often among the first to recognize when a child or adolescent is experiencing a mental or behavioral health concern. Yet accessing specialty mental health care can be challenging, making it increasingly important for primary care teams to have the knowledge, skills and expert support to assess and manage mild to moderate conditions within their own practices.
The Colorado Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation & Access Program (CoPPCAP) helps bridge that gap. As part of a national network of Child Psychiatry Access Programs, CoPPCAP supports Colorado pediatric primary care clinicians with timely psychiatric consultation, education and connections to local mental health resources. Clinicians can access peer consultation by phone, email or e-consultation, as well as one-time patient and family consultations when additional diagnostic assessment or treatment recommendations are needed.
CoPPCAP and ECHO Colorado
CoPPCAP partners with ECHO Colorado to bring practical, case-based pediatric mental and behavioral health education to primary care clinicians across Colorado and beyond. The goal is to strengthen clinicians’ confidence and skills in identifying, assessing and managing mild to moderate mental health and substance use concerns, particularly when specialty care may be difficult to access.
Through Pediatric Psychiatry in Primary Care ECHOs, participants learn about topics directly applicable to pediatric, family medicine and school-based settings. Each ECHO session combines focused education with discussion of real-world clinical challenges, giving participants the opportunity to learn from a multidisciplinary expert panel and from one another through ECHO’s “All Teach, All Learn” approach.
The partnership is designed to help clinicians translate learning into practice, from strengthening screening and assessment to supporting medication management and making informed referrals to community resources. Just as importantly, ECHO creates a community where primary care clinicians can connect with peers, share experiences and reduce the professional isolation that can come with managing complex behavioral health needs.
Together, CoPPCAP and ECHO Colorado are helping expand the capacity of primary care teams to respond to the mental and behavioral health needs of children and adolescents in the communities where they live and receive care.
Sandra Fritsch, MD
Medical Director
Sandra Fritsch, MD, is the Medical Director of CoPPCAP. She completed Triple Board training in pediatrics, psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry at Brown University, giving her a unique perspective on integrating pediatric and behavioral health care
Throughout her career, Sandra has worked closely with pediatric primary care providers to strengthen their ability to address the mental health needs of children and adolescents. Her experience with Child Psychiatry Access Programs spans multiple states: she was involved in this work in Massachusetts during the development of the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) and later established the Maine Child Psychiatry Access Program. She now brings that experience to Colorado, leading CoPPCAP’s efforts to expand access to psychiatric expertise, education and support for pediatric primary care clinicians.
Xiaoshen Jin, PhD
Program Manager
Xiaoshen Jin, PhD, is the Program Manager for CoPPCAP and a Health Care Program Manager in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Her work with CoPPCAP focuses on the program’s development and implementation and on strengthening support for pediatric primary care clinicians across Colorado.
Before joining CoPPCAP and the University of Colorado, Xiaoshen served as the Early Childhood Screening Coordinator at Boulder County Public Health and led the Boulder County Assuring Better Child Health and Development (ABCD) Partnership. In these roles, she brought together multidisciplinary partners to strengthen early childhood systems, including efforts to improve developmental screening and referral processes for young children. She presented this collaborative work at the 2018 ZERO TO THREE Annual Conference. Xiaoshen earned her doctorate in psychology from the University of New Mexico.
The Care Collaborative
CU Anschutz
Nighthorse Campbell Native Health Building
13055 East 17th Avenue
Building 406
Box F801
Aurora, CO 80045
303-724-6567
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