Supporting Mental Health in Autistic Adults: A Tiered Approach

Vanessa H. Bal, PhD, is an associate professor and the Karmazin and Lillard Chair in Adult Autism at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist and co-director of research at the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services.

This presentation will discuss a three-tiered prevention model to frame mental health supports for autistic adults. It will include examples of approaches to promote well-being and mitigate stress, identify mental health problems, and treat clinically significant depression or anxiety in autistic adults. Implications for supporting mental health across a range of ages and abilities will also be discussed.

• Identify at least one example of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention approaches to promote mental health in autistic individuals.
• Identify limitations to existing instruments for assessing depression in adults who are minimally verbal.
• List 1-2 facilitators and barriers to the use of Behavioral Activation for treating mental health struggles in autistic adults.
  

The Child Mind Institute Visiting Professor Lecture Series invites leaders in the field of child and adolescent mental health to talk about the latest research and treatment protocols. All events are open to the public. Continuing medical education (CME) credits for psychiatrists and continuing education (CE) credits for psychologists and social workers are available to registered course participants. Learn more.

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