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Neurodiversity Behavioral Health Access Fellowship

The Neurodiversity Behavioral Health Access Fellowship (NBHAF) is an interdisciplinary initiative developed by Saint Louis University faculty in psychology, social work and marriage and family therapy. The faculty members are behavioral health educators and practitioners committed to promoting respectful, patient-centered care for neurodivergent youth and their families.

About 11.8 million children and adolescents in the United States have been diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and learning disabilities. Up to half of young people referred for mental health services have a neurodevelopmental condition. However, many practicing behavioral health clinicians report not receiving training to meet the needs of these patients.

The Neurodiversity Behavioral Health Access Fellowship was created to prepare behavioral health graduate students to provide respectful, high-quality care for neurodivergent youth and their families.

We fulfill this goal via several objectives, including:

  1. Recruit a qualified workforce interested in working with children, adolescents and young adults.
  2. Promote collaborative training by using team-based models of care to integrate behavioral health care into interprofessional primary care settings.
  3. Recruit, develop and expand the capacity to train clinical supervisors to support and mentor behavioral health trainees.
  4. Increase and expand community partnerships with experiential training sites for behavioral health trainees in high-need and high-demand areas in St. Louis City and the surrounding metro and rural communities.

Fellowship Information and Application

What are the benefits of being an NBHAF trainee?
  1. To increase knowledge about neurodiversity and related behavioral health problems, social determinants of health, barriers to health and health literacy.
  2. To increase knowledge about integrated and primary care, interdisciplinary practice and telemedicine.
  3. To provide practice opportunities to utilize this knowledge at paid experiential sites serving youth and families.
  4. To recruit and retain a qualified behavioral health workforce that will be ready to serve youth in high need and high demand areas, and to work interprofessionally.
What are the trainee requirements of the NBHAF?
  1. Paid externships providing quality behavioral health services to youth and families.
  2. Interprofessional education opportunities focused on a variety of behavioral health topics such as Autism, pediatric weight management, asthma, eating disorders, etc.
  3. Enhanced mentorship through a faculty mentorship program. 
What are the trainee requirements of the NBHAF?
  1. Provide a minimum of seven hours of behavioral health services per week to youth (ages 24 and younger) and families at an approved externship.
  2. Supervision of one to three cases via one of two internal clinics.
  3. Attend the NBHAF Orientation Day and the Neurodiversity Education Day.
  4. Attend four out of 10 pre-approved Show-Me ECHO meetings.
  5. Shadow one evidence-based, comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessment. 
Who can apply to the NBHAF?
  1. Full-time students from the SLU marriage and family therapy, social work or clinical psychology programs.
  2. Trainees must be one of the following:
    1. A U.S. citizen or non-citizen national
    2. An individual lawfully admitted for permanent residence to the United States.
    3. Any other “qualified alien” under section 431(b) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104–193, as amended

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People

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