Mental Health Interventions

This resource provides an overview of supports and interventions for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities presenting with emotional and behavioral concerns. It guides primary care providers through general considerations and practice recommendations for therapeutic interventions for mental health distress, including: therapeutic engagement, trauma-informed care, prevention, psychological therapies, pharmacological and other therapies.

Download: Mental Health Interventions

Related Consensus Guidelines

These tools, except for Autism table, were developed by the Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Initiative (DDPCI) (2005-2014), Surrey Place Centre, Toronto, Canada, funded by Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services and Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Surrey Place Centre, and Surrey Place Centre Charitable Foundation. The DDPCI published Tools for the Primary Care of People with Developmental Disabilities to complement the Primary care of adults with developmental disabilities: Canadian consensus guidelines. All tools © 2011 Surrey Place Centre. Adapted for use in the U.S. by the Developmental Disabilities Health Care E-Toolkit Project.

The Canadian consensus guidelines have been updated and can be found here. In addition, some tools have been revised and can be found here.

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center acknowledges Surrey Place Centre’s permission to modify and distribute freely its tools in the United States to improve the primary care of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and for research.

Health Care for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Toolkit for Primary Care Providers

Mental Health Interventions