Welcome to The REACH Institute's new website! Same mission, same commitment to improving children's mental health care, with a fresh new look.

Back

GLAD-PC Toolkit Is Here to Help You Treat Depression

The new edition of Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care (GLAD-PC) is now available on The REACH Institute website. This practical toolkit offers dozens of resources to help pediatric primary care providers diagnose and treat depression.

  • General screening tools to identify psychosocial and health-related risk factors
  • Depression-specific screening tools for patients, parents, and clinicians, some in multiple languages
  • DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for the range of depressive conditions, with guidelines for differential diagnosis
  • Advice on treatment options including evidence-based psychopharmacology and psychotherapy
  • Forms to facilitate referrals to mental health professionals
  • Education materials for adolescents and their families
  • Guidance on billing for mental health interventions in primary care

The new edition is a thorough revision of the GLAD-PC toolkit first published in 2007. Its practical tools enable clinicians to implement the depression treatment guidelines published in February 2018 in Pediatrics. New features include:

  • The new GLAD-PC recommendations for practice preparation and identification, assessment, initial management, treatment, and ongoing management of depressive conditions
  • The Whole Child Assessment, a self-report tool on general physical, mental, and emotional health factors, including adverse childhood events
  • Versions of the depression-specific self-report tool Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in a dozen languages, including not only English and Spanish but also Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Russian, and more
  • Up-to-date billing codes from the American Academy of Pediatrics for mental health assessment and depression care in primary practice

“More than a decade had passed since the original publication of GLAD-PC,” said Rachel Zuckerbrot, MD, one of the toolkit’s authors. “Though most of the tools and guidelines had stood the test of the time, some needed to be updated. My co-authors and I are proud to support primary care providers in helping the whole child, body and mind.”

The GLAD-PC toolkit is published by The REACH Institute and written by Amy Cheung, MD; Rachel A. Zuckerbrot, MD; and Peter S. Jensen, MD.

Better Mental Health Care Starts Here.

Get the latest research, training updates, and practical tools
delivered to your inbox. Join thousands of clinicians working to
improve pediatric mental health outcomes.

Follow us on LinkedIn

August 27, 2026

Nearly half of pediatric outpatient visits involve a behavioral health concern, yet many pediatricians report feeling unprepared to diagnose and treat mental health conditions. While new residency requirements represent an important step forward, there remains a…

August 25, 2026

Time is running out for primary care clinicians to join a CBT training in 2026 ⏰ The REACH Institute is offering two trainings for clinicians to learn practical, evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques they can…

August 20, 2026

REACH has never been about sitting through a lecture and calling it professional development. At our inaugural Alumni Conference on September 26, you’ll go beyond the basics with practical, evidence-based strategies designed for immediate and sustainable…

August 19, 2026

Your patients spend most of their time at school. Learn to work with the systems and people they encounter there. REACH’s Collaborating with Schools in Pediatric Care program is for pediatric primary care clinicians, clinical psychologists,…

GET IN TOUCH