Speaker Series 2025 December

Dec. 16, 2025 | 12:00 PM ET | Virtual

Topic: From Screening to Shared Decision-Making: Use of the SWYC in Clinical Care
Speaker: Chris Sheldrick, PhD, Co-developer of the Survey of Well-being of Young Children (SWYC)®, and TEAM UP Center’s Co-Director, Research & Evaluation.

There is a science of screening and there is also a science of shared decision-making. Too often, the two remain separate. In this talk, we integrate these two sciences by discussing how an evidence-based screening tool called the Survey of Wellbeing of Young Children (SWYC) can be used to inform shared decision-making. Beginning with a brief overview of the SWYC and its role at the TEAM UP Scaling and Sustainability Center, we will discuss how research evidence on screening can be applied to individual patients, the importance of clinical judgment for refining results, and the critical role of values for translating findings into action. 

A Learning Community Event for Integrated Behavioral Health Professionals

“Grand rounds” for integrated behavioral health care, community health, and human services. Our free, monthly lecture and discussion series features guest speakers who are content area experts and leaders in the field on current and emerging trends and healthcare practices.

About Chris Sheldrick: Chris Sheldrick, PhD is a research psychologist, a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UMass Chan Medical School, and the Co-Director, Research & Evaluation of the TEAM UP Scaling and Sustainability Center. Dr. Sheldrick’s research focuses on the mental health of parents and children with a particular emphasis on optimizing community-based screening and interventions. Collaborating with Dr. Ellen Perrin, Dr. Sheldrick helped to create the Survey of Wellbeing of Young Children, a freely available comprehensive screening instrument for young children. His current research is directed toward improving systems of care through pragmatic research on real-world interventions, including perinatal psychiatry access programs, integrated behavioral healthcare in pediatrics, and parent-mediated interventions in early intervention settings. Dr. Sheldrick’s contributions include methodological innovations in community engagement, decision-making, and systems science to optimize and promote equity in the delivery of mental health services.