Virna Little, PSyD., LCSW-r, SAP, CCM

Dr. Virna Little is currently the Chief Clinical Officer and co-founder of Concert Health, a national organization providing behavioral health services to primary care providers, and the co-founder of Zero Overdose, a not-for-profit addressing the national crisis of unintentional overdoses. She has a Doctoral degree in Psychology, a Masters in Social Work, and a Master’s in Business Administration and Healthcare, is a Certified Care Manager (CCM), and is a recognized Substance Abuse Professional (SAP). 

Dr. Little is a nationally and internationally known speaker for her work in integrating primary care and behavioral health, developing sustainable integrated delivery systems and suicide prevention. She is a faculty member for the national and international Zero Suicide initiatives and has spoken on national suicide prevention strategies at the White House. Dr. Little is a consultant providing technical assistance to organizations and states around the country integrating primary care and behavioral health as well as an expert on the Collaborative Care model and the implementation of depression care programs. Dr. Little has been recognized with awards from the Society for Social Work Leaders in HealthCare, National Association of Social Workers, Community Health Center Network of New York, New York Suicide Prevention Committee and others. She has served on many boards including the New York Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Heart Association and the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved. 

Publications include: 

• Collaborative Care as an effective intervention for primary care patients at risk for suicide, August 2022, Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 
• Commentary on substance use disorders and risk of suicide in a general US population: a case-control study by Lynch et al., June 2020, Addiction Science & Clinical Practice 
• The National Health Service Corps at 50: A Legacy of Impact in Partnership with The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved., May 2020, Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved 
• COVID-19 Impact on Behavioral Health: Collaborative Care Is an Essential, Cost-Effective Solution, April 2020, The Chartis Group Publication 
• Clinicians’ perceptions of telephone-delivered mental health services, Dec 6, 2019, Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice 

2023 Presentation:

Learning Objectives:

• Providers will understand the prevalence of suicide across populations 
• Providers will understand how to identify and assess patients at risk for suicide 
• Providers will develop skills for lethal means restriction and safety planning 
• Providers will learn how to care for patients at risk for suicide as part of their primary care population