Professor Francisco Musich

Professor Francisco Musich, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist, Professor of Childhood Psychiatric and Neurological Disorder at Universidad Favaloro, Argentina, Head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychology at the Institute for Cognitive Neurology – INECO – Argentina, and Head of the Department of Psychopathology and Differential Diagnosis – ETCI – Argentina.
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Professor Francisco Musich, PhD is a Clinical Psychologist, Professor of Childhood Psychiatric and Neurological Disorder at Universidad Favaloro, Argentina, Head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychology at the Institute for Cognitive Neurology – INECO – Argentina, and Head of the Department of Psychopathology and Differential Diagnosis – ETCI – Argentina.
  • Focus of woman, psychologist making noise while family, parents and teen boy talking

    When Family-Based Treatment Stalls: Can We Adapt Earlier and More Precisely?

    Family-Based Treatment (FBT) has the strongest evidence base among psychological treatments for adolescents with anorexia nervosa, yet a substantial proportion of young people do not achieve full recovery. A 2024 trial found that adding Intensive Parental Coaching did not improve outcomes overall for adolescents with limited early weight gain. However, it may help families with low parental self-efficacy, supporting a more targeted approach. Blog by Professor Francisco Mucish.

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  • young girl sat on sofa psychologist discussing mental health

    Mentalising and Emotion Regulation in Children and Families

    Midgley et al. (2023) describe the Emotion Regulation in Children (ERiC trial), the first large randomised clinical trial designed to evaluate a brief form of Mentalization-Based Treatment for children aged 6–12 with co-occurring internalising and externalising difficulties. The intervention aims to strengthen children’s and parents’ ability to understand behaviour in relation to thoughts, feelings and intentions, seeking to improve emotion regulation within the child and across the parent–child relationship.

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  • Girl playing with toys at white table during consultation with professional child psychologist indoors

    Using Assessment to Build Better Case Conceptualisations

    Case conceptualisation is central to psychological practice. It helps clinicians organise information, understand how a person’s difficulties may have developed and been maintained, and decide what treatment would be adequate. However, conceptualisations can become overly intuitive, static, or disconnected from both assessment evidence and treatment research. Christon, McLeod, and Jensen-Doss (2015) propose a science-informed approach designed to connect evidence-based assessment with evidence-based treatment.

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  • teenage boy stood in room at home wear green hoodie

    Irritability and Later Depression and Self-Harm in Adolescence

    Irritability is common in early childhood and for many children, it reduces over time as they develop better frustration tolerance, language, emotional regulation, and social understanding. However, when irritability remains high across early childhood, it may signal increased vulnerability to later mental health difficulties.

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  • teen girl talking to psychologist

    Why Depression May Look Different in Young People with ADHD

    Depression commonly co-occurs with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). When this combination occurs is associated with greater clinical complexity and poorer outcomes. Yet depression in young people with ADHD may not always be straightforward to recognise, some symptoms of depression overlap with ADHD, some may be expressed through irritability, sleep problems, or behavioural difficulties, and young people with ADHD may not always report depressive symptoms in the same way as their parents.

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  • Portrait of little girl aged 5. Moody and confused girl. Mistreated child.

    Why Trauma-Focused CBT Isn’t Reaching Children

    Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT) is one of the best-supported psychological treatments for children and adolescents with post-traumatic stress symptoms. Yet the existence of an evidence-based treatment does not mean that children and families can access it in routine care. Blog by Professor Francisco Musich.

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  • very sad boy. offended a child. close up portrait looking at the camera. feels lonely misses parents. freedom Ukraine

    Assessing and Treating PTSD in Young Children 

    Learn how PTSD appears in young children, why it’s often missed, and how PTSD-YC criteria and CBT-3M improve early identification and treatment. Blog by Professor Francisco Musich.

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  • dark haired boy swinging on a swing

    Trauma in Care Experienced Children: Improving Access to Trauma-Informed Care

    Care experienced children and young people are much more likely to experience trauma and trauma-related mental health difficulties than their peers. Yet many do not receive timely support or access to treatments that are backed by evidence. Recent research highlights that the challenge is not simply identifying distress but ensuring that care-experienced children can access effective interventions, particularly trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapies (TF-CBTs). In this blog, we explore these barriers, as well as what effective trauma-informed care could look like. Blog by Professor Francisco Musich.

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  • Autism concept. Lonely little boy covering his ears outdoors 1

    Trauma and Autism: How It Affects Children and Young People

    Autistic children and young people are more likely to experience adversity and traumatic events than their non-autistic peers. Yet, trauma is often missed in autism. Why? Professor Francisco Musich explains.

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  • Thinking student and idea with child in home for brainstorming math solution and vision. Reflection problem solving and education mindset with girl in house for studying curious and memory

    The Teenage Brain: Social Sensitivity, Risk-Taking, and What It Means for Practice

    Explore how teenage brain development shapes social sensitivity, peer influence and risk-taking, with practical insights for clinicians and educators. Blog by Professor Francisco Musich

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