Sophie Mizrahi is Content and Events Producer at the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH). She holds a BSc in Psychology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Vocational and Career Development from Favaloro University in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her career spans community-based programmes, where she led initiatives to support individuals, particularly young adults, in navigating transitions and making informed decisions about their personal and professional aspirations. She has also contributed to digital mental health projects and AI startups, with a focus on research and the development of mental health products. Her work consistently centres on expanding access to evidence-based mental health resources for professionals and the wider public.
Sophie Mizrahi
Sophie Mizrahi is Content and Events Producer at the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH). She holds a BSc in Psychology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Vocational and Career Development from Favaloro University in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her career spans community-based programmes, where she led initiatives to support individuals, particularly young adults, in navigating transitions and making informed decisions about their personal and professional aspirations. She has also contributed to digital mental health projects and AI startups, with a focus on research and the development of mental health products. Her work consistently centres on expanding access to evidence-based mental health resources for professionals and the wider public.
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Neuroanatomical Variability and Early Substance Use Initiation: Insights from the ABCD Study
Adolescence is a period of rapid brain development, making it a sensitive window for experiences that may shape long-term outcomes. A new study from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) project examined whether neuroanatomical variability is linked to early initiation of alcohol, nicotine, or cannabis. Drawing on baseline brain images taken before substance use began, the researchers found regionally specific differences in cortical thickness and surface area among early initiators. The findings highlight the complexity of adolescent neurodevelopment and point to the value of large-scale, longitudinal studies in clarifying how brain structure and behaviour unfold together.
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Enhancing Motivation in Adolescents With ADHD: Long-Term Insights From the STAND Trial
ADHD is a long-term condition that often continues into adulthood, bringing academic, social, and health challenges. A new community trial tested Supporting Teens’ Autonomy Daily (STAND), a programme that combines motivational interviewing with parent–teen collaboration and training in organisation, time management, and planning skills. The study found that STAND improved outcomes when delivered by licensed therapists, highlighting both promise and implementation challenges.
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Social Fears in Children: The Roles of Parental Communication and Child Temperament
A recent longitudinal study by Zeytinoglu and colleagues (2025) provides insights into how parental verbal communication and child characteristics contribute to the transmission of social fears. The study shows the impact of both positive and negative maternal statements about ambiguous social situations, finding that positive comments were linked to reductions in children’s social fear beliefs, while negative comments predicted increases, especially among children who were behaviourally inhibited or had high anxiety.
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Understanding How Parenting Programs Work: Key Behaviour Changes and Individual Differences in Outcomes
A 2025 study by Sigurðardóttir and colleagues brings together findings from 14 European randomized controlled trials with 3,252 families, all evaluating social learning-based parenting programmes. The study examined in detail how these programmes can support the reduction of disruptive behaviours in children.
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ARFID: What We Know About Psychological Treatments So Far
Which treatments are showing promise? How is progress measured? What can clinicians take from this? Find out in this blog.
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Supporting Families of Trans Youth: A New Toolkit Rooted in Lived Experience
A new community-based participatory study highlights the importance of family support in improving mental health outcomes for transgender and nonbinary youth. Co-created digital stories reveal how open communication, shared reflection, and inclusive family involvement can reduce isolation, foster empathy, and build stronger connections. The result is a flexible toolkit designed for both professionals and caregivers.
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Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: What Makes Coaching Work?
A new study by Scherpbier et al. (2025) explores how therapists support parents in learning and using positive interaction strategies during Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Using 125 video-recorded sessions from 17 Dutch families, the authors applied lag sequential analysis to identify which therapist coaching techniques were most likely to encourage parents to use key interaction […]
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Teens: What New Research Reveals
A 2024 systematic review and meta‑analysis by Galgut and colleagues highlights that cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT‑I) markedly improves insomnia severity and, to a lesser extent, subjective sleep quality in teenagers. These findings strengthen the evidence for offering CBT‑I—delivered face‑to‑face or digitally—as a first‑line treatment for young people who struggle to sleep.
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Self-harm and Suicide Risk in Young People: A Call for Personalised Assessment
Self-harm affects roughly one in six adolescents and is a potent predictor of suicide. Yet the best-known risk-prediction tools correctly identify only a small minority of future suicides. Instead of relying on scores, clinicians should carry out compassionate, personalised assessments, followed by rapid follow-up and collaborative safety plans.
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Common Elements in Interventions for Youth Suicide and Self-Harm: Findings from a Practitioner Review
A practitioner review of 18 randomised controlled trials identifies the therapeutic elements most commonly found in interventions that reduce suicide attempts and self-harm among adolescents. The findings highlight key strategies that can inform and guide clinical practice.
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