Blog
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Need support?
This time of year can be particularly difficult for some people, especially given the year we have experienced. Whilst ACAMH cannot offer personal advice, we do urge you to reach out if you are concerned about yourself or a loved one, these helplines and support groups can offer expert advice. Do not suffer in silence, reach out. Wishing you a safe and peaceful time.
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School mental health, with Professor Mark D Weist
We caught up with the presenter – Professor Mark D Weist, Professor in the School of Community Health Sciences at the University of South Carolina and Director of the South Carolina School Behavioral Health Academy – to talk about the topic itself, his career, and his hopes for the event.
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2025: A Year of Shared Learning (get your FREE ebook)
FREE ebook! In 2025, we ran a rich programme of webinars that brought together leading international experts to share evidence-based, practice-focused insights on key topics such as school mental health, autism and co-occurring conditions, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, and trauma-informed care.
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Mastering meltdowns and big feelings with Associate Professor Erin Gonzalez
We caught up with the presenter – Associate Professor Dr. Erin Gonzalez, a clinical psychologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital – about the topic itself, her career, and her hopes for the event.
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Beyond ACEs: When Trauma-Informed Care Misses Neurodivergent Children
Trauma-informed care often overlooks neurodivergence, leading to missed diagnoses and support, as in James’ story. Research shows trauma, neurodevelopmental conditions and adversity frequently co-occur, with “double jeopardy” when both are present. Services must move beyond silos to holistic, person-centred assessment that recognises each child’s unique “make and model.”. Blog by Professor Helen Minnis (pic) and Dr. Ruchika Gajwani.
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Promoting Mental Health in Schools: Evidence-Based Strategies for a Stepped, Collaborative Approach
Recent research has highlighted the advantages of comprehensive school mental health (SMH) systems, particularly those organised around Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). MTSS provides a coherent structure integrating prevention, early intervention and intensive support to meet diverse student needs (Barrett et al., 2018) acknowledging the interdependence of academic outcomes, mental health and social-emotional development.
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Early Bird webinar offers for 2026
In 2026 we are offering a rich programme of research-informed webinars centred on improving evidence-based practice across youth mental health, ALL WITH EARLY BIRDS!
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Supporting Children and Young People with Complex Trauma Histories: Rethinking Readiness for Treatment
Children and young people who have experienced trauma often present with a range of emotional, behavioural, and relational difficulties. There is robust evidence that trauma-focused psychological therapies are effective for PTSD in children and adolescents. Nonetheless, clinicians sometimes hesitate to offer these approaches to young people whose circumstances are complicated—for example, those with ongoing instability, high levels of distress, suicide risk, or multiple comorbidities. Some are told they are ‘not ready’, or that therapy should wait until other difficulties are managed. However, current evidence suggests that complexities are not, in themselves, a reason to delay treatment.
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Special Educational Needs and Young People Involved in Violence
Children and young people with special educational needs (SENs) are more likely to commit violent offences compared to those without SENs. Our research team used existing data from school and police records from over 1.5 million children and young people to unpack this relationship. The aim of our project was to identify what works to reduce violent offending and re-offending in children and young people with SENs.
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