News

  • The Centre for Attention Learning and Memory (CALM) Approach to Neurodevelopmental Research – MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit University Of Cambridge

    Our thinking around neurodevelopmental disorders is undergoing a period of rapid change. The traditional approach, endorsed by classification systems such as the Diagnostic Statistical Manual, defines neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as distinct categories.

    Read more
  • Mental Health in schools: learning lessons from the past

    Whilst the pandemic may be a contributory factor, the increase in mental health problems from one in eight to one in six between 2017 and today is alarming and needs addressing urgently. Unfortunately, it seems that recent changes in education have impacted negatively YP emotional wellbeing.

    Read more
  • March 2021 – The Bridge

    This issue includes an excellent article on mood disorders in autistic young people, written by experts Dr Emily Jackson, Dr Eleanor Smith, and Dr Aditya Sharma. The authors thoughtfully discuss the overlap between these conditions, challenges in identifying their co-occurrence, and adaptations needed for interventions.

    Read more
  • Dr. Sian Barnett

    Day in the life of a CAMHS professional

    For this year’s International Women’s Day we wanted to celebrate the work of female CAMHS professionals.
    Dr. Sian Barnett has kindly written a blog to explain the work she does as a CAMHS clinician, the challenges she has faced, and the women that inspired her to enter a career in this field. 

    Read more
  • February 2021 – The Bridge

    This issue of The Bridge includes several articles which focus on child and adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy. This therapy aims to help young people, their families, or their support networks to better understand each young person’s emotions, behaviour, and relationships.

    Read more
  • The policy context for research into child and adolescent psychotherapy

    Mental illness in children and young people is recognised as a major public health concern with evidence of rising prevalence, possibly exacerbated by COVID-19.

    Read more
  • The importance of acknowledging difference in psychoanalytic psychotherapy

    Single case studies are often used in psychoanalytic psychotherapy research to identify potential mechanisms of change. Sean Junor-Sheppard undertook such a study, which was published in the Journal of Child Psychotherapy in 2019.

    Read more
  • Psychodynamic therapy with children and young people – where’s the evidence?

    For many years psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies have been considered to lack a credible evidence base. Partly this has been due to a degree of reluctance among psychodynamic practitioners to support the kind of empirical research that would help to establish such an evidence base.

    Read more
  • How can we model the brain when it goes awry? How Reinforcement Learning Models can shed light on Psychiatric Disorders that emerge during Development.

    It is well-established that many psychiatric disorders initially emerge during the formative time periods of childhood and adolescence (Kessler et al., 2005; Paus, Keshavan, & Giedd, 2008), when the brain is consistently subject to growth and experience-related changes. This applies not only to classic neurodevelopmental disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but also to psychiatric disorders like depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which are often attributed to adulthood (Hauser, Will, Dubois, & Dolan, 2019).

    Read more
  • Judy Treseder Smith – Obituary

    It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you of the passing of our past Chair, Judy Treseder Smith. Our thoughts and sympathies are with her friends and family. Professor William Yule, Emeritus Professor of Applied Child Psychology, King’s College London, has written the following obituary.

    Read more