Environmental influences
-
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for Adolescents: Evidence, Applications, and Emerging Considerations
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) is a developmentally adapted, evidence-based intervention for young people experiencing emotion dysregulation, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. In recent years, a growing body of evidence such as randomised trials and meta-analyses have suggested DBT-A’s effectiveness across outpatient, inpatient, and community settings (Mehlum et al., 2014; McCauley et al., 2018; Kothgassner et al., 2021; Syversen et al., 2024).
Read more -
Navigating Diagnostic Challenges in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder
We’re delighted to offer you a chance to learn from the very best – Dr. Boris Birmaher. The goal of this presentation is to present the difficulties and differential diagnosis of pediatric BD and the course and factors associated with its the course.
- Event type
- Advanced session
- Location
- LIVE STREAM
-
Rethinking Reading Disorders: Language Foundations, Risk Pathways, and Protective Factors
Understanding how children learn to read requires a comprehensive understanding of language, phonology, cognition, and environmental factors. While phonological processing deficits have long been considered central to dyslexia (Snowling, 2000; Vellutino et al., 2004), growing evidence suggests that reading difficulties can emerge from multiple developmental pathways, influence by a diverse combination of risk and protective factors (Hulme & Snowling, 2016; Catts et al., 2017). These individual differences underscore why some children struggle primarily with decoding, others with comprehension, and many with both.
Read more -
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.
Read more -
17
Siblings and the Family
Speakers will present new research, intervention adaptation, and service perspectives, highlighting risk and protective factors, effective supports, and the vital role siblings play in both family wellbeing and shaping mental health services.
-
09
The role of socio-contextual factors in child and adolescent PTSD
‘The role of socio-contextual factors in child and adolescent PTSD’ is a webinar is organised by ACAMH’s Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Special Interest Group. It is led by Professor Sarah Halligan is Professor of Child and Family Mental Health at the University of Bath.
-
Families and Children in Wartime Ukraine: Prelude to an Online Course on Families in Context of War and Social Conflict Through the Lens of Attachment
For practitioners and policymakers, it is important to realise that the extraordinarily high levels of parental burnout signal serious mental health challenges ahead, even well beyond the end of the war.
Read more -
25
Parenting and Protecting Adolescents in the Age of Social Media and AI
Adolescents spend much of their lives online and adults are increasingly worried that screen time, social media, and now artificial intelligence (AI) will harm their mental health. Award winning psychologist Candice Odgers will address current fears with facts about adolescent mental health in the digital age and provide science-backed strategies for those working to support the young people in their families, classrooms, and communities.
-
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.
Read more -
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.
Read more