Social cognition
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How empathy predicts bullying and victimisation
Sadly, bullying in schools is very common. Around one in three children report that they have experienced peer victimisation themselves. Victimised children are at an increased risk of feeling anxious or depressed, potentially missing school and struggling with their classes, and can even experience mental health problems later in life. Bullies on the other hand might be more likely to struggle with behavioural problems and have a propensity for later substance abuse.
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Supporting and enhancing social communication skills in schools
Through presentations, discussion and practical video-based activities, the session will consider early support and intervention, how adults can respond and adapt to individual children’s communication profiles, and practical approaches that can be applied in educational settings.
- Event type
- Workshop
- Location
- Online
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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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The Adolescent Story Stem Profile (ASSP): A Clinical Tool for Exploring Attachment, Affect, and Mentalization
Dr. Saul Hillman, Senior Research Fellow at Anna Freud and an Honorary Lecturer at UCL, introduces the Adolescent Story Stem Profile (ASSP), an online assessment designed to help practitioners explore adolescents’ internal worlds, including attachment representations, affect regulation, mentalization, and interpersonal functioning. JUST £5! FREE TO MEMBERS
- Event type
- ACEs SIG Monthly seminars
- Location
- LIVE STREAM
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Meet the expert on mentalising – Dr. Emma Morris
Discover how mentalising therapy supports children and families facing complex trauma. Join Emma Morris at the ACAMH workshop on 14 October 2026.
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Preterm infants have social cognition deficits which improve in childhood
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have investigated social attentional preference and its relationship with neurodevelopment in preterm infants.
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Do children with social anxiety disorder benefit from social skills training?
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) in children can be difficult to treat, as evidenced by the varied outcomes reported post-treatment.1,2 Although childhood treatments for SAD commonly involve at least some social skills training,3 it isn’t clear whether children with SAD have particular difficulties with social skills. There is therefore a need to better establish whether social skills are an effective target for treating SAD.
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