The sessions dive into the practical challenges of identifying and treating trauma in children and young people, with an emphasis on implementation issues, barriers to delivering evidence-based treatments, and work with specific populations (e.g. children in care, neurodivergent young people).
The morning session will set the foundations, starting with an introductory framing from Professor Andrea Danese, followed by Dr. Stephanie Lewis presenting on the epidemiology of trauma and its impact. This will then move into treatment-focused talks, including Dr. Jess Richardson on stabilisation within trauma-focused interventions and Professor Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer on the practical challenges of implementing these approaches in clinical settings.
The afternoon session will focus on applying this knowledge to specific populations and contexts. Professor Rachel Hiller will discuss assessment and treatment considerations for children in care, Professor Richard Meiser-Stedman will focus on working with younger children, and Dr. Connor Kerns will explore the intersection between trauma and neurodivergence, including screening and comorbidity.
Across the programme, the emphasis is on translating evidence into actionable clinical insights, with each talk combining research findings with practical implications for professionals working in mental health and related fields.
Booking
Sign up at this link or on the Book Now button at the top of the screen, and complete the form that follows. You’ll then receive an email confirmation and a link to the webinar, plus we’ll send you a calendar reminder nearer the time. Delegates will have exclusive access to recordings for 90 days after the event, together with slides. Plus you will get a personalised CPD/CME certificate via email.
- ACAMH Members MUST login to book onto the webinar in order to access this webinar and get a CPD/CME certificate
- Non-members this is a great time to join ACAMH, take a look at what we have to offer, and make the saving on these sessions
EARLY BIRD £99 (until 29/05/26 then £149) for ACAMH Members (Print, Online, Concession) Join now and save
EARLY BIRD £139 (until 29/05/26 then £199) ACAMH Learn Account holders
EARLY BIRD £139 (until 29/05/26 then £199) Non Members
£15 ACAMH Undergraduate/Postgraduate Members
FREE LMIC Members
Don’t forget as a charity any surplus made is reinvested back as we work to our vision of ‘Sharing best evidence, improving practice’, and our mission to ‘Improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 0-25’.
About the talks
Dr. Connor Kerns – ‘Sources and symptoms of traumatic stress in autistic youth: Research to enhance clinical recognition’
This talk will review key findings from a series of studies focused on better understanding the sources and symptoms of traumatic stress and related conditions in autistic youth. We will consider why autistic children may be particularly likely to experience childhood adversity and how it may impact their mental health. We will then discuss why clinicians should consider a broader array of potential sources and expressions of traumatic stress to enhance recognition of trauma-related conditions in autistic children. Finally, we will share insights gained from research on a new trauma measure, developed specifically to improve detection of stressful and traumatic experiences and related symptoms in neurodiverse youth and young adults.
Learning outcomes
- To understand autistic children’s likelihood of experiencing different forms of childhood adversity and trauma
- To understand how sources and symptoms of traumatic stress may vary in autistic v. nonautistic youth
- To understand strategies and tools to assess traumatic-related symptoms in autistic children.
Programme
09:30 Chair Professor Andrea Danese Welcome and Introduction
09:40 Dr. Stephanie Lewis – epidemiology of trauma and its impact
10:10 Q&A
10:20 Dr. Jess Richardson – stabilisation within trauma-focused interventions
10:50 Q&A
11:00 Refreshment & Reflection break
11:15 Prof. Dr. Elisa Pfeiffer – practical challenges of implementing these approaches in clinical settings
11:45 Q&A
11:55 Lunch
13:05 Reconnect & Resume
13:10 Professor Rachel Hiller – assessment and treatment considerations for children in care
13:40 Q&A
13:50 Professor Richard Meiser-Stedman – working with younger children
14:20 Q&A
14:30 Refreshment & Reflection break
14:45 Dr. Connor Kerns – ‘Sources and symptoms of traumatic stress in autistic youth: Research to enhance clinical recognition’
15:15 Q&A
15:25 Closing Remarks
15:30 Close
Programme is subject to change
About the speakers
Dr. Stephanie Lewis is a Clinical Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She studied medicine at Imperial College London, and since graduating has undertaken integrated clinical and academic training, including psychiatry training at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London. She is currently undertaking an MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship, and continues to work as a psychiatrist in child and adolescent mental health services.
Dr. Jess Richardson is one of three Co-Directors for CYP-IAPT Programmes, which are programmes, jointly commissioned with University College London, that train practitioners in evidence-based therapies for Children and Young People in education and health settings. She is also a Reader in Clinical Psychology Education at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London.
Professor Rachel Hiller – I am Professor of Child & Adolescent Mental Health and lead the Child Trauma and Recovery research group. Our research is in the field of complex child trauma and mental health. Broadly, this work spans three areas: (i) the identification of key psychological and social processes linking trauma and maltreatment exposure the mental health and wellbeing; (ii) the development and testing of scalable mental health intervention for trauma-exposed young people; and (iii) the implementation of existing best-evidenced practice within and across social care and mental health services. Much of my research is focused on improving the identification and support of the mental health needs of care-experienced young people, including a focus on service pathways and access between children’s social care and mental health services. Our research is co-developed with care-experienced young people, caregivers, and professionals.
Dr. Connor Kerns PhD (she/her/hers), is a Licensed Psychologist as well as Professor and Director of the Anxiety Stress and Autism Program (ASAP) in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Her clinical work and research considers the intersection of autism and mental health, with a particular focus on developing, testing and disseminating evidence-based assessments and treatments for anxiety and stress-related conditions in autistic youth. Dr. Kerns’ research examines the shared and distinct ways that anxiety and stress-related conditions may arise in autistic compared to nonautistic youth and the implications of those variations for differential diagnosis, measurement and tailored, effective interventions. Dr. Kerns has published over 120 peer-reviewed studies on these topics, funded by federal and private non-profit grants across the US and Canada. She is the primary editor of a clinical textbook, published by Elsevier/Academic Press, focused on the clinical assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders in autistic children as well as a diagnostic interview protocol, the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule with Autism Spectrum Addendum (ADIS/ASA) published by Oxford University Press. She has served as an advisor on national policy initiatives in the US and Canada to guide research and improve health care provision and access for autistic individuals. Dr. Kerns is also invited regularly to share her work at local, national and international venues.