This interactive workshop explores what current research from the University of Cambridge’s Blakemore Lab tells us about the adolescent brain and how it shapes behaviour, emotions and decision-making. You’ll learn how to apply these insights in therapeutic settings to better understand and support young people in your practice.
Register for the event & pricing
Sign up at this link or on the Book Now buttons, 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.
| Ticket Type | Price |
|---|---|
| ACAMH paying Members (Online, Concession) | EARLY BIRD £99 (until 06/06/26 then £129) (Join now and save) |
| ACAMH Learn Account Holders | EARLY BIRD £129 (until 06/06/26 then £159) |
| Non Members | EARLY BIRD £129 (until 06/06/26 then £159) |
| ACAMH Undergraduate/Postgraduate Members | £15 |
| LMIC Members | Free |
Who should attend
The primary audience for this session is clinicians and professionals working directly with children and adolescents, including clinical psychologists, CAMHS psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and practitioners in youth mental health services, as well as educational psychologists and school-based mental health leads.
Others that may find the session of interest would include; teachers, SENCOs, pastoral staff, youth workers, early help and family support practitioners, alongside researchers and other professionals with an interest in adolescent development and mental health.
About the session
Adolescence is a period of profound neurocognitive and socioemotional change, shaped by social, educational and environmental contexts. This interactive session provides a research-informed overview of adolescent development, highlighting how these contextual influences relate to neural, cognitive and mental health outcomes.
This session is structured in two complementary parts. In the first part, Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore will present an overview of current knowledge on adolescent brain development. This talk will highlight key findings on neural, cognitive and social development, and consider how these insights inform broader societal issues and common misconceptions about adolescence.
In the second part, Dr Blanca Piera Pi-Sunyer will lead an interactive session in which participants engage directly with tasks and materials commonly used in developmental research. Through first-hand experience, attendees will explore how cognitive and socioemotional processes are measured and reflect on how these measures are shaped by specific contexts. Participants will consider how findings from controlled research settings translate into real-world environments such as schools and neighbourhoods, with particular emphasis on how social context influences adolescent behaviour and decision-making.
Designed for researchers, educators, clinicians and practitioners working with young people, this session bridges the gap between experimental research and applied settings. Overall, it will equip attendees with an understanding of how adolescent development is studied, and how research findings can be critically interpreted and meaningfully applied within real-world contexts.
Learning objectives:
- To understand key principles of adolescent neurocognitive development
- To gain insight into how cognitive and socioemotional processes are measured using experimental tasks in developmental research
- To recognise how social and environmental contexts shape adolescent behaviour
Programme schedule
| 14:00 | Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore Setting the scene on current knowledge of the adolescent brain, including key findings and common misconceptions (30-minute talk + 10-minute Q&A) |
| 14:40 | Refreshment break |
| 14:50 | Dr. Blanca Piera Pi-Sunyer – Interactive Session (1) Participants engage directly with cognitive tasks used in research (e.g. tasks assessing cognitive control) to understand how these measures are collected and what they reveal about adolescent cognition. |
| 15:50 | Refreshment break |
| 16:00 | Dr. Blanca Piera Pi-Sunyer – Integrative Session (2) Participants think about how these findings relate to real-world contexts (e.g. school or social environments). |
| 16:40 | Final Q&A of the day |
| 17:00 | Close |
FAQs on the Topic
1. Why is adolescence a vulnerable time for mental health?
Adolescence increases vulnerability to mental health difficulties like anxiety, depression, and eating disorders due to simultaneous hormonal, cognitive, social, and brain changes. Scientific evidence shows these interact with environmental experiences to heighten risk.
2. What changes happen in the adolescent brain?
During adolescence, brain regions for planning, decision-making, and self-regulation develop into early adulthood, while emotion and reward systems mature earlier. This imbalance drives emotional sensitivity, risk-taking, and behaviour shaped by peers.
3. How do researchers study adolescent brain development?
Researchers use behavioural experiments, cognitive tasks, and brain imaging like MRI to study adolescent behaviour, emotions, and decision-making. These methods reveal processing in lab and real-world social settings.
4. How does stress and environment affect adolescent brain development?
Stressful environments like poor school climate, peer exclusion, family dynamics, or adversity negatively shape adolescent brain development and mental health. Supportive relationships build resilience.
5. How can adolescent brain research help clinicians and educators?
Adolescent brain research informs clinicians and educators by contextualising emotional sensitivity, peer influence, and risk-taking as developmental, not just problematic. It promotes tailored support over punitive responses.
Blog
The Teenage Brain: Social Sensitivity, Risk-Taking, and What It Means for Practice
Explore how teenage brain development shapes social sensitivity, peer influence and risk-taking, with practical insights for clinicians and educators. Blog by Professor Francisco Musich.
Meet the Speakers
Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore is the Chair of Psychology in the Social Sciences at the University of Cambridge, where she leads the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Group, and serves as Deputy Head of Department for Research. She is a member of High Table at Newnham and Gonville and Caius.
Dr. Blanca Piera Pi-Sunyer is a researcher specializing in adolescent psychology, mental health, and cognitive neuroscience, currently affiliated with the University of Cambridge and University College London (UCL). She is a Gates Cambridge Scholar and PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at Cambridge.
Infographic
Download the pdf