Adolescents

  • David Bürgin

    What are the most important life events for teens

    Most adolescents and young adults identify positive, everyday milestones—such as education, relationships and growing independence—as the most important events in their lives, rather than crises. However, those with higher anxiety and depression are more likely to emphasise stressful experiences and interpersonal difficulties, highlighting how mental health shapes the way life events are perceived. Blog by David Bürgin on his recent paper.

    Read more
  • Psychotherapist focusing on a teenager with personal struggles and hormonal shifts in therapy session. Expert listening attentively, providing support for mental and social issues.

    Safeguarding & Suicide Risk in CAMHS: Assessing and Managing Risk in Children and Young People

    This set of talks explores updated best practice in suicide prevention within CAMHS, highlighting a shift toward personalised, collaborative safety assessment, formulation, and management following new 2025 national guidance. It also examines suicidality in autism, multiagency learning from recent cases, and broader safeguarding approaches including child exploitation and forensic CAMHS perspectives.

    Event type
    Introductory and Update Session
    Read more
  • Reflections from the room

    EBSA in young people: complexity, pressure, and the value of slowing down

    When a child stops going to school, the wish to help them back quickly is easy to understand. Emotionally based school avoidance rarely has a single cause, though, and the pace of a response can matter as much as its content. One thought runs through what follows: that slowing down can sometimes do more for a child than any effort to hurry a return.

    Read more
  • Yan Li and Christian Hakulinen

    Mental Health and School Achievement: Why Gender and Age at Onset Matter

    Discover how mental health conditions impact school performance in children and adolescents. Explore research on over 837,000 young people, highlighting the effects of anxiety, depression, gender differences, and age of onset on academic achievement—and why early support matters.

    Read more
  • Daniel Le Grange

    Family-Based Treatment for Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa

    This session will be emphasising adaptation in response to increasing clinical complexity. It is led by Prof. Daniel Le Grange—learn its foundations, effectiveness, and when to adapt for better mental health outcomes.

    Event type
    Masterclass
    Location
    Online
    Read more
  • Sarah Jayne Blakemore

    Meet the expert on the Adolescent Brain – Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

    Join ACAMH on 8 July 2026 for a workshop on adolescent brain development with Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore. Explore neuroscience insights and real-world applications.

    Read more
  • dark haired boy swinging on a swing

    Trauma in Care Experienced Children: Improving Access to Trauma-Informed Care

    Care experienced children and young people are much more likely to experience trauma and trauma-related mental health difficulties than their peers. Yet many do not receive timely support or access to treatments that are backed by evidence. Recent research highlights that the challenge is not simply identifying distress but ensuring that care-experienced children can access effective interventions, particularly trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapies (TF-CBTs). In this blog, we explore these barriers, as well as what effective trauma-informed care could look like. Blog by Professor Francisco Musich.

    Read more
  • Reflections from the room

    Relational trauma: looking beyond the child

    When a child has been affected by relational trauma, it might be easy to assume that the child is the one who needs to be treated. But in practice, working with the child matters just as much as working with the adults who care for them and with the everyday relationships the child lives inside. That second part seems to be the one most easily overlooked.

    Read more
  • Meng Chuan Lai

    Autism: Camouflaging and Masking (Impression Management) — Evidence and Clinical Implications

    Explore the latest evidence on camouflaging and masking in autism (also known as Impression Management), including developmental considerations, clinical debates, and implications for assessment and support. Led by expert Associate Professor Dr. Meng-Chuan Lai.

    Event type
    Advanced session
    Location
    Online
    Read more
  • Autism concept. Lonely little boy covering his ears outdoors 1

    Trauma and Autism: How It Affects Children and Young People

    Autistic children and young people are more likely to experience adversity and traumatic events than their non-autistic peers. Yet, trauma is often missed in autism. Why? Professor Francisco Musich explains.

    Read more