Celebrate World Mental Health Day by joining ACAMH at HALF PRICE!

To celebrate World Mental Health Day on Tuesday 10 October we are offering you the chance to join ACAMH at HALF PRICE!

Use the code SP40 and save 50% on our Online Membership.

Benefits include; Discounts on Conferences and CPD events . Access to world-class research through our publications JCPP, JCPP Advances, and CAMH journal. CPD certificates for watching selected ACAMH recorded lectures . 15% discount when publishing in JCPP Advances. 20% off all Wiley psychology books. Exclusive member content, and more.

We are a charity that has been at the forefront of the dissemination of evidence-based mental health research for over 60 years. We receive no government funding, nor do we solicit donations, we need members to be part of the advancement of child and adolescent mental health. Any surplus that we make is reinvested back for the benefits of members, and for the sector. So join now.

Offer ends Monday 16 October 12 noon UK time. DON’T DELAY!

Friendships and Mental Health

The ‘Insights from the OxWell Student Survey‘ series is a new mini In Conversation Podcast series that will explore the OxWell study and the impact of its findings for parents, teachers, policymakers and mental health professionals. In this episode Tanya Manchanda comments on the friendship findings from the OxWell survey, including an insight into the impact of friendships on mental health outcomes and friendship interventions for young people.

Autism; Bullying and teasing

Delegates will have exclusive access to recordings for 90 days after the event, together with slides.

Some autistic individuals, as children and teenagers, have been told that they are bullied because they are ‘weird’, and if they stopped being ‘weird’ they wouldn’t be bullied. We are delighted to welcome million selling author Professor Tony Attwood who will deliver a presentation that will dispel that myth. There will be a focus on the power of the peer group to stop an autistic person being bullied, teased, humiliated or rejected. The intention is to change the behaviour of those who engage in bullying and teasing. Building on a robust evidence-base, all of these activities can be applied in the home, classroom, and social situations. More information on the website .

ADHD Awareness Month

Celebrated every October, ADHD Awareness Month aims to educate the public about ADHD by disseminating information informed by evidence-based research. It provides an opportunity to correct misunderstandings, acknowledge lived experiences, and read the latest research from leading lights in the field. This ADHD Awareness Month, we encourage you to explore the learning opportunities available on our website , and to share with your networks.

Upcoming Webinars

Webinars are centred around evidence-based research and speakers are some of the leading lights in the field. Delegates have exclusive access to recordings and slides for 90 days after the event, plus a personalised CPD certificate via email. For a full list visit the website.

NEW EVENT - Connecting the dots around unusual and distressing sensory experiences

Dr. Sarah Parry, strategic Research Lead for Pennine Care NHS Trust’s Young People’s Mental Health Research Centre, and Senior Lecturer Lancaster University leads this webinar.

Key learning points; Understand unusual/distressing sensory experiences from the perspectives of young people. Consider intersections between unusual/distressing sensory experiences in the context of mental health conditions. Critically reflect upon underlying assumptions that may inform decision making in relation to treatment.

FREE FOR MEMBERS, ￡10 for non-member, 1 Nov 6:00-7:30pm UK time. Full details on the website.

Mental Health in Children and Young People

Dr. Meinou Simmons, Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Oxford and Consultant Child and Adolescent psychiatrist offers up practical tips and advice for parents, teachers, and caregivers. Key learning points; Consider how we conceptualise youth mental health. Recognise and manage common mental health difficulties including anxiety and mood difficulties. Understand the main management approaches in young people’s mental health services.

FREE FOR MEMBERS, ￡10 for non-member, 10 Nov 12:30-2:00pm UK time. Full details on the website.

PLACES SELLING FAST, DON’T MISS OUT! Autism; Depression in children and teenagers

Autism is a complex developmental disorder that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others. It often co-exists with other mental health, behaviour, emotional and sensory problems, which can make getting the right support more challenging. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a talking therapy that helps manage problems by encouraging you to recognise how your thoughts can affect your feelings and behaviour. It combines a cognitive approach, such as examining your thoughts, together with a behavioural approach, like the things you do. By splitting problems down into smaller parts it can make them easier to manage. Million selling author Professor Tony Attwood delivers this session. See the website for more details.

Trauma informed practice in safeguarding

ACAMH in collaboration with Child & Family Training presents a series of four online sessions on the provision of effective toxic stress and trauma informed responses and support for children and young people affected by abuse and neglect. These four sessions will cover a vast amount of content related to trauma informed practice in safeguarding, all of which is from a sound evidence-base, delivered by the UK’s leading lights in the sector. Four 1/2 day sessions from just ￡30 in total.

Understanding Young People’s Harmful Behaviour: what practitioners need to know

Attendees will gain information and insight into the current theoretical and research perspectives, which seek to improve practitioners support of young people or children in conflict with the law in Scotland. Speakers will broaden the knowledge of how to improve outcomes for young people who present with complex difficulties related to risk and vulnerability, and highlight practical methods to take forward into frontline practice.

8 November, voco Grand Central Glasgow, 99 Gordon Street, Glasgow G1 3SF. In person event with lunch and refreshments are included in the price.

Catch up on some Open Access papers

Annual Research Review: Early intervention viewed through the lens of developmental neuroscience - Open Access paper from JCPP

The overarching goal of this paper is to examine the efficacy of early intervention when viewed through the lens of developmental neuroscience. We begin by briefly summarizing neural development from conception through the first few postnatal years. We emphasize the role of experience during the postnatal period, and consistent with decades of research on critical periods, we argue that experience can represent both a period of opportunity and a period of vulnerability. Because plasticity is at the heart of early intervention, we next turn our attention to the efficacy of early intervention drawing from two distinct literatures: early intervention services for children growing up in disadvantaged environments, and children at elevated likelihood of developing a neurodevelopmental delay or disorder. In the case of the former, we single out interventions that target caregiving and in the case of the latter, we highlight recent work on autism. A consistent theme throughout our review is a discussion of how early intervention is embedded in the developing brain. We conclude our article by discussing the implications our review has for policy, and we then offer recommendations for future research.

Authors: Charles A. Nelson, Eileen Sullivan, Anne-Michelle Engelstad

Neurodiversity, autism and healthcare - Open Access paper from CAMH journal

I discuss current different uses of the term autism, the relation to intellectual disability, and introduce a conceptualisation of autism as emergent and transactional, which is consistent with current developmental and intervention science. This could bridge between neurodiversity and clinical perspectives and implies a framing of early intervention support that has strong clinical trials evidence and provides the basis for a rational and pre-emptive evidenced care pathway, which I describe.

Authors: Jonathan Green

Four Steps To My Future (4STMF): acceptability, feasibility and exploratory outcomes of a universal school-based mental health and well-being programme, delivered to young adolescents in South Africa - Open Access paper from our CAMH journal

We pilot tested an 8 session, cognitive-behavioural therapy-based programme, 4 Steps To My Future (4STMF) in two schools. Participants were grade 5 learners (n?=?222; Meanage?=?10.62 (Standard deviation?=?0.69)). 4STMF was delivered in class time by trained psychology postgraduates. Feasibility (rates of parental opt-out, child assent, assessment completion at baseline and follow-up, programme completion, session attendance and programme fidelity), acceptability (teacher feedback and focus groups with learners), as well as demographic data and data on a battery of a psychological measures were collected at baseline, postintervention and at one-month follow-up.

Authors: Bronwynè Coetzee, Maria Loades, Suzanne Human, Hermine Gericke, Gerrit Laning, Martin Kidd, Paul Stallard

Catch up on some recorded talks

Communication and assessment apps for use with children and young people - Led by Dr. David Glasgow?of Child and Family Training.

Interrelationships between parental mental health, intimate partner violence and child mental health – implications for practice - Led by Prof. Gene Feder, Dr. Shabeer Syed, and Dr. Claire Powell on behalf of the NIHR Children and Families Policy Research Unit.

Health inequalities, children and young people - This lecture from Professor Sir Michael Marmot ‘Health inequalities, children and young people’ was the keynote from the 2023 CAMH Lecture.