Past Events

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought forth a great amount of uncertainty and stress, with tremendous effects on the mental health of diverse young people and families. These effects have undoubtedly highlighted the importance of relationships on mental health within families, communities, or societies, depending on one’s background or stage in development. In this presentation, we will examine the varied experiences across various subgroups, explore other significant risk and protective factors from a developmental and relational framework, and to consider next steps in efforts for the assessment and treatment of young people during the pandemic.

Participants will learn about social opportunities in college, social goal setting, and handling new social experiences as we explore Social Life in College: Adjusting to New Experiences as our theme for the day-long session. We will offer a Parent/Guardian Education Session from 8:30-10:30. A light breakfast will be provided as well as lunch for participants at Northeastern University, the campus we will be experiencing in the afternoon. The day will begin and end at the Baker Center (53 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston, MA 02120) and we will be using public transportation for traveling to and from Northeastern University.

How do you get people to embrace a new idea or initiative? Most people assume that the best (and perhaps only) way to convince people to embrace change is to heighten the appeal of the idea itself. We instinctively believe that if we add enough value, people will say “yes.” We refer to this habit of the mind as a “Fuel-based mindset.” Fuel is what ignites our desire to change. By focusing on Fuel to enhance attraction, innovators neglect the other half of the equation – the psychological Frictions that oppose change. Frictions create drag on innovation. And though they are rarely considered, overcoming these Frictions is essential for creating change.

This session will focus on building executive functioning skills and features a visit to Boston University.

Childhood onset psychiatric disorders increase the risk for developing a later substance use disorder (SUD). Systematic screening for substance use among children and adolescents with a psychiatric disorder is crucial, and pharmacological treatment for psychiatric disorders may mitigate the development of a SUD. Prevention is important since SUDs are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Once a SUD has developed in a youth with a psychiatric disorder both disorders need to be considered when developing a treatment plan. For example, psychiatric risk factors associated with drug overdose will be reviewed. Lastly, medication treatment for youth with co-occurring psychiatric and SUDs, including bipolar disorder will also be discussed.