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Fall 2020 Live Interactive Forum - Anxiety and Worry in Youth
The 2020 ADAA Virtual Fall Forum focused on anxiety and worry in youth, a transdiagnostic issue affecting children, teens, and emerging adults and will address the ways in which technology can be harnessed to address these challenges. An interdisciplinary group of speakers presented on biological and psychosocial mechanisms and interventions.
The Fall Forum was held on October 29, 2020, 12-3 pm EST.
The Fall Forum is eligible for 3 CE/CME credits.
The webinar was recorded and will available on-demand. Updated link to view the on-demand recording will be available here and with our on-demand webinars.
Individual Presentations
"Will My Child be Permanently Affected?" A Developmental Approach to Helping Anxious Youth and Their Caregivers Meet the Challenges of These Times
A look at how developmental milestones have been disrupted by COVID-19 with particular effects on anxious youth (e.g. social anxiety). The speaker will discuss the impacts of isolation and quarantine, the uncertainty of youth returning or not returning to schools, the feelings of relief from the removal of social task demands, as well as the impacts of new challenges from increased virtual activity.
Sandra Pimentel, PhD
Sandra Pimentel, PhD is Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychology, Associate Director of Psychology Training, and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She launched and is Director of the Anxiety and Mood Program (AMP), a specialty training program in the Child Outpatient Psychiatry Department, and co-directs the Becoming an Emerging Adult at Montefiore (BEAM) Program, offering developmentally- and transition-focused care across the medical center system. Dr. Pimentel specializes in cognitive behavioral treatments (CBT) for children, adolescents, and young adults with anxiety, mood, trauma, and behavioral difficulties. She provides comprehensive assessments and consultations and individual, group and family therapy. Advanced training, mentorship, and community engagement are at the core of Dr. Pimentel's professional interests.
Innovations in Child and Adolescent Anxiety Treatment
This session provided a brief overview of the current landscape of evidence-based treatment for pediatric anxiety disorders and OCD. The speaker touched on updates and innovations in treatment of pediatric anxiety disorders and OCD in three areas: 1) treatment delivery and therapeutic approach, 2) digital therapeutics, and 3) select complementary and alternative interventions
Mona Potter, MD
Mona Potter, MD, is medical director of McLean’s Child and Adolescent Outpatient Services including the McLean Anxiety Mastery Program, School Consultation Service, and Adolescent DBT Outpatient Service. She also serves on the leadership team for the McLean Institute of Technology in Psychiatry (ITP) and is the Associate Training Director for the MGH/ McLean Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship. Dr. Potter has particular interest in the treatment of pediatric anxiety disorders, OCD, mood disorders, and borderline personality disorder, with a focus on collaboration with pediatricians, schools, and families.
Dr. Potter has experience in delivering a range of evidence-based therapies, including medication evaluation and management, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and motivational interviewing (MI), and she has growing interest and experience in the integration of technology to enhance mental health treatment.
Panel Discussion: The Intersection of Technology and Youth Anxiety
This panel focused on the ways in which technology has aided the development of innovative new treatments for anxious children and adolescents (e.g., teletherapy, therapy apps, computerized interventions) and has helped to normalize the experience of anxiety through targeted social media messaging. We discussed the ways in which technology has contributed to the significant increase in youth anxiety disorders and possible mechanisms involved in this correlation.
Panel Participants
Eli Lebowitz, PhD
Professor Eli Lebowitz studies and treats childhood and adolescent anxiety at the Yale School of Medicine, Child Study Center. His research focuses on the development, neurobiology, and treatment of anxiety and related disorders, with special emphasis on family dynamics and the role of parents in these disorders. Dr. Lebowitz is the lead investigator on multiple funded research projects, and is the author of research papers, books and chapters on childhood and adolescent anxiety. Dr. Lebowitz’ work has been recognized by private and public organizations including the Brain and Behavior Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health and The National Center for Advancing Translational Science. He is also the father of three great boys.
Krystal M. Lewis, PhD
Krystal M. Lewis, Ph.D is a clinical psychologist with the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience (SDAN) at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In addition, she is a member of the Stigma Scientific Interest Group (SIG) and the Anti-Racism Task Force at NIH. She specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for pediatric anxiety and has interest in identifying mechanisms of treatment for anxiety disorders in youth. Dr. Lewis has experience in delivering evidence-based therapies and collaborating with schools, families, and providers to disseminate scientific information which helps inform clinical practice and promote implementation of evidence-based treatments.
Lynn Lyons, LICSW
Lynn Lyons specializes in the treatment of anxious children and their parents with a special interest in interrupting the generational pattern of worry in families. She is the author of several books and articles including Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous and Independent Children, the companion book Playing with Anxiety: Casey’s Guide for Teens and Kids, and Using Hypnosis with Children: Creating and Delivering Effective Interventions.
In addition to her private practice in Concord NH, she presents internationally to mental health and medical providers, educators, school nurses, and parents.
Jamie Micco, PhD, ABPP
Jamie Micco, Ph.D. is Co-Founder of The Concord Center in Concord, MA, and Lecturer of Psychology (Part-Time) at Harvard Medical School. She is Board Certified in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology. She specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and mood disorders. She has first-authored or co-authored peer-reviewed publications on topics related to child/adolescent anxiety and depression, CBT, and information-processing biases. She is also the author of “The Worry Workbook for Teens" (New Harbinger). An active member of ADAA, Dr. Micco currently serves as Chair of its Professional Education Committee.
John T. Walkup, MD
John T. Walkup, MD, is Head of the Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and a Margaret C. Osterman Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. He also serves as Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
His scholarly activity covers three main areas of investigation. His work with movement disorders, specifically Tourette syndrome and the other tic disorders, uniquely spans psychiatry, child psychiatry and neurology. His expertise in child and adolescent psychiatry clinical trials focuses on the development and evaluation of psychopharmacological and psychosocial treatments and lastly, he has been involved in developing and evaluating interventions to reduce the large mental health disparities facing Native American youth, specifically drug use and suicide prevention.
Fall Forum Moderator - Barbara Kamholz, PhD, ABPP
Dr. Kamholz has been a public health leader, social justice advocate, educator, and clinical psychologist, with a mission to enhance human well-being and benefit society. Her broad background and expertise informs her work in grassroots advocacy, healthcare, non-profit organizations, and political engagement. She has developed in-person and virtual training programs locally and nationally, applied behavioral principles to enhance the messaging and mission of multiple organizations, and is adept at translating complex concepts for different audiences. As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Kamholz builds strong working relationships, develops strategies for behavioral change, and engages others in the hard work of effecting that change.
Dr. Kamholz plays leadership and advisory roles in multiple non-profit organizations and works in political advocacy and electoral politics. She is Associate Director of Outpatient Mental Health Services at VA Boston Healthcare System, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, and Board Certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology. She also provides direct patient care.
