Let's Talk: Youth Psychology Podcast

In this episode, initially shared on February 24, 2024, we speak with Dr. Adam Kayfitz, who is a clinical psychologist specializing in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT). Dr. Kayfitz received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Windsor in 2011, and since then has worked in the education system, private practice, and a child mental health care and addictions center. As a certified Advanced Therapist in EFFT, Dr. Kayfitz has been practicing in Nova Scotia for 13 years. In this podcast, Dr. Kayfitz discusses the origins of EFFT,  the learned process of emotional expression and regulation by breaking down emotions through a psychological and sociocultural lens, and the role of emotions during and surrounding conflict between parents and their children. 

This episode was uploaded on our website in December, 2023. 

In this episode, we are speaking with Dr. Susan Rodger, who is a Psychologist and Associate Professor in the graduate program in Counselling Psychology at Western University. Dr. Rodger serves as a Research Associate at the Centre for Research and Education on Violence against Women and Children and the Centre for School-Based Mental Health. Her research focuses on barriers to mental health treatment and trauma-and violence informed care (TVIC) for teachers and teacher candidates. In the episode, Dr. Rodger discusses the implementation of TVIC in schools, and potential implications of such for the roles and responsibilities of school psychologists.

Welcome to the final episode of the 2024-2025 academic year of Let's Talk: Youth Psychology podcast. Anna-Francesca Boatswain-Jacques guest hosts this week's episode to discuss the assessment and prevention of risk for perpetration of sexual violence and abuse with Dr. Sandy Jung. 

Dr. Jung is a professor and associate dean of research in psychology at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta.  Her research in forensic psychology focuses on the prevention of sexual assault, child sex exploration and IPV. Dr. Jung frequently collaborates with law enforcement professionals and other scholars around the world. 

In this conversation, Anna-Francesca and Dr. Jung discuss the value of believing victims of sexual violence, guiding perpetrators to lead prosocial lives to reduce reoffending, evidence-based frameworks for risk assessment, validation of tools to assess risk in specific environments, and more.

Content warning: discussion of sexual assault, gender-based violence and related topics. 

This episode is sponsored by NeuroSolution and Sir Wilfred Laurier School Board.

On this episode of Let's Talk: Youth Psychology, Jamie Kreidstein, chair of Community Engagement at SISP is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Roberts. Dr. Roberts is a psychologist working at the Lester B. Pearson School Board in Montreal in elementary, high school and specialized settings. She has over 15 years of experience working in hospitals, community organizations, and schools. Jamie and Dr. Roberts explore the systems and structures that surround children today which contribute to the school climate, the impact of covid-19 on schools and staff, the power of parent-teacher collaboration, trauma-informed approaches to empowering parents and teachers, and the importance of reflection for regulation. 

Dr. Aaron Fischer is an associate professor of School Psychology at the University of Utah. He is the director of the University of Utah Technology in Training, Education and Consultation (U-TEC) lab and co-director of the Utah School Mental Health Collaborative, which works with different Utah districts to provide assistance, training and direct mental health support for effective integration of behaviour health services in education settings. His work is centers on the development and integration of effective technological tools for psychological teleconsultation. In this episode, he outlines how in-person consultation and teleconsulation differ, perceptions of technology and advances since COVID-19, and how these tools can be used to overcome access barriers to services. 

To learn more about his work visit: https://www.u-tteclab.com/https://profiles.faculty.utah.edu/u0982011  

Teleconsultation in Schools: A Guide to Collaborative Practice: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376953497_Teleconsultation_in_Schools_A_Guide_to_Collaborative_Practice 

This podcast was first published in November, 2023. Our guest is Steven Butler, who is a Licensed Counselling Therapist with the College of Counselling Therapists of New Brunswick. He is also a Professional Member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and is trained in providing trans and gender non-confirming care. In this podcast, Jamie and Steven discuss barriers to accessing mental health treatment and the importance of gender affirming care. 

Dr. Evelyna Kambanis is a post-doctoral research fellow at the Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program (EDCRP) at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. This episode, guided by Chair of Community Engagement, Jamie Kreidstein, focuses on which stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). Dr. Kambanis shares insights from her research and clinical experience on the diagnostic criteria for ARFID, the boundaries between typicality and atypicality surrounding feeding and eating throughout development, and the treatment and recovery process for ARFID. 

To learn more about Dr. Kambanis' work at the Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program (EDCRP) at Massachusetts General Hospital, visit: https://www.massgeneral.org/psychiatry/treatments-and-services/eating-disorders-clinical-and-research-program

Welcome back to Let's Talk: Youth Psychology podcast. In this episode, Jamie Kreidstein, Chair of Community Engagement, and Dr. Liz Angoff discuss neurodiversity-affirming assessments. Dr. Liz Angoff is a licensed Educational Psychologist, and has been working with students, families, and teachers for over 20 years in public schools, community settings, and private practice. She began her career as a classroom teacher, transitioned to family advocacy, and then went on to earn her degree as a school psychologist with a specialization in neuropsychology. Dr. Angoff describes the concept of neurodiversity, emphasizing its role as both a fact and a spectrum. She shares insights on fostering abstract thinking in children, provides strategies for conducting neurodiversity-affirming assessments—such as involving families, validating lived experiences, and increasing predictability—and discusses the universal benefits of catering assessment procedures to neurodiverse individuals. Tune in for an enlightening conversation on how to support and affirm clients, neurodivergent or not, in meaningful ways. 

We reference various tools that Dr. Angoff has created to help support children and families in conversations about diagnoses and other assessment-related components, linked below. 

https://explainingbrains.com/ 

Brain Building Book: https://explainingbrains.com/practitioner-manual/

Kid-Friendly Assessment Summary (construction zones and highways): https://explainingbrains.com/assessment-summary/

This episode of Let's Talk: Youth Psychology is hosted by Jamie Kreidstein, chair of Community Engagement for SISP. Dr. Kyle Sterrett is a researcher and clinical psychologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. He received his doctoral training at UCLA and received a postdoctoral fellowship at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, where he focused on conducting comprehensive ASD diagnostic evaluations across the lifespan. 

Jamie and Dr. Kyle Sterrett discuss Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessments, diagnosis, and interventions with a focus on supporting parents and caregivers. They specifically focus on his research, linked below, which explored the timing and factors influencing divorce in families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities, following them longitudinally from early childhood to early adulthood. Dr. Sterrett shares insights from research and clinical experience with parent training and ASD supports in diverse settings. 

Marital status over 28 years of parents of individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities. (Bahri, Sterrett, & Lord, 2023) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37126032/ 

New year, new SISP episode! This episode builds on research which assumes a strengths-based approach to study Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The conversation with Dr. Gonzalez Barrero, guided by Kennedy Ryan, explores language development in children with ASD. Based on her research, Dr. Gonzalez Barrero explains that bilingualism does not hinder language and cognitive skills of children with ASD but rather can foster set-shifting capacities. Further, they discuss the importance of using clear instructions for youth with ASD to maximize dedication of cognitive processes and social skills at school. Please enjoy!
You can read more about the publication discussed here: https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cdev.12979