2025 Critical Issues in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference

Critical Solutions for Critical Issues:

Reinstilling Hope & Connection in Youth Mental Health

The 10th annual CICAMH conference, themed “Critical Solutions for Critical Issues: Reinstilling Hope & Connection in Youth Mental Health”, focuses on equipping providers with practical strategies to promote mental well-being in youth mental health. The conference will emphasize fostering resilience, rebuilding connection within communities, and offering innovative approaches to improve outcomes for youth while incorporating their families. The conference will include two keynote presentations and six breakout presentations. Specific topics to be addressed during the conference include utilizing a strengths-based approach to foster relationships and resilience in teens, fostering caregiver-engagement in treatment for youth anxiety and ADHD, incorporating video games in therapy, pathological demand avoidance in autism spectrum disorder, and addressing vaping in teens. By exploring these topics, the conference aims to provide attendees with evidence-based tools and innovative strategies to foster hope, healing, and resilience in youth and their communities.

Learning Objectives:

1.Describe one way that therapists can promote resilient mental well-being in youth.
2.Describe how the HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) framework can improve mental well-being. 
3.Delineate two ways to incorporate caregivers into youth mental health treatment for anxiety and ADHD.
4.Identify two evidence-based treatment models for kids and teens diagnosed with ADHD. 
5. Explain the rationale for incorporating caregivers into treatment for children with ADHD.
6. Implement two family engagement strategies that can be used when working with teens who are reluctant to quit vaping, as assessed through case scenario discussions or role-play exercises.
7. Identify three different motivational interviewing skills that can be used when working with teens who are reluctant to quit vaping, as assessed through case scenario discussions or role-play exercises.
8. Identify three types of parental accommodations that are often present in families with anxiety. 
9. Explain the theoretical foundation and key components of parent-focused treatment for anxiety. 

Special Thanks to our Collaborators

County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, Behavioral Health Services  
University of San Diego & Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science
Rady Children’s Hospital – San Diego Department of Psychiatry
San Diego Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

2025 Course Directors and Chairs

Charmi Patel Rao MD, DFAACAP, Co-Medical Director, Vista Hill Foundation
Carrie Jackson, PhD, Licensed Child Psychologist

2025 Conference Coordination

Vanessa Pulido, LMFT, CICAMH Conference Coordinator, San Diego Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Tami Magaro, CICAMH Conference Coordinator

2025 Committee Members

Alexis Arias, LMFT. Clinical Director of Children, Youth, and Family Services at CRF.
Neha Bahadur, MD. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist.
Willard Connor, MD. Assistant professor, UCSD Department of Psychiatry.
Pardeep Giwani, MD, MPH, FAAP. Medical Director – Healthy Development Services, American Academy of Pediatrics, California Chapter 3.
Divya Krishnamoorthy MD, FAPA, President, San Diego Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Katie Lais DNP, PMHNP-BC, PMHNP Program Coordinator and Clinical Associate Professor Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, USD.
Kelly McCullough, LCSW. Director, La Jolla Therapy Center.
Edith Mohler, County of San Diego, Health and Human Services Agency, Behavioral Health Services.
Melanie Morones, MFT, ATR, ECMHS. Early Childhood Mental Health Clinical Director, YMCA San Diego.
Aisha Pope, LCSW. Chief Programs Officer, San Diego Center for Children.
Jeffrey Rowe, MD, DFAACAP. 
Charlie Benjamin Warter PsyD, CEO & Co-Founder of Protected Roots Integrative Treatment Center (PRI).
Katherine Williams, PhD. Child and Adolescent Psychologist. Clinical Professor, Psychiatry UCSD.