Services For Teens At Risk 20th Anniversary Conference On Resiliency In Children And Youth

PITTSBURGH , May 5, 2006 — The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s (UPMC) Services for Teens at Risk (STAR) Center is hosting its 20 th anniversary conference to promote resiliency in children and youth. The conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Thursday, May 11, at the William Pitt Union Building at the University of Pittsburgh.

This year’s conference will feature keynote speeches, including, “What Schools Can Do to Promote Resilience: A Review of Best Practices,” presented by Mary Margaret Kerr, Ed.D., associate professor of education and psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, and director of STAR-Center Outreach, and “The Rewards of Reducing Risk by Raising Resilience: A Contextual View of Adolescent Risk Behaviors,” presented by David A. Brent, M.D., Endowed Chair of Suicide Studies, professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, academic chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) and director of the STAR program.

Skill development workshops will be offered at the conference. Attendees can choose two of the following workshops:

* The ABCs of Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Depressed Children
* Surviving Change: Helping Students After a Crisis
* Update on the Use of Psychotropic Medication in the Treatment of
* Adolescents with Psychiatric Disorders
* Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Modifications and Techniques for Depressed Teens
* Strengthening Family Ties: The “Dos and Don’ts” of Parent-Teen Conflict
* Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
* Risk of Suicidality in Adolescents and Children Taking Antidepressants: A Discussion for the Non-Medical Mental Health Professional
Family-Focused Therapy for Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder
* Self-Esteem in At-Risk Adolescents: Helping Teens Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Themselves
* How to Lead an Eight-Week Therapeutic Support Group for Adult Suicide Survivors
* Family Treatment with Adolescent Depression and Suicidality
* Cognitive Behavior Therapy Maintenance Group Treatment: Helping Teens Stay Healthy

STAR-Center is a comprehensive research, treatment and training center funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s General Assembly in 1986 to address adolescent suicide and depression. The program provides individual assessment and treatment to teens who are experiencing depression and suicidality. STAR-Center also provides community education services about depression and suicidality to schools, social service agencies, churches and others.

The conference is held annually for clinical and educational personnel including psychologists, counselors, social workers, teachers and other professionals. Speakers at the conference will present an overview of child and adolescent depression, suicidality and other mental health issues.

Contact Information

Jocelyn Uhl

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Contact via E-mail