Residents’ Day Workshop Descriptions

1) Participation of Young People in a Mission for Youth Mental Health
Daniel Frey & Youth Representative

A group of 80 young people representative for Switzerland have developed demands for the protection and promotion of youth mental health in Switzerland. A broad coalition, including young people themselves, has formed to implement these demands. In this workshop we will examine the demands as well as developing strategies for their implementaion.

2) Getting Families on Board - Multi-Family Work in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Elisabeth Merklin & Rich Fonje

Mental health issues in children and adolescents place a significant strain on family systems. Multi-Family Work (German: Multifamilienarbeit, MFA) is a form of systemic family therapy that involves multiple families. The families support one another and are encouraged to take responsibility for their children’s upbringing. In this workshop, we will explore how this collaboration can be implemented in different psychiatric settings (outpatient, day treatment, inpatient) for various disorders and age groups.

3) I am so much more than my BPD: The power of Lived Experience in Shaping the Way Forward
Marsha McAdam

Marsha McAdam is a Churchill Fellow, International Expert by Experience, and a leading advocate for early intervention and suicide prevention in young people with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Drawing on her lived experience of BPD, Marsha first focused on challenging stigma around personality disorders, later taking on influential roles on national boards where she helped shape policy, service design, and research priorities across the UK. In this workshop, Marsha will discuss her inspiring journey and share insights she gained while collaborating with leading experts from treatment and research centers in the UK, Australia, and the USA. Marsha’s experiences have reinforced her belief that lived experience must be embedded in all stages of research and health service development.

4) The Two Bad Guys: Administrative Pressure and Moral Injury in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Farshid Monshizadeh Tehrani

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) trainees often face institutional expectations and ethical conflicts that can influence their moral and/or clinical judgment, sometimes resulting in moral injury. As trainees progress to senior roles, increasing administrative responsibilities and reduced time for patient care can create additional pressure and dissatisfaction. This workshop addresses the “two bad guys” – administrative pressure and moral burden – and examines how they can influence professional experiences, erode clinical identity, and impact engagement in CAP.

5) Early Intervention in Psychosis: From Childhood to Young Adulthood
Marco Armando & Philippe Conus

Early intervention in psychosis has been proven effective when focused on distress, functioning, and vulnerability. Join Prof. Armando and Prof. Conus (CHUV) for an interactive session on assessing young people and delivering timely, developmentally-informed interventions.

6) Suicidal Suffering: Opening Conversations
Alberto Forte & Carole Kapp

The workshop will introduce suicidal suffering and the challenges involved in talking about suicidality in clinical practice, which can lead to avoidance and overly technical questioning, rather than engagement with the person’s lived experience. The workshop will combine selected theoretical elements on suicidal experience and communication with practical exercises that invite participants to explore different approaches in conversations about suicidality.

7) Assessment and Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children and Adolescents
Christian Hertel

In this workshop, we will explore the fundamentals of the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents. Participants can bring their own cases or learn the case studies of others. Specific topics may include the exploration of traumatic events, the implementation of trauma exposure, dealing with dissociation, and working with traumatized refugees.

8) A Well-Done Treatment that Does not Work
Patrick Charbon

Sometimes, even when a treatment or therapy is carried out according to recognized standards, it has no effect or may even make the problem worse. Before declaring that a patient is treatment resistant, it can be helpful to evaluate interpersonal issues susceptible to causing harmful effects. This workshop will explore how interpersonal issues can influence therapy. Participants are encouraged to bring clinical cases that can be discussed in the group.

9) An Innovative Model for Acute Crisis Intervention (AKI) in Bern
AKI-Team Bern

The demand for child and adolescent psychiatric care is steadily increasing, and crisis situations are commonplace. This workshop will introduce an innovative Acute Crisis Intervention (AKI) model in which child and adolescent psychiatric crises are temporarily managed by a multidisciplinary team in the patient’s home. The AKI team will share their clinical experiences using this model and participants can discuss the possibilities and limitations of the care model.

10) Adolescent Mental Health in the Context of Climate Change and Environmental Crisis
Maya Cosentino

Adolescents around the world report high levels of concern about anthropogenic climate change and ecological degradation. This workshop offers an overview of how climate change and the ecological crisis affect adolescent mental health. In particular, eco-anxiety—an internationally recognized phenomenon—will be discussed from the perspective of child and adolescent psychiatry.