CONGRESS PROGRAM

Conferencias / Conferences

Janet Treasure

King´s College, United Kingdom

Treating eating disorders

Janet Treasure is a psychiatrist who has specialised in the treatment of eating disorders for more than 25 years. She is currently director of the Eating Disorders Service, a leading centre in the clinical management of eating disorders and training. Professor Treasure holds, or has held, the following posts: Chief medical advisor for Beat, the UK’s primary eating disorder charity, and Former Chair for the physical treatment section of the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guideline Committee. In 2007, Professor Treasure received an Eating Disorders National Award from the national eating disorder charity Beat. During her career, she has edited seven academic texts on eating disorders and authored three self-help books, including, Getting better bite by bite on bulimia nervosa, Anorexia nervosa, a survival guide for families, friends and sufferers, a book for people with anorexia nervosa, parents and teachers, and Caring for a loved one with an eating disorder: a skills based manual of the new Maudsley method, for families and parents of people with an eating disorder. She delivers information and training via DVD, face-to-face workshops and seminars, for professional and non-professional carers. She has also developed an e-learning module on motivational interviewing. Professor Treasure has been active in research and has over 150 peer reviewed papers. In 1984, she was awarded the Gaskell medal from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. In 2004, she was awarded the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) Leadership Award in Research. The award honours an individual who has, over a substantial period of time, used research to develop new knowledge about eating disorders. In addition to her work with eating disorders, she has been involved in treatment trials for people with type 1 diabetes through cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing. She is also developing an intervention to work with the carers of adolescents with type 1 diabetes.

Peter Muris

Maastricht University, Holland

The fearful young: On the developmental and experimental psychopathology of anxiety

Peter Muris is full professor in Developmental Psychopathology at the Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University. After completing a master's degree in Mental Health Sciences (Clinical Psychology) at Maastricht University, he conducte PhD research on coping styles and anxiety at the University of Amsterdam. Muris returned to Maastricht as faculty member and completed his clinical training as cognitive behavior therapist and health psychologist. In 2004 he was appointed full professor in Clinical Psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam; in 2011 he accepted his current professorship at the Maastricht University. His research fits within the experimental psychopathology tradition and is predominantly focused on child and adolescent psychopathology, in particular anxiety disorders. A prolific author, Muris is also associate editor of the Journal of Child and Family Studies, Child Psychiatry and Human Development, and the Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, and member of the editorial boards of several other journals.

Robert A. Neimeyer
Memphis University, USA
 
Psychological intervention to death in the family: a narrative approach
 
The death of a loved one poses substantial challenges to all members of the family, as each struggles to integrate the "event story" of the loss while continuing to assess the "back story" of life with the deceased.  Drawing on a meaning reconstruction perspective, we will consider this difficult transition at both the level of the individual adults, adolescents and children in the family, as well as the family as a system, illustrating its dialogical, dialectic and dynamic nature through the use of brief case studies.  Special attention will be given to concrete recommendations for the treatment of grieving children and adolescents in keeping with this constructivist model.
Robert A. Neimeyer, Ph.D., is a professor in the Psychotherapy Research Area of the Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, where he also maintains an active clinical practice. Since completing his doctoral training at the University of Nebraska in 1982, he has conducted extensive research on the topics of death, grief, loss, and suicide intervention. Neimeyer has published 25 books, including Techniques of Grief Therapy:  Creative Practices for Counseling the Bereaved; Grief and bereavement in contemporary society: Bridging research and practice, and The Art of Longing, a book of contemporary poetry. The author of nearly 400 articles and book chapters, he is currently working to advance a more adequate theory of grieving as a meaning-making process, both in his published work and through his frequent professional workshops for national and international audiences.Neimeyer is the Editor of two respected international journals, Death Studies and the Journal of Constructivist Psychology, and served as President of the Association for Death Education and Counseling. In recognition of his scholarly contributions, he has been granted the Distinguished Research Award, the Distinguished Teaching Award, and the Eminent Faculty Award by the University of Memphis, elected Chair of the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement, designated Psychologist of the Year by the Tennessee Psychological Association, made a Fellow of the Clinical Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association, and given the Research Recognition Award by the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Most recently, he has received the Phoenix: Rising to the Service of Humanity Award by the MISS Foundation and ADEC’s Clinical Practice Award for his contributions to grief therapy.
Jordi Miró

University Rovira i Virgili, Spain

Attention to chronic pain in children

Ph.D. in Psychology. Professor of Health Psychology at the University Rovira i Virgili (URV) and distinguished researcher earning the ICREA-Academia award. Director of the Unit for the study and treatment of Pain at the URV and of the Master in General Health Psychology at the same university. He is one of the main researchers at the International Campus of Excellence South Catalonia (CEICS). Main researcher of ALGOS, a consolidated research team on pain recognised by the Regional Government of Catalonia. Coordinator of the Latin American Network for the Study and Treatment of Child Pain. He has received different awards for his research activity on pain. Recently, he was given the award for research excellence by the Regional Government of Catalonia (ICREA-Acadèmia, its last edition) and the award for research development in child pain by Fundolor. He has also received awards for research results by the Prince Girona Foundation and the Mobile World Capital Barcelona, for technological developments to facilitate the evaluation and treatment of people with chronic pain. 
Stephen N. Haynes
University of Hawai‘i, USA
 
Advances in Empirically Guided Treatment of Childhood Behavior Problems:  Away From Diagnosis and Toward Behavior Function, Mediation, Social Systems, and Individual Differences
 
Clinicians often encounter children who present with an extensive array of interacting behavior problems that are imbedded in complex social environments occur with medical complications and disabilities, and are influenced by multiple interactive causal relations.  Interventions based on psychiatric diagnoses, non-empirically based interventions, and empirically guided interventions that are poor fits to the child are insufficient bases for intervention decisions.  The interventions with the maximum benefit for the child are those that are based on a science-based approach to clinical assessment, match treatment mechanisms of action with the variables that affect the behavior problems, and are sensitive to dimensions of individual difference.
 
 
 
 
Cecilia Essau
Roehaptom University, United Kingdom
 
Family and Cultural Aspects of Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Implications for Treatment

 

Cecilia A. Essau is a Professor of Developmental Psychopathology and the Director of Centre for Applied Research and Assessment in Child and Adolescent Wellbeing (CARACAW) at the University of Roehampton, UK. Prof Essau was born and raised in the tropical jungle of Borneo Island. She received her early education in Sarawak, Malaysia and after completing her O-Level she went to Canada where she did her Highschool Diploma at Hillcrest Highschool in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree, her Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree and her Master of Arts degree from Lakehead University (Canada), her PhD from the University of Konstanz (Germany), and her “Habilitation” in Psychology (qualification for tenure-track professorships in Germany) from the University of Bremen (Germany). She is the first Iban woman to have received a PhD. She has held a number of academic positions in Canadian (Lakehead University), Austrian (Karl-Franzens University Graz), and German (Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, University of Konstanz, University of Bremen, Technical University Braunschweig, University of Muenster) universities before joining the University of Roehampton in 2004 as a Professor of Developmental Psychopathology. With research grants from numerous national and international institutions, her research has focused on understanding the interacting factors that can lead children and adolescents to have serious emotional and behavioural problems and using this research to (a) enhance the assessment of childhood and adolescent psychopathology and (b) design more effective interventions to prevent and treat such problems. Prof Essau is the author of 180 articles, and is the author/editor of 17 books in the area of youth mental health. She has been invited to deliver 26 Keynote addresses in major national and international conferences, and over 79 invited lectures/workshops in 39 countries.

 

Sesiones Clínicas / Applied sessions

Mireia Orgilés

Miguel Hernández University, Spain

Treatment of darkness phobia in children

A child with a phobia of the dark perceives dangers in absence of light and feels vulnerable when they have to sleep alone. They imagine frightening creatures hiding in their room that challenge them in the darkness. Their intense fear prevents them from enjoying normal activities for their age, like sleeping at a friend's house or spending the night away from home during a school trip. The phobia of the dark, one of the most common problems in childhood, adversely affects the child and their family, but fortunately its treatment is simple and effective. The session aims to present the therapeutic process for children and adolescents with phobia of darkness. The proposed protocol of intervention includes gradual exposure in vivo as its main technique and this is complemented by other educational, behavioral and cognitive therapy strategies that help the child cope with what they fear. There will be a brief summary of the psychopathology of the phobia of the dark and the tools to assess the child, as well as a presentation of the treatment, session by session, and possible solutions to specific problems that often occur during the treatment.

Mireia Orgilés is Professor in the area of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment at the University Miguel Hernández. She teaches child psychological treatment and she directs the Master in Psychological Therapy with Children and Adolescents. Her research focuses on the assessment and treatment of child and adolescent emotional problems and in particular, anxiety disorders. She is the author of the textbooks, Psychological Therapy with Children and Adolescents (2006), Psychological and educational intervention with children and adolescents (2007), Separation Anxiety (2008), and FORTIUS Programme (2012). As a result of her contributions to scientific journals and conferences, she received in 2010 the Young Investigator Award, with which the University Miguel Hernández recognizes the important career of young researchers. She is a member of the research group Analysis, Intervention and Applied Therapy with Children and Adolescents (AITANA) and an associate editor of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology. Her teaching and research is complemented with clinical practice, as she is a therapist and coordinator of the Childrens Therapy Unit at the University Clinic of the University Miguel Hernández.

 

 

Soledad Santiago

University of Malaga, Spain

Iconic therapy: clinical implementation

In this presentation, we will provide a general outlook on Iconic Therapy, fundamentally explaining its practicality, and the aspects it has an influence on (feeling of emptiness, insight, emotional control, thoughts that produce conflicts…). For the professional that applies this therapy, strategies to understand the user´s problems will be provided, in order to avoid the professional feeling lost when dealing with the user´s requests (frequently changeable). Furthermore, the particular representation of these strategies, facilitate their evocation in a matter of seconds. 

Soledad Santiago is Professor of the Psychology Faculty in Málaga and head of psychology in the Care Center San Juan de Dios. Iconic Therapy is a new kind of psychological treatment that uses symbol images (icons) to represent those therapeutic concepts that should be remembered in situations of emotional conflict and/or impulsivity. The icons benefit evocation and the memory´s rapidity facilitates the therapy´s use in daily life preventing impulsive behavior.

Aurora Gavino

University of Málaga, Spain

Treating child OCD

Aurora Gavino is Professor of Psychology at the University of Málaga, specialist in the psychological treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, a problem that she has been investigating since 1979, where she teaches Psychological treatments. She has been director of graduate studies in Clinical and Health Psychology at the university and a regular professor in clinical postgraduates at several Spanish universities. Well-known are her books of practical content for therapists, such as Help Guide for cognitive-behavioral therapists, Behavioral therapy techniques and Psychological treatments of clinical disorders. She is the director of the collection Therapeutic Resources, with Publishing Pyramid.

Luis Carlos Delgado

University of Zaragoza, Spain

Interventions based on mindfuless in child and adolescent field

It seems that similarly to what occurs with other treatments in the child and adolescent field, the applications based on mindfulness have also been transferred from the experience obtained in adults to children and adolescents. Logically this entails that if in adults there is still lack of agreement and unanswered questions, for example those related to the mechanisms of action and actual efficacy in certain issues, in the child and adolescent field there are even more questions to discover in relation to the interventions based on mindfulness. However, in the last decade the interventions with children and young people based on mindfulness have proliferated exponentially constituting undoubtedly an emerging field. The majority of published studies and revisions in recent years emphasise promising results that support the chance of mindfulness in its catalyst dimension of full development potential in students as well as in its possible use in particular clinical issues, such as ADHD, stress, anxiety, depression or eating disorders, to mention just a few examples. Some authors have suggested that the training in mindfulness can be especially useful to promote the development of self-regulation that takes into account the automatic somatic bottom-up processes, as well as the top-down processes. Furthermore, several methodology modifications in the techniques commonly used in adults have been proposed. The essential aim of this conference is to offer a clear view of the current situation in this emerging area of applications based on mindfulness in the child and adolescent field, as well as potential directions in the future.

Ph.D. in Clinical and Health Psychology by the University of Granada and Technical Industrial Engineer. Currently, assigned to the University of Zaragoza. He belongs to the research team of Human Psychophysiology and Health at the University of Granada, the team of Cognition, Language, Learning and Lifecycle at the University of Zaragoza, and the Research Network of Activities to Prevent and Promote Health. His doctorate thesis was on clinical applications based on mindfulness. Within his line of research he has developed numerous studies on the appliance of mindfulness skills to chronic worry, emotional self-regulation, coping with chronic pain or addictions. In recent researches he has studied the dissociation of mindfulness components. Over a decade he supplemented his activity at the University with psychotherapeutic exercise, and the practice and teaching of meditation and yoga. He has got long-term experience giving talks at courses, seminars and workshops related to these topics.

 
Yolanda Benito

Huerta del Rey Center, Valladolid, Spain

Child and adolescent neuropsychological assessment

Neuropsychology is one of the disciplines in neuroscience that studies the relationship between the upper and brain processes. Its main objective is to understand the functioning of the neuroanatomical circuits that are the basis of human behavior, which explains its special relationship with psychology. Neuropsychological Assessment is always part of the psychological evaluation because it helps to formulate a diagnosis, determining a diagnosis of comorbidity, measuring the degree of impairment or developmental level of the child and the quantification of the strengths and weaknesses thereof. This information is essential to develop interventions for a specific purpose, and to develop recommendations to enhance the strengths and compensate for areas of weakness. Moreover, establishing an initial baseline allows retesting later to track child development over time and to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. This session aims, through case studies, to present the neuropsychological evaluation process and techniques used to perform it. In this session Neuropsychological Evaluation of a child diagnosed with intellectual giftedness with neurodevelopmental disorder (DSM-5) will be discussed. Neuropsychological assessment at the request of a child neurologist to confirm the plane also exhibit behavioral and / or cognitive disorders of the nervous system and neurological examination detected by: child diagnosed with Vera Microcephaly.

Yolanda Benito Mate,  PhD in Psychology from the Radboud University of Nijmegen (Center for the study of giftedness, Netherlands, 1996) being his Thesis Directors: Prof. Dr. Franz J. Monks (University of Nijmegen) and Prof. Dr. Peter Heymans (University of Utrecht). Health psychologist Specialized in Neuropsychology Children and Youth, Director of the Centre "Huerta del Rey", recognized as a health center for the Castile and Leon. Member of the Division of Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology General Council of Spain. Member of the Division of Legal Psychology General Psychology Council Spain. Associate Professor of the University of Valladolid from 1992 to 2003. Professor Doctoral several years at the University of Valladolid and the University of Deusto. Professor of postgraduate courses, Master and Specialization in several international universities. Author of several national and international research and studies on neuropsychological level. Co-Director of Doctoral Thesis in the neuropsychological field. Author and Co-author of 16 books and more than 100 international publications. President of the American Federation of World Council for Gifted and Talented Children (2003-2009). President of the Evaluation Commission and Identification of the European Committee for the education of gifted children and adolescents (Eurotalent NGOs) having consultative status with the Council of Europe. Advisor Representative in Spain of the Scientific Committee.

Simposios invitados / Symposiums

Juan Manuel Moreno

University of Extremadura, Spain

Systems of child protection

The symposium emphasises, from a practical perspective, the efforts that have been made in the area of child protection and, the amount of work that is still left to do. Issues will be addressed such as, mental health in minors in residential foster care, prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems, treatment efficacy, specificity of interventions and programmes, and proposals that have emerged in recent years. Other matters addressed are the existing relationship between matrimonial maladjustments, negative parenting practices and psychopathology in children and adolescents. And in legal terms, we will analyse the psychosocial and family features in offending minors accused of child-to-parent violence prosecuted by the Minors´ Prosecuting Office of the Badajoz province and the legal proceedings taken place.

Juan Manuel Moreno Manso is a Senior University Lecturer in the field of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, in the Psychology Department at the University of Extremadura. Psychology Graduate specialised in Clinical Psychology. Master in Child Clinical Psychology. Director of the Master in Prevention and Treatment of Violence: psychosocial, health, educational and legal, interventions (currently 7th Year). Research team GRESPE (Stress, Health, Psychopathology and Emotional Well-being). Field of research: Contexts and situations of violence, harassment and abuse. Prevention and intervention programmes. 

Marina Muñoz

Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain

Interpersonal violence in the youth population: descending, ascending and partner violence

The aim of this symposium is to take a close look at the nature of the violence imposed by young people and adolescents in different contexts and their relation with family, personal and risky contextual factors. In an intra-family context, the first two presentations will be focused on the analysis of the specific characteristics and risk factors associated to ascending violence (children-parents) providing data gathered from a sample of children and adolescents in Madrid. The last two speakers will be focused on the problem that violence entails in dating relationships among young people and adolescents. On the one hand, there will be a detailed analysis of the risk and protective factors associated to violence in a large sample of adolescents in Madrid. On the other hand, the contents of a prevention proposal and the results obtained after its implementation in a sample of young people from Madrid will be presented. 

Dr. Marina Muñoz Rivas. Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology by the Complutense University of Madrid and professor in the Department of Biological and Health Psychology in the Psychology Faculty at the Autonomous University of Madrid. Currently, she coordinates the Area of Clinical Psychology in the Centre of Applied Psychology and the Master of General Health Psychology at the same University. Over the past 10 years, her lines of research have been focused on the study of dating relationships in Spanish youth. She has directed several Research and Development (I+D) research projects focused on the analysis of the prevalence and the characteristics of the phenomenon in more than 6000 adolescents and youths in Madrid and, more recently, the development and implementation of a specific prevention programme in schools. Currently, in a representative sample of Spanish youth and adolescents, the associated risk and protective factors are being analysed with the aim to develop a preventive intervention guide for social elements (family, school, society, health professionals). 

Reyes Moliner

Catholic University of Valencia, Spain

The role of emotional regulation in disorders throughout childhood and adolescence

This roundtable presents a revision on the current state and the models that explain emotional regulation and their role in the psychopathology of various disorders, with an emphasis on disorders that occur during childhood and adolescence. Studies will be presented that support, on the one hand, the efficacy of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), implemented in a hospital unit, in the treatment of adolescents with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and on the other hand, the efficacy of an intervention based on emotional regulation, using mindfulness, in comparison with others, observing improvements in the measurements related to emotional and behavioural skills. In addition, data will be presented from a clinical sample of adolescents with Borderline Personality Disorder and Eating Disorder, in which we can see the role that certain variables play, such as Meaning of Life together with emotional dysregulation, when predicting associated symptoms in BPD. To conclude, we want to emphasise that emotional regulation plays an important role in childhood and adolescence disorders and it is advisable to use therapeutic tools to intervene in this process.

Ph.D. in Psychology by the University Jaume I. She is a psychologist specialised in Clinical Psychology. Currently, she works as a professor and researcher, at the Catholic University of Valencia "San Vicente Mártir", in the Developmental and Education Psychology Department. She teaches in Psychology, Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Therapy, at graduate and postgraduate level. At the same university, she also undertakes work related to academic management. She has been an associate professor at the University Jaume I, assigned to the Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment Department. Her clinical experience, with adults, as well as with children and adolescents, has focussed on the treatment of different emotional disorders, standing out over the past few years, her work in the study and treatment of personality disorders and their comorbidity to other disorders. She has presented several researches at Psychology conferences, at a national and international level, and given courses and workshops to students and mental health professionals, all of them related to clinical practice. Furthermore, she is a professor in masters of serveral Spanish universities, in the field of Clinical and Health Psychology. She has also participated in various national and international research projects, in the field of treating psychological disorders.

 

 

Maite Garaigordobil

University of the Basque Country, Spain

Emotions in children and adolescents: Connection with family and personal adjustment factors

Taking into account the recent studies that support the relevant role of positive emotions in people´s adaptation, the symposium revolves around the connection between emotions, thoughts and behaviours. In the last decades there has been a special emphasis on the relevance of emotions and the need to promote, alongside cognitive development, social and emotional development to encourage people´s full development. Results of the studies presented in the symposium, apart from confirming the relevance of positive emotions for human development, enable to identify relevant variables to design intervention programmes that promote personal and social adjustment.

Senior Lecturer of Psychological Assessment at the University of the Basque Country. She is known for her psychological intervention programs in educational contexts and the development of assessment instruments. As a result of her work, she has received the National Award for Educational Research in 1994 and in 2003 awarded by the Ministry of Education and Science. As an expert in peer violence, she is involved with the media addressing issues such as bullying and violence prevention in the school context.

Antonio Godoy

University of Málaga, Spain

Anxiety disorders and problems in children and adolescents: psychopathology, assessment and treatment

The present symposium has the aim of introducing new knowledge on anxiety disorders and problems in children and adolescents. The first speaker, Josefa Canals, will talk about psychopathology and will present data on the epidemiology of these disorders in our environment, as well as indicative data on the importance of anxiety problems on school performance and on the physical health of the people who suffer from them. The second presentation, belonging to Alejandro de la Torre, talks about the feasibility and validity when assessing these types of disorders via the Internet. The third speaker, Virginia Martín, will explain an important problem present in the majority of anxiety disorders: its high comorbidity with other psychological disorders. In particular, her paper will present data of anxiety disorder´s comorbidity with oppositional defiant disorder, as well as data on some common underlying variables that could facilitate the treatment and prevention of both types of disorders. Finally, Raquel Nogueira´s presentation will be an explanation on how comorbidity has an influence on the treatment results in obsessive-compulsive disorder. 

 
Remedios González

University of Valencia, Spain

Relationship between emotions and attachment in adolescents

The studies on emotions in adolescence have a longer trajectory than those in children, although in both periods it is still incipient. It has become evident how emotions modulate human behaviour and particularly that of an adolescent. A good emotional development guarantees a psychological, harmonious and complete growth in all areas of human performance. The aim of this symposium is to share the studies that we are carrying out on the relationship between emotional development in adolescents and the forming of attachment bonds. For this purpose, researches will be presented in which there are studies on the relation between emotion and peer-to-peer attachment, between emotional intelligence and infant-parent attachment as well as the importance of emotional development in early sexual relationships and in the development of social skills. The results show how emotional development in adolescents plays a key part in their whole performance and personal growth. Pointing out the importance of carrying out programmes/workshops that promote cognitive, social and emotional skills, to help adolescents confront the demands of this stage of development. 

Senior Lecturer of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatments in the Psychology Faculty (University of Valencia). Over the past decades she has held several positions such as the Practicum Vice-Dean, Coordinator of the Postgraduate Diploma in Speech Therapy, President of the Ibero-American Association for Psychological Diagnosis and Assessment and Vice-President, Director of this journal, and she has been a member of several University commissions. Her research has focussed mainly on childhood and adolescence (school relationships and environment, emotional competences, educational styles, school violence…). Although there has also been a focus on adult population (gender-based violence, postpartum depression, cognitive impairment…). The aims have been to determine the risk profiles in the studied issues. The studies have been financed by organisms via public callings, giving way to national and international publications and the participation in congresses. She has also participated in collaborations with other local, national and international institutions. 

Inmaculada Moreno

University of Sevilla, Spain

Updates of child psychological treatments

The aim of this symposium is to present some of the updates carried out in the last decade within the field of child treatments. It consists of four presentations, two referring to current intervention proposals developed from the behavioural-cognitive model. The remaining speakers present current discoveries on the recommended treatment for two specific disorders, of special relevance at this age. The first speaker will explain the EDUCA-R programme that aims to promote a positive educational pattern in parents and, with this new style of education, be able to encourage the main resilient qualities in their children. The aim of the second scientific contribution is to show how Well´s Metacognitive Therapy proceeds in its application with children and adolescents. In the symposium´s third presentation there will be a review of the current treatments that present empirical evidence to intervene in post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents. The aim of the last presentation is to analyse the effects and contributions that neurofeedback has to the treatment of ADHD, in comparison to pharmacological treatment and behavioural therapy.

Inmaculada Moreno is Professor of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment Department of the University of Seville. She teaches Behavior Modification Children and Youth at the University of Seville and combines this teaching with his participation in the Master of Health Psychology and Educational Psychology at universities. She is responsible for Group Research "Clinical Psychology and Quality of Life of Patients and Families". Author of several books on Child Behavior Therapy (Therapy childhood behavior. Intervention Guide) Hyperactivity (The hyperactive child. A Guide for Parents, Children Hyperactivity. Operation Guide). Principal Investigator of the draft National Plan i + d + i (PSI2008-06008-C02-01) project. Randomized, controlled, open to assess the efficacy of Neurofeedback in ADHD Behavioral Treatment against a standard drug treatment and study. Her research focused on hyperactivity and Effectiveness of Child Psychological Treatments.

Lucía Tomás

Official Psychological Association of Aragon, Spain

Self-knowledge as a determinant of social and emotional adaptation

The study of self-knowledge has been considered a topic of interest among psychologists, sociologists and educators for decades, due to the individual and social importance given to this construct. How people see themselves, referring to their self-image, and the value that they attribute, as well as their self-esteem, determine to a large extent, the goals that individuals set themselves in life, the attitudes that they maintain, the behaviours that they show and the answers that they give to others. Therefore, a healthy self-knowledge constitutes one of the main factors in an individual´s emotional and social adjustment, facilitating personal development through the knowledge of their own strengths and weaknesses. 

Lucía Tomás Aragonés received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Zaragoza. She is the Vice-president of the Official Psychological Association of Aragon. She works as a Post-doctorate researcher at the Aragon Institute of Health Sciences and as an associated professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Zaragoza. She teaches in the area of Developmental and Educational Psychology, specifically teaching the subjects of Developmental Psychology and Developmental Processes and Diversity. 

 

José Luis Graña

Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Juvenile delinquents: criminal activity relapses and drug use

In the symposium the following aspects are going to be addressed: a) criminal and drug use characteristics in young offenders; b) efficacy of a psychological intervention programme to treat drug use; c) effects of an education and therapeutic treatment programme in young offenders on different risk factors to reoffend; and d) development of an instrument to predict the risk and to assess the intervention in young offenders.

Victoria del Barrio

UNED Madrid, Spain

Modulating aspects in child adjustment

It is well known that pathological disorders during infancy and adolescence, far from descending in developed countries, are increasing in some areas, above all the emotional ones. Important factors such as Temperament, Personality, Family and Society are established as the relevant ingredients in adjustment or maladjustment, although there is a lot left to investigate on the different interactions between these basic elements. In this symposium the aim is to analyse those questions that can answer and explain the different relationships that the diverse risk factors have with the appearance of the different psychological maladjustments that appear in children and adolescents. The group of experts that participate have a good judgement in the analysis of typical problems during childhood in our immediate surroundings and they will present the results of their research on maladjustment issues such as anxiety, aggression, depression, and on those aspects that can be used as a defence mechanism when faced with these maladjustments such as: empathy, prosocial behaviour, fortitude and positive emotions. In this manner, the therapeutic intervention is expected to be more effective on the analysed disorders.

Researcher on child emotions, especially Depression, Aggressiveness and Anxiety, as well as their most important risk factors: Temperament and Family. This can be seen in her latest published articles: "Dimensionalidad de la empatía y su relación con depresión, agresión y conducta prosocial" (Empathy dimensionality and its relationahsip with depression, agression and prosocial behaviour), “Agresión física y verbal en niños de familias monoparentales divorciadas y biparentales: el efecto moderador del género de los hijos” (Physical and verbal aggressiveness in children in single-parent, divorced and two-parent families), “Effects of Parental Interpersonal Power/Prestige and Acceptance on the Psychological Adjustment of Spanish”. And also in her books: “El libro de la Familia” (The Family book), “La agresión infantil de cero a seis años” (Child aggression from 0 to 6 years old), “Depresión Infantil y adolescente” (Depression in children and adolescents). She is a member of Spanish and international scientific Societies where she has held a number of positions, she has participated in the organisation of congresses, she has been the Director of the SPA at the UNED, as well as the founder and director of the journal Acción Psicológica (Psychological Action). She has received numerous awards such as, Aitana Award, Psychology Promoter in the media Official Association of Psychologists in Madrid, Fellow Award de la IAAP. 

 

Cristina Larroy

Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Child behavior disorders

In the symposium different child behavioural problems will be addressed, their assessment and their intervention from a cognitive-behavioural approach, and from different perspectives: individual treatment in private practice, group treatment and treatment in a hospital setting (Day Clinic at the Niño Jesús Hospital in the Autonomous Region of Madrid). The problems addressed will those related to child disobedience, attention deficit disorders with and without hyperactivity, and behavioural disorders in adolescents. Furthermore, we will discuss the differences, advantages and disadvantages between individual intervention versus group intervention and the differential effectiveness of a formal programme for parents of children with ADHD disorders. 

Cristina Larroy was awarded a Ph.D. in Psychology by the Complutense University of Madrid, she is a Senior Professor with lecturer credentials from the Clinical Psychology Department at the same university, coordinator of the Graduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology and director of the Official Master in General Health Psychology, both of them at the UCM. Her contributions to the study and dissemination of child behavioural problems are specified in numerous books (some of which, such as “The disobedient child” have more than ten re-editions and translated to other languages), book chapters, conferences, contributions in congresses, etc. She has also worked on problems in adolescents, specifically with patients with Eating Disorders and adolescents with menstrual cycle problems.

 

José Manuel Peixoto Caldas

University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Child and adolescent Psycho-oncology: current state and future prospects

The main aim of the Symposium “Child and adolescent psycho-oncology: current state and future prospects” is the psychosocial care of children and adolescents with cancer, their families and the oncology team. The peculiarities of childhood mean that cancer treatment is different to that in adults. The medical treatment is different. The necessary care also tends to differ. Due to their early age they are still very closely connected with their parents, with their family. Their needs as patients are also very different. The psychological intervention will have to take into account that they are individuals that are in permanent development. For this reason they require different psychodiagnosis and psychotherapeutic orientation methods. Due to the fact that the key moments, in the disease process, are the diagnosis, treatment and remission, there is a psychological intervention throughout all of these phases. This is why it is necessary to develop multidisciplinary programs that help develop coping strategies to help overcome the stress from the illness´ psychosocial consequences.

Invited Professor of the Clinical Psychology Department in the Psychology Institute of the University of São Paulo, Senior Researcher of the FAPESP - São Paulo Research Foundation, Associate Professor in the College of the Americas – Inter-American Organization for Higher Education, Coordinator of the Social and Community Medicine Unit of the CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research in the Medicine Faculty of the University of Porto. Person in charge of the Education, Gender and Health Professorship, and the academic-scientific coordinator of the Master in Gender(s), Diversity, Sexual and Reproductive Health in the College of the Americas (COLAM-OUI).  Director of the Iberoamerican Observatory of Health and Citizenship (http://www.iohc-pt.org/) and of the Iberoamerican Journal of health and Citizenship ISSN 2182-4185.

José Luis Pedreira

UNED Madrid, Spain

Social cognition and the beginning of psychosis 

In recent years, the advances in neuroscience have made possible the dissemination of certain concepts as fundamental elements in psychosis. One of these concepts is social cognition. The alteration of the factors that define this concept in schizophrenia, in relation to the general population, reveals one of the fundamental factors in the altered functioning of sensory perception in these types of patients but, does this also happen in the beginning stages of the illness? How can we assess it? A second characteristic proceeds in the interpretative phase that the psychotic patient carries out of this reality and the “aberrant” way in which it is done, in relation to what is actually happening in the external reality. Do these two factors of social cognition and aberrant salience appear in clinical practice? How are they expressed? How do we conduct the clinical assessment?

PhD in Medicine. Specialised in Paediatrics and Psychiatry. Master in Quality of Health Caring Services. Psychotherapist accredited by the FEAP and ICOMEM. Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist of children and adolescents at the Child University Hospital Niño Jesús. Tutor-Professor UNED. Visiting Professor at various Ibero-American Universities. National Psychosocial Research Award, 2000. Member of the International Network of field work for the CIE-11 (International Classification of Illnesses).

Miguel Angel Carrasco

UNED Madrid, Spain

The father figure in the family group

The father figure in the family setting has traditionally been studied less than the mother figure. Currently, there is an extensive amount of literature that has gone into detail about the role of this figure in the psychological adjustment of their children and the main conclusion is that the importance of this figure is, at least, as relevant as a mother figure. However, there are still a vast amount of unexplained questions in relation to the differential contribution of one and the other in the children´s adjustment as well as the relevance of either one of them depending on the type of disorder. The aim of this symposium is to analyse the father´s role in today’s Spanish family setting. Using an extensive and recent sample of Spanish families, there will be a discussion on the involvement of the father, his contribution to his children´s different psychological problems and an explanatory model of how the family dynamic and its characteristics affect the psychological health of the children will be tentatively proposed.

Miguel Ángel Carrasco Ortiz, Professor of Psychological Assessment in the Psychology Faculty at the National University for Distance Education and coordinator of the Psychology Service at this university. His research and teaching activities have been focussed fundamentally on the assessment of problems in children and adolescents. To find more details on his scientific attributes, as well as his teaching and clinical duties click on the following web page: 
http://portal.uned.es/portal/page?_pageid=93,695405&_dad=portal&_schema=...
 

Meritxell Pacheco

University Ramon Llull, Spain

Child and adolescent development: risks and resources

In this symposium a reflection, from different points of view, will be contemplated on how children´s and adolescent´s personal and sociocultural context has an impact on the development of their emotional abilities and, by extension, of their abilities as social beings. The ultimate purpose of the symposium is to contribute to the proposal of strategies and resources to encourage emotional well-being even in complicated and/or socially risky situations. For a child to be able to learn to self-regulate emotionally and develop the emotional and social resources that strengthen their psychological well-being, they need a balance between risk and resistance factors in their immediate surroundings, from a biological as well as from a psychological or sociocultural point of view. Summing up, in this symposium we will be presenting four presentations with which we will clearly illustrate with examples how biological, psychological and sociocultural processes should develop harmoniously in children´s upbringing and strategies and resources will be provided to encourage emotional and social well-being during infancy.

Meritxell Pacheco Pérez has a Ph.D. in Psychology and she is a psychotherapist. Professor at the Blanquerna Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sports Sciences FPCEE, at the University Ramon Llull. Since the start of her professional career she has dedicated herself to training, from a constructive-narrative positioning, professionals that work in the field of child and family studies, and in the last decade she has worked specifically in intervention with adoptive families. Co-coordinator of the Inter-university Master in Adoption and Fostering: Multidisciplinary Intervention (Blanquerna Faculty of Psychology, University Ramon Llull, URL; University Pontificia Comillas). She carries out research and publishes mainly in the field of adoption and fostering affiliation as well as on the development of the psychotherapeutic process. 

Montserrat Peris

University of the Basque Country, Spain

Adolescents and young people caught in the web

Currently, the use of the Internet has turned into the way to connect, communicate and spend your free time as well as a means to sexual satisfaction among adolescents and young people, known as digital orphans and the virtual generation. This symposium puts forward several researches related to how adolescents and young people get trapped online: (1) Young people and adolescents that play online: Consequence of gambling and sports betting online. The changes suffered due to the new technologies, its access and how the personal profile of the players has changed, will be described. There are differences between young and adolescent pathological players, and those that do not have problems with gambling; (2) Young people and adolescents addicted to Facebook: Sexual risk behaviours on the Internet. This study investigates the profile of the youth and adolescents that show sexual behaviours by publishing photographs on social networks, from which gender differences were found in this type of behaviour; (3) Addictions risks and personality factors. In this study the differences between adolescents with and without risk of social network addiction are analysed and the results from the correlations between addiction and the following personality factors will be presented: neuroticism, extraversion, disinhibition, general self-esteem, body-social image and narcissism. (4) Trapped online: An assessment strategy. An assessment instrument will be presented to identify social network and Internet addiction. It is made up of 29 items, grouped into four factors: Signs of addiction, Social Use, Freakish Traits and Nomophobia. Differences depending on age and gender will be established and the results of the test´s psychometric properties will be shown. 

Health Psychologist, she forms part of the Research Teachers of the Psychology Faculty at the UPV. Master in Family and Couples Therapy supported by the "Spanish Federation of Psychotherapy" (FEAP). She has collaborated in research projects and obtained a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship by the Basque Government. Among her publications are: Body Esteem, virtual publications and sexuality in adolescents. The physicality of adolescents on social networks, Harassment via sexting on social networks and associated risk factors. She has taught courses at various conferences and professional forums both educational and clinical-social, especially on risk factors on social networks, prevention and intervention, and child diagnosis through drawing.

José Manuel García-Fernández

University of Alicante, Spain

Perfectionism and school anxiety in compulsory education

The academic world is one of the most prevalent domains of perfectionism and it implies, among other aspects, the need to reach excessively high performance standards without experiencing satisfaction even when excellent grades are achieved. Perfectionist students tend to be highly self-critical and to believe that the people that are important to them, such as their parents or teachers, expect them to be perfect in everything they do, which causes extreme concern and fear of mistakes, as well as, of disappointing loved ones. This group of irrational beliefs that characterise perfectionism consist of psychological vulnerability factors and can entail very severe psychopathologies. In this sense, research has established the existence of a positive relation between anxiety and perfectionism during infancy and adolescence. However, after reviewing the existing literature, studies carried out in the specific field of school anxiety were not found. Nevertheless, school anxiety is a research topic of great interest, not only because epidemiological studies establish high prevalence rates, but also due to the consequences that it entails in all areas of a child´s development. Therefore, the aim of the present symposium is to explain the relation between perfectionism and specific anxiety in the presence of school situations, as well as, how to analyse its influence on academic development throughout compulsory education, studying the way in which these variables are associated with various constructs of psychological and educational interest.

José Manuel García Fernández is a University Professor. Currently he carries out his teaching and research work at the Developmental and Didactics Psychology Department at the Alicante University. He has published more than seventy articles, half of them with an international impact (JCR) in scientific Psychology and Education journals, as well as more than a hundred and fifty studies presented at national and international congresses. His main lines of research are assessment and treatment in anxiety and school rejection and its relation with cognitive-motivational variables, and the analysis of the explanatory variables in school performance.

Maria do Céu Salvador

University of Coimbra, Portugal

New developments in the conceptualization and treatment of anxiety and depression in adolescents

In this symposium studies will be presented related to test anxiety, social anxiety and depression, with an attempt to contribute to the progress in these areas of research, relating these issues to other more current and less frequent issues, but equally important, for a more comprehensive and effective approach. In the first speech, Dr. Salvador (Portugal) will present a study on test anxiety and perfectionism, which analyses the role played by self-criticism and self-pity in this relationship. In the second presentation, Dr. Mar Díaz-Castella (Spain) will give a speech on the relation between social anxiety disorder and the perception of parents’ style of upbringing. In the third presentation, Dr. Lourdes Espinosa-Fernández give a presentation on the relation between a family environment with high expressed emotion and adolescents´ perception towards their parents’ style of upbringing. Lastly, in the fourth presentation, Dr. Ana Paula Matos will present the results from the implementation of two programmes to prevent depression in adolescents. 

Profª Céu Salvador received her doctorate from the University of Coimbra, where she is presently teaching as Professor of CBT with children and adolescents, researching and supervising CBT training. Her main interest and research focus on assessment, conceptualization and treatment of social anxiety disorder in adolescents and adults, and third generation therapies. She is also a clinical psychologist and Clinical Director of the Psikontacto Clinic – a centre for clinical training and clinical intervention. She is accredited as a psychotherapist and supervisor by the Portuguese Association for Behavioral Therapies and as schema focused therapist by the International Society for Schema Therapy. 

Santos Orejudo

University Zaragoza, Spain

Research and interventions in Child Psychopathology with Positive Psychology

This symposium introduces four different papers written by members of the research team Entrepreneurship and Coaching: Social and personal development at the University of Zaragoza, within the line of work Positive Adolescent Development. Within this line of work, we work to do research via different socio-personal constructs (optimism, self-efficacy, emotional intelligence) on development of personal competences and the contextual factors that promote them. Complementary, interventions will be proposed to apply techniques related to social and emotional intelligence. In this way, four papers will be presented, two of which analyse the role of personal and family variables on two psychopathological problems (performance anxiety and anorexia) and the other two present interventions related to emotional intelligence, one of them in clinical contexts and the other in an educational setting. 

Santos received his Ph.D. in Psychology by the Autonomous University of Madrid. Professor in the Education Faculty of the University of Zaragoza and coordinator of the Oficial Master in Introduction to research in learning throughout life in multicultural contexts. Founding member of the Research Team Entrepreneurship and Coaching: Social and personal development. Among his research approaches we can find those related to positive adolescent development, case methodology or anxiety in front of the action, from which he has several published papers in important journals. He has recently participated in the Scientific Committee of the 1st International Congress of Emotional Intelligence and Well-being in Zaragoza and is chairman of the Scientific Committee of the 2nd  International Congress of Emotional Intelligence and Well-being to take place in Zaragoza in 2015.

Xavier Carbonell

University Ramon Llull, Spain

Addictions to new technologies

In this symposium, technological addictions will be addressed from four perspectives. The first presentation will be a reflection on whether all information and communication technologies are potentially addictive. The second one will focus on the use of Facebook and how adolescents form their identity on social networks. The third presentation describes the use of the Internet and mobiles in North American university students. The last presentation explains a treatment programme for video game addiction applied in a mental health centre for adolescents.

Xavier Carbonell. Ph.D. in Psychology. Senior Lecturer at the Ramon Llull University in the Blanquerna Faculty of Psychology, Educational and Sport Sciences. Since 1985, he has been a clinical psychologist at the Garbivent Centre that provides services to drug addicts in the city of Barcelona. Coordinator of the book Technological addictions, what are they and how to treat them with the Editorial Síntesis. He participates in research projects resulting in the publication of articles in scientific journals and book chapters. 

Mateu Servera

University of the Balearic Islands, Spain

Complementary tests in the diagnosis of ADHD: options and data

The symposium will introduce complementary tests recently proposed (or not so recent but with new data) to complement or help the diagnosis of ADHD and that can bring up matters such as the executive functions, function deterioration, time perception, EEG, sluggish cognitive tempo, etc. There is not going to be time for everything but we are going to select and try to invite researchers that also work, to a greater or lesser extent, in this direction.

Mateu Servera has his Ph.D. in Psychology and is a Psychologist specialised in Clinical Psychology. Senior lecturer at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) since 1993 and researcher at the University Institute of Research in Health Sciences (IUNICS) since 2002. His main study focus is centered on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He has been a main researcher or researcher in 12 competitive research projects, 4 research contracts and is author or co-author of more than 30 articles in scientific journals, more than 25 collaborations in books, chapters in books, monographs or scientific documents and more than 70 collaborations in conferences or scientific reunions. 

Inmaculada Gómez Becerra

University of Almería, Spain

Clinical session on the intervention in cases of child emotional problems

Four clinical studies on child-adolescent cases with different psychological disorders will be presented, all of which are internalizing and are based on emotional difficulties, specifically: borderline personality disorder, mood disorder or avoidant disorder with suicide attempt, posttraumatic stress after severe cranioencephalic trauma, and emotional selective mutism. Furthermore, the cases are analysed and treated from different perspectives and therapeutic strategies (from a systemic perspective and attachment theory, from a functional-contextual perspective including third generation therapies, from a neuropsychological and psychoeducational perspective) and in different contexts (clinical context in itself even through games, family context and school context). In the light of the successful and new results in all the clinical cases we can conclude that: in all of them there is a need of interdisciplinary interventions, that do not stigmatize, more focussed on emotional well-being than on symptom based treatments, based on positive psychology and with an integral approach (when considering the family dynamic and the social-educative environment of the children), and with a special emphasis on the family bonds and attachments and on the functional-contextual analysis of the cases. Furthermore, all the cases show evidence of follow-ups and generalization of the achieved goals in the session. 

Inmaculada Gómez Becerra, is a Professor at the University of Almería, with favourable accreditation to obtain the highest academic rank that can be reached by an university professor (catedrática), and has got 3 six-year researches. Her research work is focussed on the analysis of risk and protection factors of psychological problems in infancy and adolescence, with an emphasis on emotional intelligence and on parental styles of upbringing; and on intervention with families using third generation therapies. She has got more than 90 publications, she has participated in more than 130 congresses, and 10 research projects; she has directed 4 doctorate thesis; she is a editor for national and international journals and a member of different scientific committees. She directs the research team “Progress in research and epidemiology in infancy, adolescence and families”. She has participated and / or coordinated different training activities with professionals from different fields (education, psychology, medicine), and she has carried out numerous schools for parents. She has got the qualification of General Health Psychologist. 

 

Paulo Azevedo

Portuguese Catholic University, Portugal

Self-regulation and adolescent health

Adolescence is a period known for young people to be exposed to different experiences revolved around their health, with an emphasis on risky behaviours due to the danger they imply, as their risk perception is low. The specific characteristics of this age group oblige us to delve into various theoretical models and researches to contrast differences and adapt the possible treatments. In this symposium, four presentations will take place which pretend to analyse adolescent´s self-regulation in relation to tobacco and alcohol consumption, social and school adjustment, physical activity and clinical context. With the provided data, models and research implications can be discussed to promote health in adolescence. 

Paulo C. Dias, Auxiliar Professor at the Catholic University of Portugal. His professional practice and research is focused in adolescence, whether on school achievement or health behaviors. We can highlight the participation in some National or European funded projects dedicated to school success, problem based learning in secondary schools or plagiarism, but also Early Detection of Drug-consumption, Alcohol or Cannabis Abuse Prevention in adolescence, with results published in national and international journals.

José I. Baile

University of Distance Education in Madrid, Spain

Child obesity, a psychological perspective on research and intervention

Obesity, in general, and particularly in children, has turned into one of the most important health problems in the world. The different health sciences, and therefore psychology also, have been called upon to study this phenomenon from different angles. This symposium will be based on four papers that study child obesity from a psychological point of view. On the one hand there will be a presentation on how the self-informed data on weight and height in a sample of children has a high correspondence with the real data, something that has also been seen in other ages, and how this can facilitate the psychological researches on child obesity. Two of the studies inform on the relation between the children´s physical state and body image: one about how this body image is affected; the other on how it can be assessed quickly in children. In this respect, it is important to identify the usual impact on their body image in obese children and by extension, on their self-concept and self-esteem. Finally, a fourth study, will give an explanation on programmes to prevent child obesity using new communication and information technologies and if they are effective or not.

José I. Baile Ayensa is a graduate in Psychology (specialised in Clinical Psychology), and in Law; Master in Clinical and Health Psychology and Doctor in Psychology. He is a teacher on leave from the Body of Secondary Education Teachers, in which, for 20 years, he has been a teacher and school counsellor. Since 2004 he has worked in a university education context, in the field of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment. Currently, he is a Senior Lecturer at the Distance Learning University of Madrid (UDIMA), where he teaches in the subjects of Intervention and Psychological Treatment, and Clinical and Health Psychology. His research field is that of Body Image, Eating Disorders and Obesity, and is the coordinator of a research team whose work is oriented towards these topics. He has published dozens of articles, various books and is a regular speaker at academic events at an international level, about his field of specialisation. 

Juan Manuel Ortigosa

University of Murcia, Spain

From assessment to intervention in anxiety problems

The aim of this symposium is to present different studies based on assessment and intervention in anxiety. Firstly, we will address the importance of assessing the child and their surroundings in a detailed manner, the advantages and disadvantages of assessment components and how those results are going to intervene in the intervention. Following, we will talk about the elements involved in separation anxiety be means of the factorial structure in the Spanish adaptation of the Assessment of Separation Anxiety Scale. Next, we will introduce the implementation of the “Fortius” programme to treat separation anxiety, via the components of emotional strength, behavioural strength and cognitive strength. Lastly, the results of the efficacy of the cognitive-behavioural programme will be shown, designed to intervene in exam anxiety in secondary school and A levels students. 

Juan Manuel Ortigosa has a Ph.D. in Psychology and is a professor at the Psychology Faculty at the University of Murcia. He has focussed his research on infancy and adolescence, particularly addressing health issues related to the emotional impact of hospitalisation and the medical-surgical procedure on the child and their parents. He has collaborated in the authorship of articles, chapters in books and of the books: “Child hospitalisation: psychological repercussions-Theory and practice” (2000) and “Journal of Health Psychology with children, adolescents and family members” (2003), “My child is left-handed” (2004) and “The jealous child” (2007), and “Therapeutic procedures in children and adolescents” (2014). 
 

Rosa Raich

Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain

Prevention of eating disorders

For this symposium it is a pleasure to count on among the participants, the following renowned doctors, J. I. Baile, A. R. Durán, C. del Río and M. L. González. The first two speakers present an interesting and current point of view on coordinated prevention in Eating Disorders and Obesity (“Characteristics of prevention programmes in child obesity. Review” and “Controlled pilot study on child obesity in Primary Care aimed at affect regulation and problem solving: Programme RENOBA-in action”). Dr. C. del Río analyses a preventive intervention in high risk eating disorder groups such as dancers (“Prevention of eating disorders in dance: Programme IPASDA”). Finally, Dr. M. L. González presents us with a comparison between two preventive interventions carried out at school (“Media literacy and theatre: Two effective prevention strategies for problems related to weight in young people at school”).

Rosa María Raich Escursell is a Senior Lecturer of Psychological Interventions in the Psychology Faculty at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and director of the Consolidated Research Team (2009 SGR 1450: Behaviors, life styles and health in women CEVSD) and is a main researcher in various research projects on the prevention of eating disorders in adolescents. She has dedicated more than 20 years to the study of these disorders as well as that of the devolopment of eating behavior from normative to pathological. Furthermore, she is author of 9 books, among them, Body image and self esteem, and of more than 140 scientific publications, the majority of these related to eating disorders. She has also complemented her work at the university with the implementation of a preventive treatment and its further study in university students and children at school.

Silvia Hidalgo

Avanza Center, Málaga

The Latest Advances in the Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment in Child and Adolescence Clinical Neuropsychology

Taking neuroscience theories as a reference that contemplate the influence that neurobiological basis have on psychological development, we will be presenting the latest advances in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment in child and adolescence neurodevelopment. The studies that we will be presenting incorporate the contributions in neuropsychology as a model that complements the traditional clinical psychology assessment and treatment method, analysing, from a theoretical-experimental perspective, aspects focussed on the field of clinical psychology such as: the neurobiological basis in depression in girls; the detection of genetic risk factors during the prenatal period; neuropsychology assessment techniques in school children with learning difficulties and researches on autism spectrum disorder.

Silvia Hidalgo has a Ph.D. in Psychology and a degree in Pedagogy by the University of Málaga (UMA), she is specialised in psychotherapy and is a clinical child and adolescent neuropsychologist. She combines her teaching tasks as a lecturer in the Developmental and Educational Psychology Department, at the UMA´s Psychology Faculty, with clinical activities that she has been practising for more than 20 years. At the AVANZA Psychology Centre, located in Malaga´s capital, she performs tasks of diagnosis, psychoeducational treatment, and training parents and professionals. Furthermore, her centre is an organisation of reference during the postgraduate practical training period for students from different Spanish universities (UMA, UPO, UNIR), with which the centre maintains collaboration agreements. In addition, Dr. Hidalgo has been part of research and development projects, such as “The validation process in the Intelligence Test for pre-schoolers and primary children IV” (WIPSSI-IV) (PEARSON, 2013), “The Educational Innovation Project, conflict orientation and management in the Degrees of Pedagogy and Social Education” (2013/2015, UMA) and more recently she has been the academic subdirector in the 1st Specialisation Course on Child and Adolescent Clinical Neuropsychology (university-specific degree UMA, 2014) as well as a speaker at the Andalusian Neuropsychology Congress (SANO, May, 2015) in the Workshop “Updates in the assessment and treatment in ADD/ADHD: case studies”. 

Rafael Ballester

University Jaume I de Castellón, Spain

Sexuality risk in children and adolescents

This symposium will address some of the multiple dangers that can be threatening to an adequate sexual development in children and adolescents. In the first presentation, a general panoramic view will be carried out on the development of sexuality throughout our life cycle and how at each age the sexual needs of the children and adolescents change, from the acquisition of gender identity over to getting to know their own bodies and their own sexual impulses, acquisition of sexual information, development of sexual orientation, the beginning of self-erotic sexual activity and relations with other people, prevention of STI´s and unintended pregnancies, using pornography, cybersex, sexual complexes and desires, sexism and other negative attitudes towards their own sexuality and that of others. Only a regulated sex education from earlier ages can reduce the effect of these threats. The following presentations specify some of these threats. In this way, the second presentation will put forth up to what point the data that we have access to allow us to get a glimpse of a healthy sexuality in adolescents and their levels of sexual satisfaction. The third presentation, will talk about sexual orientation and how during adolescence the person becomes more conscious of their sexual impulses and their main desire, and needs a good sexual education to know how to understand those impulses, accept them and want them without unsettling their self-esteem. In the fourth presentation, another of the risks resulting from STI´s will be discusses, cybersex, whose use can have positive consequences but whose abuse can give way to problems such as addiction. We will present some data and a platform developed by Unisexsida for the assessment and treatment of people with cybersex addiction problems.
 
PhD in Psychology from the University of Valencia since 1992. He is currently Professor in the Department of Basic and Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology University Jaume I of Castellón, where he has taught since 1993. He is the director of Research Unit on Sexuality and AIDS at the university. Throughout his career he has authored numerous publications in the field of treatment of anxiety disorders and health psychology, both aspects of psychological intervention on AIDS and critically ill, and preventing problems as disorders food, alcohol abuse and sexually transmitted infections.
Estrella Romero

University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Assessment and implications of Emotional Toughness on the problems of child and youth behavior

In recent years, there has been a substantial growth of interest in the heterogeneity of disruptive behaviour problems. In this sense, a vigorous research team has developed around the so-called “Emotional Toughness” (or Affective Toughness/Insensitivity). It has been proposed that “Emotional Toughness” (ET), defined by traits such as limited empathy, lack of remorse and superficial affectivity, could be associated with more severe and difficult forms within the behavioural problems. Along the same lines as this hypothesis, the DSM-5 has introduced the specification known as “with limited prosocial emotions” within the category of dissocial personality disorder. This inclusion has triggered an interest in clinicians and researchers in the assessment, staging, prognosis and treatment of children with ET. In this symposium, particularly, there will a presentation of the progress developed in our country towards the tools to assess ET, the implications of having ET in childhood and adolescence, how children with ET develop over time and how psycho-social mechanisms (especially of the family) can be associated with the development of these traits. Deepening your knowledge on ET will allow a more compliant approach to behavioural problems in children and adolescents, guiding treatments more adjusted to the peculiarities of this personal pattern

Estrella Romero is Professor of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment at the University of Santiago de Compostela. Her research has developed around significant factors, prevention and treatment of disruptive behavior problems in children and adolescents. Under this line of work she has developed longitudinal studies on risk factors and protection of adolescent antisocial behavior and, currently, on the processes involved in behavioral problems early onset. She is the author of multiple papers disseminated in international and national publications, and by means of various projects funded by national calls, she has led the design, implementation and evaluation of the EmPeCemos programme, a cognitive-behavioral initiative to treat early behavior problems as of the coordinated intervention on children, families and teachers.

 

Talleres prácticos / Workshops

Carmen Maganto

University of the Basque Country, Spain

Child psychological assessment by means of drawing

Carmen Maganto Mateo is a Professor of Child Psychodiagnostics at the University of the Basque Country and specialized in Clinical Psychology. Among her research projects there are: The design of assessment instruments and the assessment of intervention programs (Basque Government), Sexism and psychological variables (MICINN), Eating disorders and Body image in teenagers and adolescents (UPV). She has collaborated in the design and publication of several assessment instruments. Some of her recent articles are: Empathy and resolving conflicts during childhood and adolescence (Latin American Journal of Psychology, 2011); Gender differences in socioemotional developmental factors during adolescence and effects of a violence prevention program (Journal of Adolescent Health, 2009). She has been awarded with First prize in the 5th National Competition of TEA for the PICTA Program (2002), and with the Award for the best Audiovisual Educational Material, given by the Social Board of the National University of Distance Education, Madrid. 

Soledad Santiago

University of Málaga, Spain

Iconic therapy and emotional stabilisation in adolescents

In this seminar on Iconic Therapy, a procedure to be followed will be contemplated in order for the person to improve their emotional recovery and coping skills when confronted with any kind of frustration. This therapy is particularly suitable for people that want to increase their self-esteem, a positive outlook on their surroundings, and their personal self-management when faced with difficulties. To this effect, already existing techniques and ones of my own have been gathered, representing them with images (icons) that symbolise coping strategies when facing difficulties. Representing them with icons facilitates their understanding as well as their evocation in moments of crisis. Strategies to understand the user´s problems are also provided to the professional who applies this therapy, in order to avoid them feeling lost when faced with the user´s requests, which can frequently be changeable or contradictory. 

Soledad Santiago is Professor of the Psychology Faculty in Málaga and head of psychology in the Care Center San Juan de Dios. Iconic Therapy is a new kind of psychological treatment that uses symbol images (icons) to represent those therapeutic concepts that should be remembered in situations of emotional conflict and/or impulsivity. The icons benefit evocation and the memory´s rapidity facilitates the therapy´s use in daily life preventing impulsive behavior.

 

 

Xavier Méndez

University of Murcia, Spain

How to develop mental strength in childhood: Fortius program

Professor at the University of Murcia. Specialist in Clinical Psychology. Tutor teacher at the Associate Centre in Elche, of the Spanish National University for Distance Education (UNED). Invited lecturer to various Spanish and international universities. Author and coordinator of numerous books on psychological treatment in children and adolescents, putting special emphasis on, Programa FORTIUS: Fortaleza psicológica y prevención de las dificultades emocionales (FORTIUS Programme: Psychological strength and prevention of emotional difficulties) (Pirámide, 2013), Miedos y temores en la infancia (Scares and fears in children) (Pirámide, 2012), Manual del psicólogo de familia (Family psychologist manual) (Pirámide, 2012), Terapia psicológica (Psychological therapy) (Pirámide, 2012), El niño que no sonríe (The child that does not smile) (Pirámide, 2011), El niño miedoso (The scared child) (Pirámide, 2011), Terapia psicológica con niños y adolescents (Psychological therapy with children and adolescents) (Pirámide, 2011), Depresión infantil y adolescente (Depression in children and adolescents) (Klinik, 2011), Cómo dar alas a los hijos para que vuelen solos (How to give our children wings so they can fly by themselves) (Pirámide, 2010), ¿Depresión o felicidad? (Depression or happiness?) (Nova Galicia, 2010). Director of the collections “Ojos Solares” (Solar Eyes) and “Guías para Padres y Madres” (Guides for Mums and Dads). Currently, his research and clinical interest is centred on positive psychology and on the prevention and treatment of emotional problems in children and adolescents. 

 

SUMMARY OF THE WORKSHOP: With Dr. Xavier Méndez the participants of this workshop will learn how to apply the FORTIUS programme, designed to prevent emotional problems in children. The aim of this programme is for the child to develop: a) Emotional Strength, to understand the use of negative emotions and learn to control them by means of prograssive relaxation, breathing and mental imagery; b) Behavioral Strength, on an interpersonal level, practising active listening and social skills, and on a personal level, with study planning and programming their free-time; c) Mental Strength, to improve thought processes including internal dialogue, via cognitive restructuring, problem solving and self-instructions.

 

 

Encuentro con el experto / Meeting with the expert

Maite Garaigordobil

University of the Basque Country, Spain

Bullying and cyberbullying: Consequences of peer violence and prevention and intervention proposals

In recent years, the interest and social concern about violent behaviour between peers, “face to face” (bullying), as well as via Communication and Information Technologies (cyberbullying) has increased. Peer violence has very harmful consequences for everyone involved, although the more severe effects can be seen in the victims (anxiety, depression, postraumatic stress…). In addition, the studies on prevalence show that it is a problem worthy of consideration. Based on this concern, this meeting´s discussion will revolve around the causes that produce human violence, the serious consequences of bullying/cyberbullying for everyone involved, and the relevance of carrying out actions in social, family and school contexts to prevent bullying/cyberbullying, as well as to intervene when it has occurred.