Evidence-based mental health care for youth
Childhood and adolescence represent critical phases in development, during which some youth begin to exhibit symptoms of mental illness. In fact, according to NIMH, around one third of teens meet criteria for an anxiety disorder, and approximately 13% meet criteria for a major depressive episode.
The good news is that a number of excellent, evidence-based treatments for mental health problems in children and adolescents have been developed, and most are based on decades of careful scientific testing. (Check out this link for a fantastic website detailing all evidence-based psychological treatments for youth)
An opportunity.
I sought graduate training in child & adolescent clinical psychology for a reason. Research shows that intervening early can help protect folks against poorer outcomes long-term. I view my research and clinical work with young people and their families as an opportunity to change their mental health trajectory, and to foster their goals and dreams.
My research in this area has so far focused on identifying effective methods for training graduate students in evidence-based mental health practices, as well as on adapting evidence-based practice with youth for different settings (e.g., telehealth, intensive outpatient programs).
Moving forward, I am particularly curious about parent-focused interventions, and have several ongoing projects dedicated to examining how parents can be leveraged to improve outcomes for their children (especially LGBTQ children). I also continue to be interested in investigating mechanisms underlying mental health problems in young people, particularly those related to emotions. I hope long-term to be able to translate these mechanistic findings into evidence-based clinical practice.
Relevant publications
Seager van Dyk, I., Clark, K. A., Dougherty, L. R., & Pachankis, J. E. (in press). Parent responses to their sexual and gender minority children: Implications for parent-focused supportive interventions. Psychology of Sexual Orientation & Gender Diversity. Link
McGehan, S., Tairi, T., & Seager van Dyk, I. (2022). Beyond the binary: Controversies and ethical considerations in current intervention models for transgender and gender minority children and young people. Psychology Aotearoa.
Martinez, R. G., Seager van Dyk, I., Kroll, J. L., Emerson, N. D., & Bursch, B. (2021). Recommendations for building telemental health relationships with youth: A systematic review and resource for clinicians. Link
Zullo, L., Seager van Dyk, I., Ollen, E. W., & Miranda, J. (2021). Treatment recommendations and barriers to care for suicidal LGBTQ youth: A quality improvement study. Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Link
Seager van Dyk, I., Shao, J., Smiley, P., Sohn, L., Olson, K., & Borelli, J. (2021). Responding to children’s diverse gender expression: Validation of a parent-report measure of gender-related conditional regard. Journal of GLBT Family Studies. Link
Black, S.R., Seager, I., Meers, M. R., Arnold, L.E., Birhamer, B., Findling, R.L., Horwitz, S.M., Youngstrom, E.A., & Fristad, M.A. (2020). Associations between parental psychopathology and sexual behavior in an outpatient psychiatric sample. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 49(1), 50-59. Link
Bell, Z.,* Seager, I.,* Shader, T.,* & Fristad, M. A. (2018). Updating the textbook: A novel approach to training graduate students in evidence-based youth practices. Cognitive & Behavioral Practice, 25(1), 1-6). Link
Britton, J., Kennedy, S., Seager, I., Queen, A. H., Hernandez, M. V., Spiro, C., & Ehrenreich-May, J. (2015). Pediatric depression: Neurocognitive function and treatment implications. In J. Mohlman, T. Deckersbach, & A. Weissman (Eds.), From Symptom to Synapse: A Neurocognitive Perspective on Clinical Psychology (pp. 211-246). New York, NY: Routledge. Link
Seager, I., Rowley, A., & Ehrenreich-May, J. (2014). Targeting common factors across anxiety and depression using the Unified Protocol for the Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Adolescents. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, 32(1), 67-83. Link
Selected presentations
See poster images below
Development of and initial outcomes from an intensive outpatient program for anxiety-related school avoidance. ABCT, 2019.
Predicting Psychopathology in Youth: The Role of Gender-Related Conditional Regard. NCCCAP, 2018.
Distress Tolerance and Emotion Management in Treatment-Seeking Children. ABCT, 2014.
Associations Between Functional Impairment and Symptom Severity in Anxious and Depressed Adolescents: Adolescent, Parent, and Clinician Ratings. ABCT, 2013.
