Professor Mike Berger (HONORARY TREASURER)
Trained as a Clinical Psychologist at the Institute of Psychiatry and worked at the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals in child and adolescent services for a numbr of years, as well as being involved on the Institute of Clinical Psychology course as a Lecturer. Following a period working at the Institute of Education, Mike moved to St George's Hospital, London as Head of Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology working in the CAMHS services. He took up the Chair and Directorship of the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London in 1997, retiring in 2004. Mike's clinical interests include psychological assessment, autism and development disorders and applications of psychology in paediatrics and social services as well as service-related issues including information systems, outcomes as well as service organisation and management. His research has covered treatment in autism, epidemiology, specific learning difficulties and behaviour management in schools.
Dr Orlee Udwin (ACADEMIC SECRETARY)
Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Child Clinical Psychology Lead in West London Mental Health Trust, and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London. Orlee's research centres on two distinct areas: behavioural phenotypes in genetically determined conditions which result in learning difficulties, and post traumatic stress disorder in child and adolescent survivors of traumas and disasters. Among her publications is a co-edited book with Professor Patricia Howlin on 'Outcomes in Neurodevelopmental and Genetic Disorders' (Cambridge University Press, 2002).
Mrs Maureen Smillie (BRANCH LIAISON OFFICER)
Speech and Language Therapist. Her primary interests lie in Paediatric Mental Health and its effects on speech, language, communication and eating and drinking. Maureen is also seconded to the Government Committee for Health Improvement and works for the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland.
Professor Tony Charman (JCPP EDITORIAL REPRESENTATIVE)
Profesor of Neurodevelopmental Disorder at the Institute of Child Health, University College London and Honorary Clinical Psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust where he works in a diagnostic service for children with complex neurodevelopmental conditions. His main research interest is the investigation of early social cognitive development in children with autism and the clinical application of this work via screening, early intervention and epidemiological studies. Tony sits on a number of journal editorial and advisory boards and has served on a number of expert panels for the Medical Research Council in the UK and NIH in the USA. He is a scientific member of the Advisory Group to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism. Professor Paul Stallard (CAMH EDITORIAL REPRESENTATIVE)
Professor of Child and Family Mental Health at the University of Bath and Consultant Clinical Psychologist with the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Care Partnership NHS Trust. He is a former Chair of the British Psychological Society Child Faculty and a current Committee member of the Child, Adolescent and Families Special Interest Branch of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy. He is the author of the much acclaimed Think Good Feel Good: a cognitive behaviour therapy workbook for children and young people and has published many peer reviewed papers and book chapters. Current research interests include the use of CBT with children, PTSD and the psychological effects of chronic illness.
Dr Jane Akister (BOARD MEMBER)
Sernior Lecturer in Social Work at Anglia Ruskin University, leading post-qualifying social work education in child care. She conducted research into family functioning in shy children and adult attachment with the MRC group on the Integration and Development of Behaviour at Cambridge University and has continued to research and publish on family therapy and parenting support working with Parentline and Home-Start. She was on the editorial board of the Journal of Family Therapy for eight years, has twice been a visiting research associate at Brown University with the McMaster Family Therapy Group and has recently completed a series of consultations on Children's Centres in the European Region.
Dr Blanaid Gavin (BOARD MEMBER)
Senior Registrar in Child Psychiatry in her final year of training on the National Training Scheme in Ireland. Blanaid works at the Lucena Clnic, Dublin though she is currently based in the New York Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, where is undertaking an observership. She has a particular interest in psychosis and works with DETECT, the only adult mental health service for early detection of psychosis in Ireland, with a view to help establish a similar pilot in child psychiatry services. She has contributed to the development of the first Mental Health in Primary Course in Ireland and is currently developing practical mental health assessment tools for use in an Irish primary care setting.
Mr Ian Higgins (BOARD MEMBER)
Ian has worked in child and adolescent psychiatry for 20 years and has been a Nurse Consultant for the last five years. His clinical specialist area is Tier 4 CAMHS inpatient work. He is also an Honorary Lecturer in Kingston University, where he is involved with teaching and training both pre-registered and qualified nurses. His particular areas of interest include practice development for nurses and supporting nurses to articulate the therapeutic value of the nurse-patient relationship. He is currently looking into research to develop clinical supervision and a tool to measure the impact of supervision on nursing practice and patient outcomes. Ian is Chair of the National Nurse Consultants in CAMHS Group and the Children's Inpatient Special Interest Group. Both these forums have contributed conferences and publications that have influenced the development of CAMHS over the past 10 years.Mr Ian Higgins (BOARD MEMBER)
Professor Michael Kerfoot (BOARD MEMBER)
Professor in Child and Adolescent Policy and Research in the Mental Health Research and Practice Development, University of Manchester and Director of Graduate Studies for the Faculty of Medical adn Human Sciences. He has worked as a social scientist in medicine for 25 years, has conducted research into adolescent suicidal behaviour for over 20 years and has published and lectured widely, both nationally and internationally. He has twice been a visiting research associate at the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Centre and is currently a visiting professor in the School of Public Helath and Social Work, National Kiev 'Mohyla Academy' University, Ukraine. Dr Sebastian Kraemer (BOARD MEMBER)
FRCP, FRCPsych, FRCPCH. After a first degree in philosophy, Sebastian studied paediatrics and then trained in psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital. He completed child and adolescent psychiatric training at the Tavistock Clnic and became a consultant there and at the Whittington Hospital in 1980. He retired from the Tavistock in 2003, retaining his hospital sessions. He writes and teaches on parent and family therapy, liaison psychiatry, the training of child and adolescent psychiatrists, the origins and roles of fatherhood and the fragility of the developing male. Besides clinical work, Sebastian is actively engaged in promoting family policy at national level.
Professor Lionel Hersov (EX OFFICIO MEMBER)
Emeritus Consultant Psychiatrist, Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals, Senior Physician, Children and Adolescent Department; Professor of Psychiatry and Paediatrics, University of Masachusetts Medical School and Medical Centre, US; former Consultant Psychiatrist and Senior Lecturer, Hammersmith Hospital and Royal Postgraduate Medical School; Consultant Psychiatrist, Hospital for Sick Children Great Ormond Street; Past President, IACAPAP. Joined ACAMH (ACPP as it then was) in 1962; Past Chairman; appointed JCPP Editor in 1964, continued as Senior Editor until 1984, Corresponding Editor in US until 1990 and Book Review Editor from then until present.
