Child and Family Mental Health

We are pursuing

Improved mental health for all children and families through research and education that derives from, informs and directly impacts health systems and services

Key areas of focus

• Prenatal and postpartum mental health screening
• Parent-infant mental health 
• Healthy developmental trajectories and resiliency 
• Mental health interventions and health services research

To mitigate toxic stress and promote child and family mental health across the lifespan, international guidelines recommend screening and early intervention for pregnant women, mothers, fathers and their young children. Currently, such services are sparse in Alberta and not well integrated into routine well-child or well-family care.

Evidence is still lacking around optimal screening, health promotion and intervention strategies to improve mental health from preconception through early childhood. Also missing are strategies to scale up these interventions for local and global impact.

Through existing local, provincial, national and international partnerships and collaborations, Child and Family Mental Health researchers and their trainees are designing and evaluating translational science models to influence practice and policy to achieve our goal of improved mental health for all children and families.