Tracy Gladstone, Ph.D., director of the Stone Primary Prevention Initiatives and associate director of the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW), traveled to Ljubljana, Slovenia for the 47th Congress of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies in September 2017. She participated in a symposium, “Current Challenges and Future Directions in the Prevention of Youth Depression,” organized by colleagues in Germany, who were interested in Gladstone’s work on a primary care, internetbased depression prevention program for adolescents at risk for depression. This symposium brought together researchers who shared approaches to youth depression in different settings and discussed ways to adapt interventions for use in other cultures/countries. They also explored mechanisms that account for intervention success.
During the conference, Gladstone also participated in a clinical roundtable, “Parental Mental Health,” organized by a colleague at the University of Sussex in Great Britain. This roundtable focused on ways to support children’s healthy development when parents present with mental health concerns. Gladstone presented her work on a familybased depression prevention program that targets parents who struggle with depression and are also concerned about promoting resilience in their children, a project she works on with Children’s Hospital Boston. During this session, the presenters and audience discussed how a country’s approach to health care influences the investment in prevention services for at-risk youth. They also discussed best ways to support healthy child development when parents are struggling with mental illness.
