Lesson 1Interpreting assessment results and integrating multi-informant data into diagnostic impressionFocuses on synthesising data from interviews, rating scales, and collateral sources into a coherent diagnostic impression, weighing conflicting reports, considering comorbidities, and formulating clear, defensible clinical summaries and feedback.
Organizing data from multiple informantsWeighing self-report versus adult reportConsidering comorbid and differential diagnosesFormulating a written diagnostic summaryProviding feedback to youth and caregiversLesson 2Assessing sleep, appetite, weight change, and psychosomatic symptoms using structured symptom screensExplains systematic assessment of sleep, appetite, weight change, energy, and somatic complaints using structured screens, and how to distinguish depressive symptoms from medical conditions, side effects, or normative developmental changes.
Screening sleep patterns and circadian rhythmEvaluating appetite and weight changeAssessing fatigue and low energyIdentifying psychosomatic complaintsCoordinating with pediatric medical evaluationLesson 3Functional and risk-specific measures: Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) Screener, SAD PERSONS/ASQ adaptations for youth, behaviour checklists (CBCL)Covers selection and use of brief, validated tools to assess suicide risk, self-harm, and functional impairment, with attention to youth adaptations, scoring, documentation, and integrating findings into safety planning and clinical decision making.
Using the C-SSRS Screener with youthYouth adaptations of SAD PERSONS and ASQBehavior checklists such as the CBCLDocumenting risk level and rationaleLinking scores to safety planning stepsLesson 4Developmentally appropriate interviewing: rapport-building, assent, use of play/drawing/scale tools with adolescentsDescribes developmentally attuned interviewing strategies for children and adolescents, including rapport-building, explaining confidentiality, using play, drawing, and visual scales, and adjusting language and pacing to age, culture, and neurodiversity.
Explaining purpose and confidentiality to youthBuilding rapport and psychological safetyUsing play, drawing, and storytellingUsing visual scales and rating toolsAdapting style for age and neurodiversityLesson 5Assessing family history and parental mental health, substance use screening, and developmental historyDetails how to assess family psychiatric history, parental mental health, substance use, and developmental milestones, highlighting intergenerational risk, environmental stressors, and how these factors shape onset, course, and presentation of depression.
Eliciting family psychiatric and suicide historyScreening parental depression and anxietySubstance use screening in caregivers and youthGathering developmental and milestone historyLinking family context to depressive symptomsLesson 6Validated assessment instruments for depressive symptoms: Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI-2), Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A), Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ)Reviews core validated instruments for paediatric depressive symptoms, including CDI-2, PHQ-A, and MFQ, with guidance on administration, scoring, cutoffs, interpretation, and integrating results with clinical interviews and functional assessment.
Overview of CDI-2 structure and scoringUsing the PHQ-A in primary care and clinicsMFQ versions, cutoffs, and interpretationChoosing tools by age and settingCombining scale data with clinical judgmentLesson 7Collateral information gathering: parent report, teacher report, school records, prior mental health historyExplores how to systematically gather and evaluate collateral information from caregivers, teachers, schools, and prior clinicians, and how to reconcile discrepancies to build a nuanced, contextualised picture of the youth’s depressive symptoms.
Structuring caregiver and parent interviewsUsing teacher reports and rating scalesReviewing school records and attendance dataObtaining and summarizing prior treatment historyReconciling conflicting collateral informationLesson 8Initial session structure and sequence: caregiver interview, adolescent interview, joint session, school contact planningOutlines how to structure the initial assessment visit, including separate caregiver and youth interviews, joint discussion, risk assessment, and planning school contact, while managing time, expectations, and immediate safety concerns.
Planning session agenda and time useSequencing caregiver and youth interviewsConducting a focused joint feedback segmentPrioritizing risk and safety in first contactCoordinating consent for school outreachLesson 9Cultural and linguistic considerations during assessment and interpreting scoresExamines how culture, language, migration, and stigma influence symptom expression, help-seeking, and test performance, and offers strategies for culturally responsive interviewing, use of interpreters, and cautious interpretation of standardised scores.
Exploring cultural views of sadness and distressWorking effectively with interpretersAdapting questions to language levelConsidering acculturation and migration stressInterpreting scores across cultural groups
