ADHD Awareness: Learning About ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders

In this seminar, Dr. Synn and Leah will discuss what ADHD and other disruptive behaviors disorders may look like for children and teens. They will identify skills that you can use at home to help manage disruptive behaviors and will walk you through what an assessment and effective intervention for kids with ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders involves. We will leave time for questions at the end.

Meet The Speakers

Stephani Synn, PsyD, Associate Director, Camp Baker; Assistant Director, The Center for Effective Therapy

Dr. Stephani Synn is the Associate Director of Camp Baker and Assistant Director of the Center for Effective Therapy Boston. She is responsible for the operational oversight of Camp Baker, including enrolling campers, hiring, training, and supervising staff, overseeing documentation, data collection, and risk management, and facilitating, planning, and implementing the summer treatment program model. Dr. Synn helps oversee and support administrative and clinical outpatient services at CET Boston, while also providing supervision to trainees, postdoctoral fellows, administrative staff, and clinicians and providing direct clinical outpatient services. Additionally, Dr. Synn is a member of the core training faculty in The Baker Center's APA-accredited training program.

Dr. Synn has significant clinical experience treating a variety of mental health challenges in a range of settings including pediatric hospitals, residential treatment programs, community mental health centers, group homes, intensive outpatient programs, and schools. She has training in evidence-based models such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); Summer Treatment Program (STP); trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT); Multifamily group treatment (MFGT); Motivational Interviewing (MI); and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Dr. Synn is a supervisor and therapist trained in the Modular Approach to Treatment for Children with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, or Conduct Problems (MATCH-ADTC), an evidence-based treatment for children ages 6-17 with emotional and/or behavioral challenges, and is working toward becoming a MATCH-ADTC trainer. Additionally, she is certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), an evidence-based treatment for children 2-7 years-old with disruptive behavior disorders. Dr. Synn has experience providing neuropsychological assessments to adults, children, and adolescents in private practice and developmental behavioral pediatric settings and her research interests focus on adapting evidence-based treatments to make them more accessible for underserved populations and more feasible in community settings.

Dr. Synn is a member of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), of PCIT International, and of Division 53 (Clinical Child Psychology) of the American Psychological Association.

Leah Mais, Program Coordinator, Camp Baker; Postgraduate Fellow

Leah Mais is a Postgraduate Master’s Fellow at the Center for Effective Therapy and the Program Coordinator of Camp Baker. Leah graduated from the University of Richmond in Virginia with a B.S. in Psychology and Latin American and Iberian Studies. She graduated from Northeastern University with an M.S. in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Children and Adolescent Psychopathology. Prior to her graduate studies, Leah worked full-time as a milieu counselor at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children.

Through her experiences in inpatient hospital and therapeutic school settings, and several summers with Camp Baker, Leah has received training in evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and the Summer Treatment Program (STP). Additionally, she is working towards certification in the Modular Approach to Treatment for Children with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, or Conduct Problems (MATCH-ADTC). Leah is passionate about working to help improve the lives of children, adolescents, and families with concerns including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, behavioral challenges, anxiety, and depression.

Learn More

Our Children’s Mental Health Seminar Series also includes monthly companion blog posts for additional resources and support. This section will be updated throughout the month with the latest blogs and other content.

• All About Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Coexisting Conditions: ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders
• Science-Backed Treatments for ADHD and Other Disruptive Behavior Disorders 
• Client Spotlight: A Cathartic Camp Experience 

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