Current Studies

Are the emotions in your family contagious? We think each family member’s emotions influence one another in important ways. We want to learn more about how that happens! 

The Family and Child Emotion Study (FACES) explores how feelings can be “contagious” within a whole family, and how that emotional ecosystem shapes children’s emotional development.

Who can participate?

We are looking for families who: 

• Have two parents, and
• Have at least two children, including:
  • One child ages 8-12, and
  • A sibling within 4 years of the child (but aged 7-14)

What will your family do? 

• This research is fully remote, so you can participate from the comfort of your home
• Each person will complete online questionnaires
• You will participate in two interactive online tasks with your children
• Each person will use a smartphone application to answer very brief surveys about your feelings for seven days (you can borrow a phone from us if you don’t have one)

Why participate? 

• Contribute to Research: Support meaningful research on child and family wellbeing and mental health.
• Fully Remote: Complete the entire study from the comfort of your home. All tasks are conducted online, and our researchers will even drop-off/pick-up study materials.
• Earn Compensation: Parents will receive up to $80 each in gift cards and children will receive up to $30 each in gift cards.

Interested? Contact us at emotions@uoguelph.ca or call 519-824-4120, ext. 53059, for more information.

Are you looking for new ways to manage your child’s emotions? As a parent, you are closest to the big feelings your child experiences every day. In this study, we are offering a 6-week parenting group on a type of therapy called Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT). 

Through EFFT, you will learn tools to leverage your connection with your child and become their “Emotion Coach” through all the highs and lows. As this is a clinical trial, interested families are randomized to get EFFT right away versus at a later date.

Who can participate?

• Caregivers of children aged 7 – 15 years who are experiencing anxiety, depression, or behavioural difficulties (formal diagnosis not required).
• Families will be randomly assigned to either our next EFFT therapy group, or the waitlist group, where you would have the opportunity to join a later EFFT group. 

What will your family do? 

• Six two-hour weekly caregiver-only group sessions held in-person at the Maplewoods Centre for Family Therapy and Child Psychology at the University of Guelph.
• You and your child will also complete:
  • Six 5-minute surveys (weekly).
  • Four assessments (before-group, after-group, 4-month follow-up, and 1-year follow-up) involving questionnaires, physiology measurements, and interactive tasks at Maplewoods. These take about 45 minutes.

Why participate? 

• Support Your Child: Learn essential tools that can benefit your child’s emotion regulation and healthy development.
• Earn Compensation: Balance out the cost of treatment with compensation of up to $190 (parent) and $85 (child) in gift cards.
• Contribute to Research: Support meaningful research in the realm of child and family wellbeing and mental health.

Interested? Contact us at emotions@uoguelph.ca or call 519-824-4120, ext. 53059, for more information.

Is your child experiencing intense, overwhelming, or quickly changing emotions? The Big Feelings Study offers individual cognitive behavioral therapy to children experiencing symptoms of anxiety, low mood, and behavioural dysregulation. 

We use an evidence-based therapy program called MATCH-ADTC, to help your child build tools to cope with difficult emotions. Through this study, your child can learn tools to understand their emotions, feel more in control, and navigate tough moments with more confidence. We also work with parents who are needing support to manage behavioural difficulties and outbursts.

Who can participate?

• Children ages 8-15 years old experiencing depression, anxiety, or disruptive behaviour (diagnosis not needed).
• Families will be randomly assigned to receive treatment right away, or be put on a waitlist. Wait time is typically 4-6 months. During this time, we stay in touch with your family to monitor how things are going.

What will your family do? 

• 10 to 20 individual therapy sessions (50 minutes each) depending on your family’s needs 
• You and your child will also complete,
  • Weekly 5-minute surveys
  • In-person assessments initially to help inform treatment and every 3 months to monitor how things are going. These visits are in person and include:
    • Parent and child questionnaires
    • A parent-child discussion
    • Child computer activities and physiology measures

Why participate? 

• Build Coping Skills: Your child will have the opportunity to develop skills to independently cope with big feelings and everyday challenges.
• Receive Evidence-Based Services: Benefit from a treatment program that has been tested and found to be effective. Receive treatment from a registered social worker or psychotherapist who consults weekly with a Registered Psychologist, ensuring you are receiving the best care possible.
• Benefit from Sliding Scale Costs: The cost of therapy is based on the Maplewoods Centre sliding scale, which is $0-$150 for each therapy session. This is based on factors like household income. Sessions may also be covered under your private benefits. 
• Earn Compensation: Balance out the cost of treatment with compensation of up to $90 (parent) and up to $35 (child) per assessment.
• Contribute to Research: Support meaningful research in the realm of child and family wellbeing and mental health.

Interested? Contact us at emotions@uoguelph.ca or call 519-824-4120, ext. 53059, for more information. Reach out to us to talk to a Registered Clinical Psychologist to see if this would be a good fit for you and your family.