Dr. Allison Kennedy completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Waterloo in 1995. She has worked as a Psychologist at CHEO for over 25 years with a focus on adolescent mental health and crisis intervention. She is currently Clinical Lead for Mental Health Crisis/Emergency Services at CHEO. Dr. Kennedy is also a clinical researcher who is currently a Co-Principal Investigator for the BRAVA Study which involves the development and evaluation of a brief group treatment for adolescents who experience suicidal thoughts. She additionally has a keen interest in the implementation and evaluation of care pathways and community-hospital partnerships.
Related News
Research Projects
-
Predicting child and adolescent mental health emergency department revisits: a machine-learning approach compared to a clinician-derived baseline
01/12/2025
This study aimed to develop and validate a machine‑learning–based algorithm using electronic health record data to predict child and youth mental health emergency department revisits, and to compare its performance with a clinician‑weighted model. The machine learning approach outperformed the clinician-driven baseline while identifying clinically meaningful predictors such as prior ED visits, medication history, substance use, and outpatient mental health care. These findings demonstrate that interpretable ML models can complement clinical expertise and support improved planning for CYMH emergency care.
-
BRAVA: A randomized controlled trial of a brief group intervention for youth with suicidal ideation and their caregivers
16/07/2025
This randomized controlled trial evaluated BRAVA, a six‑week virtual group intervention designed to support adolescents with mild to moderate suicidal ideation and their caregivers. The study found that while both the intervention and control groups showed improvements, BRAVA participants demonstrated greater reductions in perceived stress, depression, and anxiety—benefits that were maintained at three‑month follow‑up. These findings suggest that BRAVA may offer meaningful support for youth experiencing suicidal ideation.
-
Building Resilience and Attachment in Vulnerable Adolescents: A Pilot Trial of a Brief Group Intervention for Adolescents with Mild to Moderate Suicidal Ideation and their Caregivers
11/11/2022
Study results demonstrate that the BRAVA intervention has the potential to reduce SI among adolescents who present to hospital services in crisis. Further studies are required to establish BRAVA's efficacy in a randomized controlled trial.
-
Parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic: The sociodemographic and mental health factors associated with maternal caregiver strain
03/01/2022
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new stressors for parents (“caregivers”) that may affect their own and their child’s mental health (MH). We explored self-reported levels of caregiver strain (parents’ perceived ability to meet parenting demands), and the MH and sociodemographic factors of caregivers to identify predictors of strain that can be used to guide MH service delivery for families.
-
Building Resilience and Attachment in Vulnerable Adolescents (BRAVA): a brief group intervention for adolescents with mild-to-moderate suicidal ideation and their caregivers
08/09/2021
Further studies are required to establish BRAVA’s efficacy in a randomized controlled trial.