Who Developed Connect?
Marlene M. Moretti (Ph.D., R. Psych.)
Dr. Marlene M. Moretti is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) and Professor of Psychology at Simon Fraser University, previous Senior Research Chair with Canadian Institutes of Health Research (2009-2014), and an Honorary Professor at the University of Orebro in Sweden. For over 25 years, she has collaborated with provincial and federal government stakeholders, researchers and families across Canada and Sweden to promote adolescent mental health. She lectures nationally and internationally on the importance of attachment security as a protective factor in promoting social and emotional wellbeing. Understanding the pressing need to translate attachment theory and research into practice, she led the development and evaluation of the Connect Program, an attachment-based parenting program, designed for broad implementation, high sustainability and demonstrated to promote mental health and well-being in teens and their families. Recognized for its effectiveness and innovation, Connect has been evaluated and implemented across Canada and Sweden and has received the British Columbia’s Premier’s Award for Innovation in 2015.
Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre
Funded by the BC Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD), the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre is a provincially mandated program that delivers services across BC to youth aged 8-18 with complex mental health, emotional, or behavioural challenges. It is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of highly qualified professionals who provide residential care, community outreach, care plans, and family-based support. As the lead site for the development of Connect and CKFP, the Maples is our vested partner and provides exceptional implementation support across BC, including in-kind contributions of staff time for CKFP training, supervision, and implementation.
Adolescent Health Lab
The Adolescent Health Lab at Simon Fraser University is led by Dr. Marlene Moretti and includes an outstanding team of graduate and undergraduate researchers. In partnership with the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre, we are committed to translating research into evidence-based practice. We focus on child and adolescent mental health and well-being, parent-child attachment and the development of programs that make a difference for families.