Sébastien’s research work aims to advance knowledge of the processes involved in the development of certain mental disorders among children in CPS care by identifying the individual, family and environmental risk factors at the root of their difficulties. He also strives to identify protective factors in order to gain a better grasp of the key variables to target for intervention. He is especially interested in attachment disorders, more specifically, reactive attachment disorder (RAD) and disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED), two little known diagnoses (often confused with insecure/disorganized attachment) that have been the subject of little scientific investigation to date but that are often diagnosed (at times wrongly) among children in CPS care.

He developed the Questionnaire sur les troubles d’origines précoces (Q-TOP) and its English version, the Early TRAuma-related Disorders Questionnaire (ETRAD-Q), and has taken part in updating the RAD and DSED Assessment (RADA) clinical interview, two key instruments serving to screen for and assess attachment disorders. He has also worked on updating the Modified Maltreatment Classification System (MMCS), the most widely used instrument in research for coding CPS caseworker reports for the purpose of documenting different maltreatment dimensions (types, severity, frequency, chronicity) useful to researchers. This updated instrument, called the Extended Modified Maltreatment Classification System (EMMCS), is still being validated but has already demonstrated excellent psychometric properties. Sébastien is known for his clinical and scientific rigour in tackling issues surrounding data collection and measurement methods. His research is funded by several agencies (IUJD, SSHRC, PHAC). He is part of a network of international collaborators (UK, Norway), has had articles published in major scientific journals, and disseminates his work to both the scientific and the clinical communities through presentations at national and international events.