About

The 2026 conference theme is “Evolving practice: curiosity, context, and connection”.
Reflecting feedback from our members and past attendees, the 2026 conference will place a strong emphasis on clinically practical content. For the first time, the conference will run across three full days, providing an expanded scientific program alongside masterclasses and opportunities for skills-based learning. The program will include sessions designed to support clinicians working in real-world settings, as well as a panel discussion bringing together keynote speakers, invited experts, and lived experience perspectives to explore contemporary issues relevant to the cognitive and behavioural therapies.

The cognitive and behavioural therapies have always been shaped by a commitment to empirical enquiry, thoughtful clinical practice, and a shared focus on supporting meaningful change. At the same time, the field continues to evolve in response to emerging science, new therapeutic developments, and the diverse contexts in which people experience distress and seek support.

Extending the best traditions of previous AACBT conferences, the 2026 program will showcase high-quality research and innovative clinical work that reflects the breadth of contemporary cognitive and behavioural approaches. This includes advances in assessment, formulation, intervention, and service delivery, alongside emerging ideas that continue to strengthen how we understand and apply evidence-based psychological care.

We invite you to join us in 2026 to share knowledge, connect with new and familiar faces from across the AACBT community, and contribute to the ongoing development of evidence-based practice in Australia.

Days

149

Speakers

Partners

121

Sessions

15. - 17. October, 2026 | 1 Southgate Ave, Southbank VIC 3006, Australia

AACBT 46th National Conference 2026

Get a ticket

Program

Categories:

Stages

Clarenden Ballroom A

12:00 AM

1:00 AM

2:00 AM

3:00 AM

4:00 AM

5:00 AM

6:00 AM

7:00 AM

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

Registration open

7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

Peter Pohlman

Morning Tea (walls)

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

The ACT Kidflex: a simple model for children and adolescents (free)

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Tamar Black

Lunch

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Is prolonged exposure right for this client? (free)

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Kim L Felmingham

Afternoon Tea

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Therapeutic approaches for comorbid trauma in severe mental illness [2691]

3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

Movement

3:45 PM - 3:50 PM

Brief, intensive and concentrated OCD therapy: a clinical roundtable [2654]

3:50 PM - 4:35 PM

From Bergen to Melbourne: piloting a globally disseminated concentrated OCD treatment in an Australian inpatient setting [2647]

4:35 PM - 4:47 PM

Nathan Dowling

Movement (walls)

4:47 PM - 5:00 PM

ECR Meeting

5:45 PM - 7:00 PM

Clarenden Ballroom B

12:00 AM

1:00 AM

2:00 AM

3:00 AM

4:00 AM

5:00 AM

6:00 AM

7:00 AM

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

Registration open

7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

Peter Pohlman

Morning Tea (walls)

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Ultra-brief treatments across the lifespan: efficacy and potential mechanisms [2624]

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Efficacy of a digital CBT-based program to reduce co-occurring anxiety and hazardous alcohol use during the transition to young adulthood [2607]

11:30 AM - 11:42 AM

Katrina Prior

Healthy mum, healthy bub: co-development of a digital CBT-based program for anxiety & risky alcohol use among mothers during early parenthood [2601]

11:42 AM - 11:54 AM

Katrina Prior

Movement

11:54 AM - 12:00 PM

Lunch

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

AACBT AGM

12:30 PM - 1:00 PM

Ross G Menzies

Identity, stigma, and wellbeing in autistic adults: from self processes to intervention pathways [2645]

1:00 PM - 2:15 PM

Rapid #01 E Slodecki [2671 C]; A Basu [2660]; T Rooney [2653 B]

2:15 PM - 2:30 PM

Afternoon Tea

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Mental imagery and pain [2628]

3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

Movement

3:45 PM - 3:50 PM

This is not about academic misconduct: what digital-augmentation means for CBT education, supervision and practitioner competence [2661]

3:50 PM - 4:35 PM

TBC

4:35 PM - 4:47 PM

Movement (walls)

4:47 PM - 5:00 PM

Close of Day 1

5:45 PM - 6:00 PM

Welcome Function

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Clarenden Ballroom C

12:00 AM

1:00 AM

2:00 AM

3:00 AM

4:00 AM

5:00 AM

6:00 AM

7:00 AM

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

12:00 PM

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM

Registration open

7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

Peter Pohlman

Welcome & National President Address

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Reconceptualizing depression as an evolved adaptation

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Steven D Hollon

Morning Tea (walls)

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Understanding and addressing cognitions related to loneliness and social connection [2648]

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Delivering enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy among adolescents who have previously engaged in family-based treatment: helping the transition from the disease model to the psychological model [2633]

11:30 AM - 11:42 AM

Melanie Dalton

A six time-point longitudinal evaluation of a contextually relevant cognitive behavioural program (Study Without Stress) for students completing their final year of high school [2698]

11:42 AM - 11:54 AM

Jessica Belcher

Movement

11:54 AM - 12:00 PM

Lunch

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Partnering with families to transform access to evidence-based care for children [2615]

1:00 PM - 2:15 PM

Rapid #02: A Roth [2622]; P Davis [2689]; S Adamec [2627]

2:15 PM - 2:30 PM

Afternoon Tea

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

NourishED Mind: early findings from a randomised trial of transdiagnostic single-session interventions for youth at risk of eating disorders [2659]

3:00 PM - 3:12 PM

Mia Pellizzer

The prevalence and impact of PTSD among young people seen at a specialist eating disorders service [2639]

3:12 PM - 3:24 PM

Vanessa Cobham

Surviving the aftermath: Australian men’s lived experiences of complex childhood trauma [2671 A]

3:24 PM - 3:36 PM

Phillipa Huynh

Invalidating healthcare experiences and their relationships with depression, anxiety, quality of life and pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis [2637]

3:36 PM - 3:48 PM

Thomas Woldhuis

Movement

3:48 PM - 3:53 PM

Natural Language Processing of traumatic event descriptions to advance scalable screening and mechanistic understanding of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder [2703]

3:53 PM - 4:05 PM

Leilani Frost

Mental navigation as a functional and dynamic cognitive system [2706]

4:05 PM - 4:17 PM

Leo Marcus

Repetitive negative thinking in the perinatal period [2620]

4:17 PM - 4:29 PM

Jessica Tran

The state of knowledge and training in dissociation: where to next? [2671 D]

4:29 PM - 4:41 PM

Ruby Hamer

Movement

4:41 PM - 4:47 PM

Movement (walls)

4:47 PM - 5:00 PM

Invited Speaker Day 1

5:00 PM - 5:45 PM

Nasalifya Namwinga

Close of Day 1

5:45 PM - 6:00 PM

Welcome Function

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Speakers

Amy Hardy

Keynote speaker King's College London

Steven D Hollon

Keynote speaker Vanderbilt University

Baljinder K Sahdra

Invited speaker Australian Catholic University

Nasalifya Namwinga

Invited speaker Pola Practice

Rebecca Flower

Invited speaker La Trobe University

Rachel Jellett

Invited speaker Swinburne University of Technology

Tamar Black

Master Clincian Presenter ACT for children and adolescents

Kim L Felmingham

Master Clincian Presenter The University of Melbourne

Adam Theobald

Presenter Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales

Alice Norton

Presenter The University of Sydney

Alina Morawska

Presenter The University of Queensland

Ambere Fougere

Presenter Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare)

Amelia Kirkpatrick

Presenter The University of Melbourne

Andrea Putica

Discussant The University of Melbourne

Angelique Roth

Presenter University of New South Wales

Anjana Rajagopal

Presenter The University of Queensland

Ann Martin

Presenter Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales

Arlen Rowe

Presenter University of Southern Queensland

Arunima Basu

Presenter University of New South Wales

Atsushi Sakata

Presenter Waseda University

Ayaka Yanagida

Presenter Waseda University

Beth O'Gorman

Presenter The University of Queensland

Bianca Levis

Discussant Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare)

Bidhu Ghosh

Presenter University of New South Wales

Caitlin Hitchcock

Presenter The University of Melbourne

Carmen Pace

Presenter Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

Carolina Gonzalez

Presenter The University of Queensland

Caroline Donovan

Presenter Griffith University

Carys Chainey

Presenter The University of Queensland

Cassandra Kwok

Presenter Western Sydney University

Cassandra Tellegen

Presenter The University of Queensland

Catherine Mollica

Presenter Royal Children’s Hospital

Cele Richardson

Presenter The University of Western Australia

Chase Sherwell

Presenter The University of Queensland

Chris Ludlow

Presenter Swinburne University of Technology

Chris Wallace

Presenter Private Practice

Chris Winkler

Presenter The University of Melbourne

Christopher Mogan

Discussant The Anxiety & OCD Clinic Melbourne

Claudia Lyndon

Presenter Menzies Anxiety Centre

Daelin Coutts-Bain

Presenter The University of Sydney

Daniel Simsion

Presenter Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare) and La Trobe University

David Hawes

Discussant The University of Sydney

Dennyson Veloso

Presenter The University of Sydney

Eileen Seah

Presenter The University of Sydney

Elena Slodecki

Presenter Swinburne University of Technology

Emily Wall

Presenter University of New South Wales

Emily Wilson

Presenter The University of Sydney

Eric Morris

Scientific Co-convenor 2026 – Vic La Trobe University

Erika Penney

Presenter University of Technology, Sydney

Esrat Jahan

Presenter The University of Sydney

Eve-Yael Gerber

Presenter The University of Melbourne

Evren Etel

Presenter Griffith University

AACBT 46th National Conference 2026

Program

Choose date

Categories:

Clarenden Ballroom A

Registration open

Morning Tea (walls)

The ACT Kidflex: a simple model for children and adolescents (free)

Lunch

Is prolonged exposure right for this client? (free)

Afternoon Tea

Therapeutic approaches for comorbid trauma in severe mental illness [2691]

Movement

Brief, intensive and concentrated OCD therapy: a clinical roundtable [2654]

From Bergen to Melbourne: piloting a globally disseminated concentrated OCD treatment in an Australian inpatient setting [2647]

Movement (walls)

ECR Meeting

Clarenden Ballroom B

Registration open

Morning Tea (walls)

Ultra-brief treatments across the lifespan: efficacy and potential mechanisms [2624]

Efficacy of a digital CBT-based program to reduce co-occurring anxiety and hazardous alcohol use during the transition to young adulthood [2607]

Healthy mum, healthy bub: co-development of a digital CBT-based program for anxiety & risky alcohol use among mothers during early parenthood [2601]

Movement

Lunch

AACBT AGM

Identity, stigma, and wellbeing in autistic adults: from self processes to intervention pathways [2645]

Rapid #01 E Slodecki [2671 C]; A Basu [2660]; T Rooney [2653 B]

Afternoon Tea

Mental imagery and pain [2628]

Movement

This is not about academic misconduct: what digital-augmentation means for CBT education, supervision and practitioner competence [2661]

TBC

Movement (walls)

Close of Day 1

Welcome Function

Clarenden Ballroom C

Registration open

Welcome & National President Address

Reconceptualizing depression as an evolved adaptation

Morning Tea (walls)

Understanding and addressing cognitions related to loneliness and social connection [2648]

Delivering enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy among adolescents who have previously engaged in family-based treatment: helping the transition from the disease model to the psychological model [2633]

A six time-point longitudinal evaluation of a contextually relevant cognitive behavioural program (Study Without Stress) for students completing their final year of high school [2698]

Movement

Lunch

Partnering with families to transform access to evidence-based care for children [2615]

Rapid #02: A Roth [2622]; P Davis [2689]; S Adamec [2627]

Afternoon Tea

NourishED Mind: early findings from a randomised trial of transdiagnostic single-session interventions for youth at risk of eating disorders [2659]

The prevalence and impact of PTSD among young people seen at a specialist eating disorders service [2639]

Surviving the aftermath: Australian men’s lived experiences of complex childhood trauma [2671 A]

Invalidating healthcare experiences and their relationships with depression, anxiety, quality of life and pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis [2637]

Movement

Natural Language Processing of traumatic event descriptions to advance scalable screening and mechanistic understanding of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder [2703]

Mental navigation as a functional and dynamic cognitive system [2706]

Repetitive negative thinking in the perinatal period [2620]

The state of knowledge and training in dissociation: where to next? [2671 D]

Movement

Movement (walls)

Invited Speaker Day 1

Close of Day 1

Welcome Function

Amy Hardy

Steven D Hollon

Baljinder K Sahdra

Nasalifya Namwinga

Rebecca Flower

Rachel Jellett

Tamar Black

Kim L Felmingham

Adam Theobald

Alice Norton

Alina Morawska

Ambere Fougere

Amelia Kirkpatrick

Andrea Putica

Angelique Roth

Anjana Rajagopal

Ann Martin