About

The 2025 conference theme is “Innovating CBT for diverse minds, needs, and peoples”.
Cognitive and behavioural therapies (CBT) continue to evolve to meet the needs of diverse communities, identities, and lived experiences. From the unique challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, trans and gender-diverse, and neurodivergent individuals, to those navigating complex physical, psychological, or social-relational conditions, our field must innovate to ensure CBT remains inclusive, effective, and relevant.
This year’s conference will showcase high-quality, cutting-edge research and clinical practice that pushes the boundaries of traditional CBT while remaining grounded in evidence-based principles. We will explore how adaptations in formulation, intervention, and service delivery can enhance accessibility and effectiveness across diverse cultures, demographics, and conditions. Whether you work in research, clinical practice, or educational settings, this is an opportunity to engage with leading experts, share best practices, and shape the future of CBT.
3
Days
124
Speakers
12
Sponsors
143
Sessions
16. - 18. October, 2025 | Esplanade Hotel Fremantle by Rydges, Marine Terrace, Fremantle WA, Australia

AACBT 45th National Conference 2025

Join event Get a ticket

Sponsors

Premium Partner

Major Partners

Key Event Partner

Book Supporter

Accommodation

Early Career Breakfast Supporter

Early Career Awards Partners

Networking Supporter

Conference Lanyard Supporter

Conference Funding Support

Speakers

Dr Judith S Beck
Dr Judith S Beck
Keynote Speaker Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Professor Pat Dudgeon AM
Professor Pat Dudgeon AM
Keynote Speaker The University of Western Australia
Professor Liz Pellicano
Professor Liz Pellicano
Keynote Speaker University College London
Professor Nicole Lee
Professor Nicole Lee
Invited Speaker; Fellow of AACBT Hello Sunday Morning; 360Edge; National Drug Research Institute
Associate Professor Yael Perry
Associate Professor Yael Perry
Invited Speaker The Kids Research Institute Australia
Professor Lauren Breen
Professor Lauren Breen
Invited Speaker Curtin University
Dr Vance Locke
Dr Vance Locke
Invited Speaker - Master Clinician Session The University of Western Australia
Adam Theobald
Adam Theobald
Presenter Black Dog Institute
Adelln Sng
Adelln Sng
Presenter Centre for Clinical Interventions
Ai-Jing Lim
Ai-Jing Lim
Presenter Tunku Abdul Rahman University, Malaysia
Alan Ralph
Alan Ralph
Presenter The University of Queensland
Alexander Godley
Alexander Godley
Presenter The University of Western Australia
Alexandra South
Alexandra South
Presenter Black Dog Institute
Ali Amini-Tehrani
Ali Amini-Tehrani
Poster Presenter The University of Western Australia
Alina Morawska
Alina Morawska
Presenter The University of Queensland
Allison Waters
Allison Waters
Presenter Griffith University
Amanda Maxwell
Amanda Maxwell
Presenter University of New South Wales
Amelia Reynolds
Amelia Reynolds
Presenter The University of Western Australia
Amy J Mickelberg
Amy J Mickelberg
Presenter The University of Western Australia
Anna Malerba
Anna Malerba
Poster Presenter Sapienza University, Rome
Anthony D Joffe
Anthony D Joffe
Presenter Black Dog Institute
Arunima Basu
Arunima Basu
Presenter University of New South Wales
Ashleigh B Correa
Ashleigh B Correa
Presenter Macquarie University
Ben Grafton
Ben Grafton
Presenter The University of Western Australia
Briana Guerrini
Briana Guerrini
Presenter Curtin University
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Presenter Centre for Clinical Interventions
Carly Johnco
Carly Johnco
Presenter Macquarie University
Carolina Gonzalez
Carolina Gonzalez
Presenter University of Southern Queensland
Caroline Donovan
Caroline Donovan
Presenter Griffith University Centre for Mental Health
Catherine Brennan
Catherine Brennan
Presenter Swinburne University of Technology
Chiara Ventris
Chiara Ventris
Presenter The University of Western Australia
Chloe N. Jones
Chloe N. Jones
Presenter Curtin University
Chris Boyle
Chris Boyle
Presenter The University of Adelaide
Chris Ludlow
Chris Ludlow
Presenter Swinburne University of Technology
Christopher Basten
Christopher Basten
Presenter Basten & Associates, Clinical Psychologists
Colin MacLeod
Colin MacLeod
Presenter; Fellow of AACBT The University of Western Australia
Cressida Bell
Cressida Bell
Presenter Curtin University
Daniel Rudaizky
Daniel Rudaizky
Presenter Curtin University
David Erceg-Hurn
David Erceg-Hurn
Presenter Centre for Clinical Interventions
David Hawes
David Hawes
Presenter The University of Sydney
David Preece
David Preece
Presenter Curtin University
Eileen Seah
Eileen Seah
Presenter The University of Sydney
Emily Jones
Emily Jones
Presenter Centre for Clinical Interventions
Emily Upton
Emily Upton
Presenter Black Dog Institute; UNSW
Florence Soh
Florence Soh
Presenter The University of Western Australia
Genevieve Dingle
Genevieve Dingle
Presenter The University of Queensland
Gia Nhi (Nhi) Lam
Gia Nhi (Nhi) Lam
Presenter Queensland University of Technology
Hannah Steens
Hannah Steens
Presenter The University of Western Australia
Henry Austin
Henry Austin
Presenter The University of Western Australia
Inge Gnatt
Inge Gnatt
Presenter Swinburne University of Technology
Isabel Clegg
Isabel Clegg
Presenter The University of Western Australia
James Clarke
James Clarke
Presenter; Poster Presenter Curtin University

Program

Categories:
Stages
Sirius Room
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 desk open

7:45 AM - 8:30 AM
Peter Pohlman Peter Pohlman

Welcome & National President Address

8:30 AM - 8:45 AM
Danielle Mathersul
Uncle Kevin Fitzgerald
Ross G Menzies

Keynote Plenary Address - Integrating recovery-oriented techniques into cognitive behaviour therapy

8:45 AM - 9:45 AM
Dr Judith S Beck Dr Judith S Beck

Plenary Session - From AA to AI: the past, present and future of alcohol and other drug treatment

9:45 AM - 10:30 AM
Professor Nicole Lee Professor Nicole Lee

Morning Tea

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

The anxiety, the shame, and the self-disgust of CBT in practice and training. [2536]

11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Peter McEvoy
Samantha Bank
Amber MacLeod
Bruce Campbell
Adelln Sng

Lunch

12:15 PM - 1:15 PM

Digital innovations in mental health treatment: implications for clinical practice [2528]

1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Rosemaree Miller
Madelyne Bisby
Emily Upton
Jenny Le

Afternoon Tea

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM

AACBT 2025 Awards Panel

2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Ella Oar
Leanne Hides
Melissa Burgess
David Hawes

Feature Presentation - Beyond the therapy room: building safe systems for clinicians and clients

3:30 PM - 3:45 PM
Clair Lawson
Kim Eaton

Room movement

3:45 PM - 4:00 PM

Improving the accessibility and efficacy of CBT for child anxiety and OCD [2547]

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Carly Johnco
Lara Farrell
Lauren McLellan
Allison Waters

Room movement

5:00 PM - 5:05 PM

Keynote Plenary Address - How can we tackle inequalities, exclusions and injustices to promote Autistic flourishing?

5:05 PM - 6:05 PM
Professor Liz Pellicano Professor Liz Pellicano

Early Career Researcher and Clinician mentoring

6:05 PM - 7:15 PM
Luke John Ney
Professor Liz Pellicano
Professor Lauren Breen
Dr Vance Locke
Kristin Naragon-Gainey
Caroline Donovan
Lara Farrell
Admiralty Gulf Room
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 desk open

7:45 AM - 8:30 AM
Peter Pohlman Peter Pohlman

Morning Tea

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Expanding access and impact: targeting transdiagnostic processes in early intervention for eating disorders [2521]

11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Jamie-Lee Pennesi
Yuan Zhou
Marcela Radunz
Maya Jabs
Madelaine de Valle

Lunch

12:15 PM - 12:45 PM

AACBT AGM

12:45 PM - 1:15 PM
Ross G Menzies Ross G Menzies

Strengthening trauma-informed mental health care: from prevalence to practice [2567]

1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Catherine Brennan
Phillipa Huynh
Meg Blackie
Ruby Hamer
Inge Gnatt

Afternoon Tea

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM

Open Papers - Adult anxiety - Can we experimentally trigger and then resolve symptoms of depression and anxiety? A randomised controlled trial testing the Things You Do/Big 5 model of mental health [2523]

2:45 PM - 2:57 PM
Nick Titov Nick Titov

Open Papers - Adult anxiety - Cognitive factors associated with performance anxiety in musicians [2503]

2:57 PM - 3:09 PM
Thomas Nicholl Thomas Nicholl

Open Papers - Adult anxiety - Illness anxiety disorder: a longitudinal investigation [2511]

3:09 PM - 3:21 PM
Katarina Kikas Katarina Kikas

Open Papers - Adult anxiety - Intrusive thoughts, Health Anxiety and fears of death [2546]

3:21 PM - 3:33 PM
Natalie Windsor Natalie Windsor

Open Papers - Adult anxiety - The importance of temporal proximity of trauma cues in exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: evidence from fear conditioning [2502]

3:33 PM - 3:45 PM
Luke John Ney Luke John Ney

Room movement

3:45 PM - 4:00 PM

Advancing digital mental health: enhancing engagement, alliance, and assessment [2569]

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Maja Nedeljkovic
Simone Radatti
Chris Ludlow
Catherine Brennan

Room movement

5:00 PM - 5:05 PM

Room closed

5:05 PM - 5:10 PM

Welcome reception (in the Southern Cross Lobby)

6:05 PM - 8:05 PM
King Sound Room
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 desk open

7:45 AM - 8:30 AM
Peter Pohlman Peter Pohlman

Morning Tea

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Outcomes of adjunctive CBT for bipolar disorder in a community mental health setting [2538]

11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Emily Jones
Laura Smith
David Erceg-Hurn
Melissa Burgess
Cressida Bell

Lunch

12:15 PM - 1:15 PM

Being a parent of young children: the relevance of exploring parents’ individual and interpersonal factors in early and middle childhood [2573]

1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Carolina Gonzalez
Alina Morawska
Janaye Keinert
David Hawes

Afternoon Tea

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM

Open Papers - Language/Developmental/Caregiver - Predictors of parent willingness to conduct exposure therapy with their child [2540]

2:45 PM - 2:57 PM
Simon Byrne Simon Byrne

Open Papers - Language/Developmental/Caregiver - Fluency and psychosocial sequelae in school-aged children who stutter: the Curtin University School-aged Stuttering Program (CUSSP) [2564]

2:57 PM - 3:09 PM
Rachel Michael Rachel Michael

Open Papers - Language/Developmental/Caregiver - The perspectives of autistic adolescents and their parents on sleep strategies for insomnia [2516]

3:09 PM - 3:21 PM
Melissa Cleary Melissa Cleary

Open Papers - Language/Developmental/Caregiver - Critical shortage of psychologists delivering psychological interventions for tic disorders: findings from a national survey [2576]

3:21 PM - 3:33 PM
Amanda Maxwell Amanda Maxwell

Room movement

3:33 PM - 3:45 PM

Room movement

3:45 PM - 4:00 PM

Open Papers - Misc: RNT, AOD, Chronic - Understanding repetitive negative thinking in early adolescence: a descriptive qualitative survey study [2519]

4:00 PM - 4:12 PM
Nikki Huang Nikki Huang

Open Papers - Misc: RNT, AOD, Chronic - Efficacy of a standalone telephone-delivered alcohol intervention: secondary outcomes of a double-blind randomised controlled trial [2529]

4:12 PM - 4:24 PM
Victoria Manning Victoria Manning

Open Papers - Misc: RNT, AOD, Chronic - Cognitive, behavioural and emotion-focused interventions for functional neurological disorder: a case series [2545]

4:24 PM - 4:36 PM
Christopher Basten Christopher Basten

Open Papers - Misc: RNT, AOD, Chronic - “Your pain is real”: working towards validating healthcare for Australian adults managing chronic pain [2570]

4:36 PM - 4:48 PM
Thomas Woldhuis Thomas Woldhuis

Open Papers - Misc: RNT, AOD, Chronic - The Young Schema Questionnaire - Revised (YSQ-R): recent developments in the assessment of early maladaptive schemas [2575]

4:48 PM - 5:00 PM
Ozgur Yalcin Ozgur Yalcin

Room movement

5:00 PM - 5:05 PM

Room closed

5:05 PM - 5:10 PM

Welcome reception (in the Southern Cross Lobby)

6:05 PM - 8:05 PM
Pleiades Room
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 desk open

7:45 AM - 8:30 AM
Peter Pohlman Peter Pohlman

Morning Tea

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Innovation in evidence-based parenting and family interventions: responding to the contemporary needs of children young people and their families [2559]

11:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Matthew Sanders
Trevor Mazzucchelli
Alina Morawska
Tianyi Ma
Lisa Studman

Lunch

12:15 PM - 1:15 PM

Expanding the boundaries of cognitive behavioural therapy: innovations in treatment for diverse contexts and diverse populations [2562]

1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Jessamine Chen
Allison Waters
Sophie Dickson
Jessica Belcher

Afternoon Tea

2:15 PM - 2:45 PM

The cognitive basis of maladaptive consumption behaviours [2553]

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Ben Grafton
Daniel Rudaizky
Mahdi Mazidi
Victoria Manning

Room movement

3:45 PM - 4:00 PM

Navigating adversity: cognitive mechanisms behind resilient and vulnerable trajectories [2552]

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Lies Notebaert
Hannah Steens
Florence Soh
Sophia Moore
Amelia Reynolds

Room movement

5:00 PM - 5:05 PM

Room closed

5:05 PM - 5:10 PM

Welcome reception (in the Southern Cross Lobby)

6:05 PM - 8:05 PM

Exhibitors

Woodslane Health
Woodslane Health
Lawson Clinical Psychology
Lawson Clinical Psychology
Mental Health Online (MHO)
Mental Health Online (MHO)
Triple P
Triple P

Contact information

Event location
Event date:
16. October - 18. October, 2025
Event location:
Esplanade Hotel Fremantle by Rydges, Marine Terrace, Fremantle WA, Australia
Organizer:
AACBT Australia [email protected]
Contact organizer