We invite you to consider presenting your work at this high profile national forum. We have encountered tremendous challenges in recent years in treatment delivery and research, but CBT practitioners and researchers have responded to the broader community’s needs with considerable resilience, creativity, and ingenuity.
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.
The abstract portal is closed - please note that we are using SurveyMonkey this year.
Please refer to our website for all templates (Oral/Poster & Symposium) and the full guidelines.
If you have any questions regarding your submission, please contact the Conference Secretariat via email on conference@aacbt.org.au.
The 2025 Abstract book is now published.
All abstracts must be prepared using the relevant template. Incomplete or incorrect submissions will be returned to the author for resubmission in the correct format.
AACBT abstract guidelines are available here.
There are a limited number of oral and poster positions, priority will be given to original submissions. There is no limit to the number of abstracts that may be submitted by an individual. Splitting of a body of work into multiple abstracts is discouraged and consolidation into one abstract is preferred. The Scientific Program Committee reserve the right to limit the number of oral presentations per author to encourage presentation diversity.
The contact person will be responsible for distributing all correspondence related to the submission to all co-presenters. It is the presenting author’s responsibility to check the accuracy of the abstract. The abstract can be edited or deleted prior to the deadline. After this date, abstracts will be published in the abstract book exactly as they are submitted.
All submissions may be considered for alternative presentation formats; authors will be advised accordingly following completion of the review process. By submitting an abstract all authors agree to release the license to the conference organisers and give permission to publish the abstract in the conference handbook, website, application, USB etc. and in so doing certify that the abstract is original work. The invitation to submit an abstract does not constitute an offer to pay travel, accommodation or registration costs associated with the conference. Similarly, no presenter fee will be paid to successful participants.
All presenters (including poster presenters) will be required to register for the conference by the early bird deadline. It will be assumed that any presenter not registered by this date has withdrawn from the program. By submitting an abstract you give consent to publication of the abstract in conference materials, including but not limited to, handbook and social media channels.
Please read the below guidelines and refer to the relevant template/s:
There are four types of presentation formats available for abstract submission.
A Symposium is a focused session in which speakers present on empirical results of studies that are linked by a common theme, issue, or question. †
A chairperson briefly introduces the topic, typically followed by (up to) four individual speakers. The session ends with optional concluding remarks by a Discussant ‡ followed by an opportunity for audience members to ask questions and general discussion.
A Symposium session will run for up to 60 minutes (maximum length) § – with time managed by the Symposium Chair.
† Typically, meta-analyses should be submitted as individual Rapid Presentations, but a maximum of one may be included in a symposium if it is clearly and specifically related to the symposium theme.
‡ Discussants may be a “Scientific Discussant” or a “Practitioner Discussant”. A “Scientific Discussant” may focus on the scientific implications of the symposium (e.g., theoretical and methodological issues), but AACBT requests that this summary includes at least a brief description of the most significant clinical implications for policy and practice from their perspective. A “Practitioner Discussant” may be an applied researcher, healthcare worker, or person with lived experience who focuses on translating the research into specific policy and practice implications.
§ If you include an optional Discussant, their time is included in the overall session time of 60 minutes – IE everyone gets less personal time.
A symposium can take the form of a Panel Discussion if preferred, which follows the above notes, excepting that the format is typically more free-flowing (more back & forth between presenters).
Individual Oral Presentations must present the empirical results of a research project. Results of meta-analyses should typically be submitted as a Rapid Presentation, unless there are compelling reasons why it is particularly novel and significant. Abstracts presenting the results of theoretically informed original research projects are preferred.
Each Individual Oral Presentation will be of up to 15-minutes in duration (including and questions and answers). Speakers typically use PowerPoint slides to accompany their presentation.
The Scientific Program Committee will integrate sets of individual papers into thematic sessions. Delegates typically prefer learning about the key messages and outcomes of the research, rather than the minutiae of methodological detail. Please ensure “Clinical practice relevance” section is included at the end of your presentation (refer to the template for details).
Poster Presentations are a static visual display of research projects, which will be on display for a limited period on specific times and days during the scientific program days at conference, with the opportunity to discuss your presentation with delegates during informal poster sessions. More information regarding the logistics of the poster presentations will be advised following acceptance.
There may be some posters selected for duplication as a Rapid Presentation, which will be 2 minutes in duration, and may be distributed throughout the scientific program schedule (see below).
Rapid Presentations will typically present the empirical results of a shorter pilot or feasibility project, or might take the form of a meta-analysis or critical or systematic review of extant literature.
Each Rapid Presentation will consist of a short, 2-min presentation. Speakers will be limited to a maximum of one (1) PowerPoint slide, so it is crucial to convey the key, clinically-relevant takeaway message(s) of the project.
The Scientific Program Committee will integrate these rapid presentations with longer individual oral presentations papers to form thematic sessions.
