Learn best practice for child anxiety management direct from the author of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale.
Presented by Professor Emeritus Susan H Spence
Australian Institute of Suicide Research and Prevention and School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University
This is an all-day, fully catered workshop, with 6 hours CPD.
Venue:
Zoom
A live-stream from the Victorian workshop
Please note - this session is *not* being recorded
Book your ticket for the Zoom live-stream here
This is a live-stream via Zoom of the Victorian workshop - there is no catering included with this ticket.
Learn best practice for child anxiety management direct from the author of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale. Come and hear from one the leaders in youth anxiety and depression, as she reviews current knowledge and the use of new technologies in clinical practice.
Despite the high prevalence of emotional and behaviour problems in children and adolescents, the majority do not receive professional mental health services, and their issues go untreated. There are various reasons to explain this, but a key point is that we just do not have enough mental health professionals to meet the demand. New technologies such as internet-delivered CBT programs and mobile applications (“Apps”) have been proposed as one method that could increase young people’s access to treatment. They have great potential not only to reduce waitlists, but also as tools to enhance therapy practice and treatment outcomes. There is a good deal of evidence that these new approaches can produce significant improvements in mental health and emotional wellbeing, subject to limitations. Nevertheless, many clinicians are reluctant, for a variety of reasons, to make use of these interventions in their practice.
This workshop will focus on developing practitioner skills and knowledge about using new technologies to support and enhance their clinical practice in the treatment of anxiety and depression in young people. It will address concerns that many practitioners have about such approaches, will examine the ethical and practical issues surrounding their use, will explore some of the available online interventions and “Apps”, and examine the empirical evidence regarding effectiveness. In particular, the workshop will aim to increase clinician confidence about and comfort in the use of new technologies in their clinical practice, and to increase awareness of the strengths and limitations to their use.
Key learning objectives:
References and readings:
Event detail:
This event is a full-day workshop from 9am-4pm, with 6 hours CPD - live-streamed from the Victorian workshop.
The ticket does not include any catering.
Frequently asked questions
Is the event catered?
No - there will be breaks for you to seek your own refreshments.
Are there any refunds?
Cancellations attract a 25% processing fee. Cancellations within one week of the event attract a 50% processing fee. Cancellations within 24 hours of the event will not be refunded under any circumstances. If you wish to transfer the name of your registration to someone else there is no charge.
How do I get access to the live-stream?
You will be provided with the Zoom link on the day prior to the event - it is your responsibility to ensure that you have Zoom installed and ready to begin.
Is the event being recorded?
No, the event is a live, interactive workshop and you agree not to record the meeting in any way.
AACBT Full Members can get an early-bird discount until 31 May 2025.
Book your ticket for the Zoom live-stream here
Susan H Spence, AO, B.Sc. (Hons), MBA, PhD (Clinical Psychology) is an Emeritus Professor in the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, and the School of Applied Psychology at Griffith University. Her previous positions included Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at Griffith University, Dean, Division of Linguistics and Psychology at Macquarie University, and Head of School of Psychology and Professor at University of Queensland.
Her current research focuses on the causes, assessment, prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression in young people. Sue pioneered the development of social skills training interventions for young people and these approaches are now routinely embedded in CBT approaches for a wide range of emotional and behavioural problems. She is the author of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale, a measure that is widely used internationally and has been translated into over 20 languages. Along with her colleagues, she developed BRAVE-ONLINE, an evidence-based, internet-delivered treatment program for anxiety in children and adolescents. She has received extensive national and international competitive grant funding to support her research and published widely, most recently relating to online interventions for child and adolescent mental health problems.
Sue was elected a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society, the British Psychological Society, and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. In 2016 she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of her distinguished service to mental health research, particularly to prevention and treatment in young people and to tertiary education. She is a Fellow of AACBT and was recently appointed as the 2025 Global Ambassador for AACBT and World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies.
Book your ticket for the Zoom live-stream here
