2021 Virtual Conference
CACBT-ACTCC hosted the 11th Annual Conference virtually – which left all delegates wanting more. The conference was held on May 6-8, 2021. The theme of the conference was “CBT Knowledge and Dissemination” and we had a record turn out!
The CACBT 2021 Conference highlighted the amazing CBT talent which exists in our own country and included keynote addresses from Drs. David A. Clark and Christine Chambers. We also had internationally renowned CBTers to Canada. Dr. David Tolin, President of our sister organization, the Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies, presented a one-day workshop on the latest advances in exposure therapy. We also had 6 three-hour workshops (one hosted in French) and 5 symposia. In addition, we featured 67 research and clinical posters. We ended our conference with a keynote address by renowned speaker, Dr. Timothy Caulfield who presented on “Health Resilience in the Age of Fear and Misinformation”.
One of the biggest features of our virtual conference, was that our delegates were able to interact with poster presenters, exhibitors, and other attendees like they would in person, using a platform called Gathertown. This virtual platform was set up where delegates could move their avatars around the room. When they approached a poster room and stood in front of the poster, the presentation popped up on their screen for easy viewing. In addition, when their avatar was in close proximity to other delegates’ avatars, those individuals’ video screens would open up so that delegates could network, catch up, and discuss the science and practice of CBT. Gathertown was set up like a regular conference venue with speaker rooms, poster session rooms, lounges, and even a beach. In addition to networking, our Student Representative (Leanne Kane) organized a student event that took place in Gathertown.
We would like to thank our workshop presenters, Drs. Randy Peterson, Kyrsten Grimes, Konstantine Zakanis, Keith Dobson, Andrea Ashbaugh, Jacqueline Cohen, Heather Hood, Allison Ouimet, David Clark, Stéphane Bouchard. We also thank all the individuals who organized symposia: Drs. Raquel Nogueira-Arjona, Andre Lauzon, Barbara Pavolva, Alissa Pencer, and Ryan Ferguson.
The conference had highest attendance with approximately 275 delegates. In addition, we hosted our Annual General Meeting virtually, which also was the highest attendance on record (n = 84).
CACBT was pleased to congratulate:
CACBT-ACTCC 2021 Fellows:
Keith Dobson
Gail Myhr
Jack Rachman Research Poster Award:
Olivia Ann Merritt (University of Waterloo) – Parent Criticism and Fear of Compassion Interact to Predict Treatment Ambivalence
Keith Dobson Clinical Poster Award:
Christina Puccinelli (McMaster University) – Falling into the OCD Trap: Are Clinicians Hesitant to Encourage IN VIVO Exposures for Repugnant Obsessions?
Student Travel Awards:
Jesse Wilde (Western University) - A Test of the Dyadic Partner-Schema Model of Relationship Distress and Depression
Jean-Philippe Gagné (Concordia University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton) – In Vivo Versus Imaginal: Comparing Therapists’ Willingness to Engage in Both Forms of Exposure Therapy for Repugnant Obsessions
*New* CACBT Award for Students who are Indigenous, black or people of colour
Jolie Ho (University of Waterloo) - Fear of receiving compassion from others predicts safety behaviour use in social anxiety disorder over an above fears of negative self-portrayal
Thank you to the Conference Planning Committee (David Dozois, Christine Korol and Diana Dunnell), Noah Lazar for working with sponsors and exhibitors, and all of the conference volunteers, who worked hard to ensure that the conference was well organized and enjoyed by all attendees. Thank you also to all conference presenters, and to our sponsors whose support is greatly appreciated!
See you in May 2022!