World CBT Day
Thursday, April 7, 2022
The World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (WCCBT) is a globalorganization, which brings together the regional associations of CBT from around the world.
Incorporated in 2021, the WCCBT has a series of ambitious intentions (see www.wccbt.org ),including the promotion and dissemination of the broad range of CBTs and evidence- based
therapies more generally.
As part of its work, the WCCBT is proud to launch the inaugural World CBT day on April 7,
2022, the same as the WHO World Health Day (see https://www.who.int/campaigns/worldhealth-day).
World CBT Day will include a series of lectures, workshops and a documentary from aroundthe world:
Dr. Mark Dadds- Professor of Psychology, University of Sydney, Principal Research Fellow of
the NHMRC, Director of Growing Minds Australia, and Co-Director of the Child Behaviour
Research Clinic.
Beyond the manual: How behavioural family interventions work in the real world(Workshop)
Dr. David Barlow- Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry Emeritus, Founder of the Center for
Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University, USA.
Neuroticism & Disorders of Emotion: A New Synthesis & Approach to Treatment(Lecture)
Dr. Freedom Leung- Professor and Head, Shaw College, Chinese University of Hong Kong,
past president of the Hong Kong Psychological Society, senior consulting clinical psychologist
for the Office of Student Affairs and the Human Resources Office of CUHK, Hong Kong.
Doing CBTs with the Help of Neuroscience (Workshop)
Women in CBT- The European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies will
present a recording of key women in CBT: “Insipring female leader in CBT: A brief
documentary”. This is a series of interviews of women who have made a significant
contribution to the development of CBT and are important role models. The interview withDiane Chambless, Edna Foa, Iris Fodor, Judy Beck, Christine Padesky, Susan Bögels, Kristerne
Doyle, Janet Wolfe, Elena Heinz, Anne-Marie Albano, Anke Ehlers, Isabel Fernadez, Rosematy
Nelson-Gray, Irene Oestrich, Melanie Fennell. Link onto the website at EABCT.eu to see thedocumentary on 7th April
These presentations are being coordinated by regional organizations, where further information
can be found. The workshop offered by Dr. Dadds is being coordinated by the AustralianAssociation for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy (AACBT). The presentation will take placebeginning at 09:00 in Melbourne (UTC +10 hours). For further information go tohttps://bit.ly/WorldCBT_2022_Dadds
The presentations by Drs. Barlow and Leung are being coordinated by the Association for
Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (U.S.A.). For further information and to register go tohttps://services.abct.org/world-cbt-day-event.
Dr. Keith Dobson
President, WCCBTDr. Mark Dadds
Beyond the manual: How behavioural family interventions work in the real world
A range of family intervention techniques can promote positive change in children with conduct
problems and their families, however, engaging such families can be difficult, drop rates are
high, and change can be hard to achieve when the parent’s own issues dominate. This workshop
will focus on strategies that can be used to maximize parental engagement, reduce drop-out, andfacilitate positive change, in difficult families. First principles theories and a process model ofconsultation will be presented that is utilizable across a range of child and family problems. The
structure of the workshop will be: 1) Theoretical tools: Behavioural, attachment, structural, andcognitive tools. 2) Assessing the causes of child and family problems: didactic presentation ofcontent advances and a process model for family therapy and empowerment. 3) Therapy Process:work through the process phases using a videotaped example of a family in therapy. Structured
but playful behaviour rehearsals will be used for skill development. Participants should emerge
with a refreshing perspective on successfully working with families seeking help with childbehavioural and emotional problems.
Dr. David Barlow
Neuroticism & Disorders of Emotion: A New Synthesis & Approach to Treatment.
I will describe an approach to anxiety, depressive, trauma related, and other disorders, now
conceptualized as “emotional disorders” because of shared underlying dimensions uncovered by
the study of traits or temperaments. Central to this approach is a functional model of emotional
disorders describing common factors that account for the development and maintenance of these
conditions based largely, but not exclusively, on the temperament of neuroticism. The
presentation will conclude with a description and supporting data on a unified transdiagnostic
treatment approach for the full range of emotional disorders directly targeting the underlying
temperament of neuroticism and associated temperamental characteristics.
Dr. Freedom Leung
Doing CBTs with the Help of Neuroscience
Advances in neuroscience research in the past few decades have enabled us to develop a muchbetter understanding of how human mind works in different psychological disorders. In clinicalpsychiatry, Insel (2014), the ex-director of NIMH in the US, advocated a paradigm shift toward“precision medicine for psychiatry”. He argued that clinical interventions for any psychiatricdisorder should be based on the precise understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms ofthe disorder and how different interventions may correct the condition. Following Insel’s ideas,
I’ll integrate recent findings from neuroscience on how human mind works in different
psychological disorders, and propose a neuroscience-based treatment model for CBT. Treatmentof adjustment stress-related disorders will be used to illustrate how this neuroscience-basedmodel of CBT works in clinical practice.