In November 2015, CMHR faculty and students were delighted to attend the 49th annual convention of the Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (ABCT) in Chicago. ABCT’s mission is to advance “scientific approaches to the understanding and improvement of human functioning through the investigation and application of behavioural, cognitive, and other evidence-based principles to the assessment, prevention, treatment of human problems, and the enhancement of health and well-being.”
The conference showcased a number of interesting research talks and poster presentations, including student presentations by our own clinical doctoral students, Jasmine Taylor, Mengran Xu, and Kevin Barber. These students were joined by CMHR Executive Director, Dr. David Moscovitch, who gave a research talk.
Xu, attending ABCT for the first time, said he found it to be a valuable learning experience. “You not only learn the cutting-edge treatment but also the empirical evidence behind it.” Barber has attended the ABCT conference in past years but found this year’s conference particularly rewarding, reflecting that his research presentation “led to great conversations and exchanges of ideas with people researching similar areas, which yielded opportunities for collaboration.” Taylor similarly noted that “During my poster presentation, I also had the opportunity to network with researchers from around the world who share similar interests.”
Both students and faculty returned to the CMHR feeling energized and excited about all of the exciting developments in the field of clinical psychology and ready to put their new learning to use in the Centre. Like Barber, Dr. Moscovitch has also been attending the conference for many years, but remarked that “it never gets old. The professional development opportunities at the convention are extraordinary for students and faculty alike. The convention helps highlight the best examples of how to effectively integrate clinical science with clinical practice, which ultimately help to benefit our students’ training as well as the research and treatment we conduct in our Centre.”