15th Annual Conference
CACBT-ACTCC hosted the 15th Annual CACBT-ACTCC Hybrid Conference that took place May 1-3, 2025 at the stunning Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, AB. The conference theme was “Navigating Rocky Relationships”, a theme fitting given the majestic Rocky Mountain setting. The conference highlighted how CBT offers practical tools and evidence-based strategies to help clients recognize behaviour patterns, enhance communication, and build healthier, more fulfilling relationships.
Delegates met in a beautiful conference room with large windows featuring mountains and local wildlife. The natural light and stunning views created a calm and inspiring setting for the sessions. Delegates took advantage of networking opportunities outside surrounded by the breathtaking scenery.
The program included two Keynote Addresses, two 90-minute Clinical Skills Training sessions, and two half-day workshops, all of which focused on a number of challenging, yet not uncommon, relationship dynamics and introduced approaches to working with complex interpersonal situations. These sessions offered CPA continuing education credits for those attending in real time.
Keynotes:
● Dr. Lori Brotto, RPsych, “Approaching Intimacy and Sexual Health in Therapy”
● Dr. Aislin Mushquash, CPsych, “The Power of Co-Regulation in Strengthening Relationships”
Workshops
● Dr. Jennifer Coelho, “Relationships with Food and Body Image: Supporting Clients and Their Families”
● Dr. Eli Lebowitz, “Empowering Parents to Tackle Failure to Launch in Young Adults”
Clinical Skills Training
● Dr. Heather Fulton, RPsych, “Inviting Change: Supporting Loved Ones with Substance Use Challenges”
● Dr. Kimberly Sogge, CPsych, “Befriend All Your Parts Using Compassion-Focused ACT”
We also featured an exclusive pre-recorded session by Dr. Judith Beck, titled “Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in 2025,” which was available to all conference registrants.
We were thrilled to introduce the first-ever Open Paper Session, titled “Relationships, Behaviour, and Change in CBT Practice”. This engaging session offered a valuable opportunity to connect and learn from six esteemed CBT researchers and clinicians who each delivered a 12-minute presentation, followed by a brief Q&A. Featured talks included:
“Mental Contamination in OCD: Phenomenology and Treatment” — Dr. Maureen Whittal
“Building Relationship, Planning and Delivering Treatment for Hoarding Disorder: A Navigational Guide” — Dr. Christiana Bratiotis
“Mixed Reality-Based Exposure Therapy for Contamination OCD: Acceptability and Efficacy” — Dr. Kelvin Wong
“A Survey of Supervision Practices in Canada: Trends and Barriers in Implementing Evidence-Based CBT Supervision Interventions” — Dr. Jesse Renaud
“Symptom to System: How Couple Therapy Changes Addiction” — Dr. Bonnie Lee
“Problematic Alcohol Use Among Gay, Bisexual, And Other Men Who Have Sex With Men in Canada: The Role of Proximal Stressors and Anxiety” — Mr. Adhm Zahran
We had approximately 200 attendees register for the conference, with 120 participating in person and the remainder joining virtually.
The conference also featured an in-person Poster Session with 33 presenters, where students and other researchers showcased their innovative clinical and research work. Held in a bright room with stunning mountain views and paired with a lively social event, the session created a vibrant, engaging, and welcoming atmosphere. We also hosted a Certification booth during the session, providing members with an opportunity to learn more about the process and consider applying to become a certified clinicians within the association.
We would like to thank our speakers for their generosity and wisdom, our sponsors and exhibitors for their consistent support, and our wonderful members and audience for their participation and engagement both online and in-person.
CACBT-ACTCC was pleased to congratulate:
15th Annual Conference
May 1-3, 2025
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity - Banff, AB
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Dr. Jacqueline Cohen
Dr. Candice Monson -
Tyler Eschenwecker (University of Waterloo) - “Why Don’t We Just Ask? The Lived Experience of ERP of Those Who Fail to Benefit From It”
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Spencer Metcalfe (McMaster University) - “Silent Burdens: A Comparative Thematic Analysis of Internalized Stigma Across Anxiety Disorders”
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Nathaniel Pickering (University of Prince Edward Island) – “Exploring the Relationship Between Anxiety and Resilience in Firefighter Population and the Role of Urban Communities”
Marly Mikhail (McMaster University) – “Novel Age of Onset Clusters in Generalized Anxiety Disorder”
Emma Felice (McGill University) – “Increasing Access to Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy Using Telehealth”
Fei Ying (Western University) – “Partner-Schema Structures and Observable Communication Between Couples During a Conflict Discussion Task”
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Thank you to our outgoing board members who were an integral part of the CACBT board: Dr. Christine Purdon (Past President) and Dalainey Drakes (Student Affiliate). We appreciate your dedicated volunteer service and invaluable contributions which have made a lasting impact on CACBT-ACTCC.
Thank you/ Merci
This conference could not be made possible without the hard work of the CACBT-ACTCC Board of Directors and the tireless efforts of our Executive Director, Diana Dunnell, and administrative support, Jenaé Goffi. Many thanks to Dr. Robert Ferguson for working with sponsors and exhibitors, our Abstract Review Committee, Poster Judges, and our Volunteers, who worked hard to ensure that the conference was well organized and enjoyed by all attendees.
Looking forward to seeing you all next year!
Upcoming Conference TBD
TESTIMONIALS
ANONYMOUS
“Good range of presentations. The quality was excellent. The posters were also outstanding. And nice to be able to talk to colleagues, some old and new people as well.”
ANONYMOUS
“The location! Hard to beat the views. It definitely added to the experience of the conference and the enjoyment of the sessions.”
ANONYMOUS
