To make it easier for you to navigate the different events at the Congress and decide which presentations to attend we have prepared this short guide.

The Congress consists of a full day of Pre-Conference Workshops, and then a three-day programme involving keynote addresses, symposia, debates and roundtables, skills classes, open paper sessions, and poster presentations. There is also a programme of in Congress workshops that delegates attending the Congress can sign up to attend. The programme includes presentations highlighting new scientific and clinical developments as well as sessions designed to help you develop your clinical skills.

Streams
The Congress programme is organised into 10 streams, which are broad areas within CBT, such as Adult Mental Health. Presentations are colour coded by stream in the Congress programme and on the online platform. Where possible, presentations within a stream are scheduled at different times to allow delegates interested in a specific area to attend most or all the relevant presentations. If you cannot attend a specific session e.g. because it clashes with something else you want to attend you may be able to watch it on ‘catch-up’ because the presentations in four of the rooms will be recorded.

‘But how do I decide what to attend?’
If you are interested in the latest research, symposia, open papers, poster presentations and keynotes will be of particular interest to you. However, if you would like to broaden or update your skills then pre-conference and in-conference workshops and skills classes are most appropriate. If you are skilled in one specific area in CBT, you may want to go to something completely outside this competence. Alternatively, you may want to stay with what is relevant to your work and just top up and get the latest ideas. If you are interested in hearing about current developments in an area of interest check out the roundtables and debates which bring experts together to share their perspectives.

Symposia, open paper sessions, and poster presentations can be a very useful way to network and to meet people working in similar fields…especially in the coffee breaks! Alternatively, you may just want to attend events by well-known presenters who you have never had a chance to hear, you will find the keynotes, and perhaps the debates and roundtables most interesting.

You will probably get the most out of the Congress if you take half an hour or so at the start to sit quietly with the programme to go through it and then plan your own individual itinerary/schedule. But don’t be too rigid; sometimes it’s fun to drop into a session that just catches your interest at that moment.

‘What exactly are the different types of presentations at the Congress?’

Pre-Congress Workshops
These are whole day events focused on both skills and theory. They are scheduled on the day before the congress. A separate registration fee is applied to these workshops and they must be booked in advance.

In-Congress Workshops
These are half day events (3 hours) that focus on both skills and theory. They are scheduled on each day of the congress. A separate registration fee is applied to these workshops and they can be booked in advance or at the Congress registration desk during the congress

Keynotes
A keynote address is delivered by a well-known clinical researcher and last for an hour. These typically present the best up to date information and attract a large audience. In Glasgow we have 20 Keynote addresses. These cover a wide range of contemporary and important topics in CBT. The keynote presentations are scheduled after the symposium sessions, in both the morning and the afternoon. At any one time there are 4 keynote addresses to choose between. But remember, if you would like to attend more than one you can watch the one you missed on ‘catch up’.

Symposia
These are collections of 4 or 5 talks, focusing on a specific topic or subject area. Some symposia are very data focused, centred on new studies or on trials and their outcomes. Others are more applied, looking at service or skills-related subjects. Speakers range from presenters at an early stage in their careers presenting their own work, to leaders in the world of CBT. Symposia often have a discussant at the end where time is allowed for audience participation. Delegates are encouraged to ask questions during the session – if you are attending remotely you will be able to do this via the online portal.

Panel Debates
These are events where speakers debate a contemporary topic with each other, and actively with the audience. There are generally four or five speakers, and often these events feature nationally or internationally recognised researchers or clinicians.

Clinical Roundtables
These are events where clinicians discuss how they would approach treating a specific case, for example, treatment-resistant depression. These involve well-known clinicians, and audience involvement is encouraged

Skills Classes
These are opportunities to learn and practice a particular skill. Skills classes focus on a specific clinical or research skill or therapeutic approach. These classes often involve quite large groups and are led by a well known clinician. Depending on the numbers, these may be more or less didactic or interactive, but there will often be opportunity for delegates to get involved and practice their skills. As we are running a hybrid congress this year the leaders of the skills classes will use a range of techniques to help you learn and develop your skills.

Open Paper sessions
Individual researchers or CBT therapists have submitted a report about their recent research that they want to share. This is usually very up to date and so open papers provide a great opportunity to learn about emerging areas and new research findings. The Open Papers are usually scheduled in groups of 3-5 papers on a related topic so that the presenters can support each other (and get to know about each other’s work) and delegates can find topics that are relevant to their interests.

Posters
Posters report on research studies, service evaluations, clinical case reports etc. Posters will be on display all day in Hall1 and on the Talking Slides Platform where delegates will be able to leave questions and messages for all the in person and online poster presenters.

We hope this is helpful, please do ask any of the organisers if you have any questions during the Congress, and above all, enjoy!