Keynote Title: Can we enhance the efficacy of cognitive reappraisal by systematically co-manipulating somato-sensoric information processing

Cognitive reappraisal (CR) is among the most effective emotion regulation strategies and is widely used in evidence-based treatments for mental disorders such as depression. However, evidence suggests that the efficacy of CR is reduced in individuals with more severe forms of depression.

One possible explanation is that somatosensory information—such as perceiving one’s voice as timid, one’s facial expression as tense, or one’s posture as stooped—may invalidate and thereby undermine adaptive reappraisals. This mismatch may weaken the impact of CR on mood and reduce patients’ motivation to practice CR consistently enough to fully realize its therapeutic potential.

This keynote will present the hypothesis that the efficacy of CR can be enhanced by systema-tically integrating somatosensory processes into CR practice. Drawing on a series of experi-mental and clinical studies, the talk will examine how bodily signals interact with cognitive processes during emotion regulation and how the targeted co-manipulation of somatosensory information may strengthen antidepressant effects.

Findings will be discussed with regard to their theoretical significance, clinical implications, and potential applications for improving interventions for depression.

BIO

Prof. Dr. Matthias Berking is Head of the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychothe-rapy at the Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen Nuremberg (FAU), Director of the Psy-chotherapy Outpatient Clinic and of the Training Center for Psychotherapists at the FAU. He is also author of numerous scientific articles and ranked in the top 1% of most cited resear-chers worldwide in Clinical Psychology according to the Stanford list in 2025.

Keynote Title: Tabletop role-playing games as transdiagnostic therapeutic tools

Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPG), such as Dungeons and Dragons, is a type of collaborative game in which players take on the roles of fictional characters and co-create a story, usually guided by a Game Master. The game is primarily played through spoken interaction, often around a table, and may involve dices, miniatures, maps, and rule systems to determine outcomes of players’ actions. TTRPG-mediated psychological interventions are therapeutic approaches that capitalize on TTRPG to help participants develop social, emotional, and cognitive skills through a safe, structured environment. These interventions are often led by trained therapists or facilitators acting as the Game Master, allowing them to address psychological symptoms in real time through collaborative storytelling, group problem-solving, and character-driven scenarios and stories. Recent studies show that TTRPG-mediated psychological interventions are efficient in reducing social anxiety and emotional symptoms, increasing social connectedness, or improving social skills in children and youth with autism spectrum disorder. The current talk aims to offer a critical overview of the available evidence regarding the feasibility and effectiveness of TTRPG-mediated psychological interventions, and address how to implement such interventions in clinical practice. We will also present the results of our pre-registered pilot studies, which draw on cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques implemented through the practice of the game Dungeons & Dragons, with sub-clinical and clinical individuals experiencing social anxiety and addictive use of video games.

Supporting reference:
Billieux, J., Fournier, L., Rochat, L., Georgieva, I., Eben, C., Malmdorf Andersen, M., King, D., Simon, O., Khazaal, Y., Lieberoth, A. & Bloch., J. (2025) Can playing Dungeons and Dragons be good for you? A registered exploratory pilot program using offline Tabletop Role-Playing Games to mitigate social anxiety and reduce problematic involvement in multiplayer online videogames. Royal Society Open Science, 12, 250273. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.250273

BIO

Joël Billieux is associate professor of clinical psychology, psychopathology, and psychological assessment at the university of Lausanne, and Co-director of the Cognitive and Affective Regulation Lab (CARLA), Institute of Psychology (IP), University of Lausanne (UNIL). He is also an associate researcher at Center for Excessive Gambling (Lausanne University Hospitals). In the past years, he has been head of the Addictive and Compulsive Behaviours Lab (ACB-Lab) at the University of Luxembourg (2017-2020), co-director of the Laboratory for Experimental Psychopathology (Université catholique de Louvain; 2012-2017), and co-director of the Internet and Gambling Disorders Clinic (Saint-Luc University Hospitals, Brussels; 2015-2017). He earned his PhD in Psychological Sciences and accomplished his postgraduate CBT training at the University of Geneva. His main area of research regards the psychological factors (cognitive, affective, motivational, interpersonal) involved in the etiology of addictive behaviors (with a particular focus on self-regulation-related processes), and the conceptualization and diagnosis of behavioral addictions. He also conducts research focusing on the effect of emerging technologies on human behavior, and on the therapeutic use of tabletop role-playing games. He is a contributor of ICD-11 CDDR (Clinical descriptions and diagnostic requirements for ICD-11 mental, behavioural and neurodevelopmental disorders) section on “substance use disorder and addictive behaviors”, and an elected board member of International Society for the Study of Behavioural Addictions (ISSBA). He has published more than 390 peer-reviewed papers, several book chapters, and four books.

Maria do Céu Salvador is a Professor at the University of Coimbra, where she teaches behavioural, cognitive, and contextual models and interventions. She is involved in the supervision of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) training, as well as Master’s and doctoral theses. Her research work focuses on the assessment, case conceptualization, and treatment of social anxiety disorder and test anxiety in adolescents and adults. She has a particular interest in third-wave therapies, especially in the development and empirical evaluation of integrated intervention programs.

Grounded in the view that theory, research, and clinical practice should be closely interconnected, she also maintains an active private practice. She is a licensed psychologist and a CBT psychotherapist and supervisor accredited by the Portuguese Association for Behavioural Therapies, an accredited schema therapist and supervisor, and a certified teacher and facilitator of the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and Compassionate Mind Training (CMT) programs.

She contributes to several accredited training programs, both nationally and internationally, and currently serves as President of the Portuguese Association of Behaviour Therapy.

Abstract:
Precision mental health care is an emerging field that aims to offer patients the right treatment, in the right dose, and at the right time. A central idea is that we can predict an individual’s likely response to available treatments by observing how other -similar- patients responded to these treatments in the past. Contemporary studies use data science methods and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to make individualized predictions and treatment recommendations. This presentation will describe clinical trials of data-driven treatment personalization tools developed in the National Health Service in England.

BIO
Jaime Delgadillo PhD is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London. He also works as a cognitive behavioural therapist at the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma (CADAT) in London. He has twenty years of clinical experience and has published over 150 scientific papers and book chapters in the field of mental health. His research focuses on the use of digital health and artificial intelligence technologies to support mental health care. He is an associate editor of the journal Psychotherapy Research and a member of the expert advisory group for the National Health Service (NHS) Talking Therapies system in England.

Key References:
Lutz, W., Schwartz, B., Vehlen, A., Eberhardt, S. T., & Delgadillo, J. (2025). Advances in personalization of psychological interventions. World Psychiatry, 24(3), 343-345. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.21342
Delgadillo, J., Ali, S., Fleck, K., Agnew, C., Southgate, A., Parkhouse, L., … & Barkham, M. (2022). Stratified care vs stepped care for depression: a cluster randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 79(2), 101-108. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.3539

Keynote Title:Beyond Survival: Attentional Control, Emotional Resilience and Implications for Healthcare Policy

Anxiety and depression are among the leading contributors to global disability, yet interventions that deliver sustained, long‑term benefits remain limited, and key risk factors are still poorly understood. The need for global health policies that promote emotional resilience within supportive medicine—particularly in the context of chronic conditions such as breast cancer—has never been more urgent.

In this talk, I will trace the journey from fundamental scientific discoveries in our research on attentional control and its role in emotional vulnerability and resilience, to translational interventions capable of delivering sustainable improvements in quality of life. These interventions target neurocognitive and autonomic functioning and demonstrate the potential for step‑change advances in psychological outcomes. The primary focus is on (breast) cancer, where anxiety and depression are known to shape clinical outcomes, limiting the effectiveness of survival‑extending medical advances. The broader implications extend across chronic illness and mental health more generally.

I will conclude by outlining how simple, accessible, and psycho‑educational interventions can be systematically embedded within healthcare delivery models and policy frameworks, enabling sustainable support structures that empower patients, clinicians, and services to move beyond survival toward long‑term resilience and recovery.

BIO
Nazanin Derakhshan is a Professor of Experimental Psychopathology and founder of the Centre for Building Resilience in Breast Cancer (BRiC) in the UK, where she leads groundbreaking research on emotional resilience in anxiety, depression, and cancer. Her work has highlighted the crucial role of attentional control in emotional vulnerability and has led to the development of effective neurocognitive interventions. As a breast cancer survivor, she is deeply committed to supporting women through psychoeducational resources and has been widely recognised for her impact, including being named a key transformational figure in Birkbeck Inspires. With over 100 publications and nearly 20,000 citations, Naz has made a significant contribution to psychological science and the integration of mental health care in oncology. She also advises charitable and governmental organisations, advocating for holistic, research-informed approaches to cancer care and psychological wellbeing.

Keynote Title: Cultural Adaptation of CBT for Youth Anxiety and Depression in Non-WEIRD Nations

Anxiety and depression are among the most prevalent mental health disorders in young people, affecting up to 32% of the general population. These conditions frequently co-occur with other mental health problems and, when left untreated, often follow a chronic and impairing trajectory into adulthood, impacting educational attainment, social functioning, and long-term wellbeing. Despite the availability of effective, evidence-based interventions, access to mental health services for children and adolescents remains limited worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries and other under-resourced settings. Research has identified a broad range of psychosocial, environmental, and developmental factors that contribute to the onset and maintenance of anxiety and depression in youth. However, much of this evidence is derived from studies conducted in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) contexts, raising important questions about its applicability across diverse cultural settings. Cultural context plays a critical role in shaping how mental health difficulties are experienced, expressed, and understood, as well as influencing help-seeking behaviours, stigma, family and community responses, and access to care. This keynote will draw on cross-cultural research to examine both universal and culture-specific mechanisms underlying youth anxiety and depression. It will explore how these insights can inform the cultural adaptation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with a focus on maintaining core therapeutic principles—such as cognitive restructuring, behavioural activation, and skills training—while enhancing cultural relevance, engagement, and acceptability. Practical examples will illustrate how CBT-based interventions can be adapted across different cultural, educational, and resource contexts. The keynote will also address key challenges in implementing culturally responsive CBT interventions, including barriers and facilitators at the individual, community, and system levels. Emphasis will be placed on strategies to improve accessibility, scalability, and sustainability, particularly within school and community settings. By situating CBT within a broader cultural framework, this keynote highlights the importance of flexible, context-sensitive approaches to ensure that evidence-based interventions remain effective and equitable for diverse populations of young people worldwide.

BIO

Cecilia A. Essau is Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Roehampton, UK. She recently received the Distinguished Contributions Award from the British Psychological Society Developmental Psychology Section for sustained and substantial contributions to research, translating to an impact on wider society. Cecilia has developed a program (Super Skills for Life; SSL) which equips children and adolescents with skills to deal with situations that would have caused them anxiety and been challenging. By using a “train-the-trainer approach”, SSL training has built capacity and shaped the practice of 26,000 practitioners and has produced positive mental health outcomes in approximately one million young people in 23 countries.

Keynote Title: Improving CBT from Molecules to Models

CBT is one of the great success stories of psychiatry. However, we have reached a crisis point because treatment efficacy has not been improving over the last few decades. To overcome this crisis, I will discuss 3 strategies to improve our CBT approach, primarily focused on mood and anxiety disorders. First, insights from translational research and neuroscience can augment existing strategies, even on the molecular level. Second, theory-informed novel therapeutic strategies can enhance treatment success. Third, and perhaps most importantly, we need to revisit and improve some of our basic models and paradigms that serve as the basis for CBT. This may require a radical departure from the latent disease model of the current psychiatric nosology of the DSM/ICD and the absurd proliferation of the protocols-for-syndrome approach. Such a paradigm shift is currently underway, moving toward process-based therapy (PBT). PBT focuses on how to best target and change core biopsychosocial processes in a specific situation for given goals with a given client. This approach recognizes that psychotherapy typically involves non-linear (rather than linear), bidirectional (rather than unidirectional), and dynamic changes of many (rather than only a few) interconnected variables. Effective therapy leads to changes of the entire system toward a stable and adaptive state. This requires gathering high-density longitudinal idiographic data to capture the complexity of psychopathology using a dynamic network approach within the general framework of evolutionary science. I will conclude that CBT can be improved through translational research while embracing an evolutionary model toward psychopathology and treatment change.

Key References:
Hofmann, S. G. (2025). A network control theory of dynamic systems approach to personalize therapy. Behavior Therapy, 56, 199-212. doi: 10.1016/j.beth.2024.10.006

Westhoff, M., Berg, M., Reif, A., Rief, W., & Hofmann, S. G. (2024). Major problems in clinical psychological science and how to address them: Introducing a multimodal dynamical network approach. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 48, 791–807 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-024-10487-9

BIO
Stefan G. Hofmann, Ph.D. is the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Professor  for Translational Clinical Psychology at the Department of Clinical Psychology, Philipps University of Marburg, Germany. He was president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) and the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy. He received ABCT’s Career/Lifetime Achievement Award and has been the editor-in-chief of Psychological Bulletin. He has published more than 500 peer-reviewed journal articles and 20 books, including an Abnormal Psychology textbook with Cengage, An Introduction of Modern CBT (Wiley-Blackwell), Emotion in Therapy: From Science to Practice (by Guilford Press), and the Anxiety Skills Workbook (by New Harbinger). He has been included in the list of a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate and Thomson Reuters since 2015, among many other awards, including the Aaron T. Beck Award for Significant and Enduring Contributions to the Field of Cognitive Therapy by the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He was an advisor to the DSM-5 Development Process and was a member of the DSM-5 Anxiety Disorder Sub-Work Group and member of the Cross-Cutting Culture Review Group of the DSM-5-TR. His research focuses on the mechanism of treatment change, translating discoveries from neuroscience into clinical applications, emotion regulation, and cultural expressions of psychopathology. He is the co-developer of Process-based Therapy, a transtheoretical model of psychotherapy based in evolutionary science using a complex network approach to target the fundamental processes of treatment change with simple core therapeutic principles. 

Keynote Title: Unique as We Are: Engaging Clients with Tailored CBT Homework

Keynote Presenter: Professor Nikolaos Kazantzis, Ph.D., Cognitive Behavior Therapy Research Unit, Melbourne, Australia, and Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Philadelphia, USA

This keynote will synthesize the latest research on CBT homework engagement and show how to apply it in everyday clinical practice. Attendees will learn how tailoring “homework” to each client’s unique case formulation and strengths can transform between-session tasks from dreaded chores into powerful catalysts for change. This personalized approach is especially valuable for clients with entrenched coping strategies that clash with standard assignments—by aligning homework with individual needs, therapists can overcome resistance and enhance engagement. Drawing on recent findings, Dr. Kazantzis highlights collaborative empiricism in action during homework planning, including creative strategies like framing homework as a proactive “Action Plan” to boost client buy-in. Expect an engaging hour of insights—from clear evidence that completing therapy homework yields better treatment outcomes, to real-world case examples demonstrating Socratic dialogue and inventive task tailoring in action. By the end, attendees will feel inspired and equipped with practical ideas to help each client succeed between sessions, reaffirming that effective therapy honors every individual’s uniqueness.

Key References:
Kazantzis, N., Deane, F. P., Ronan, K. R., & L’Abate, L. (2005). Using homework assignments in cognitive behavior therapy. New York: Routledge.

Kazantzis, N., Dattilio, F. M., & Dobson, K. S. (2017). The therapeutic relationship in cognitive-behavioral therapy: A clinician’s guide. New York: Guilford Press.

BIO
Dr. Nikolaos Kazantzis is a Professor of Clinical Psychology with appointments at the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Research Unit (CBTRU; Melbourne, Australia) and the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy (Philadelphia, USA), and is widely recognized as a leading figure in CBT for advancing evidence-based approaches to tailoring the therapeutic relationship and, in particular, optimizing patients’ engagement with between-session therapeutic tasks. His team’s work—grounded in CBTRU conceptual models and measures—has secured multiple U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants and produced over 200 scholarly publications, six clinician books, and 19 journal special issues; in 2019, the American Psychological Association (APA) recognized the team with its Top Downloaded Paper Award for the most-downloaded article across all 89 APA journals, out of more than 4,500 articles. He is the immediate past Editor-in-Chief of Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, currently serves as editor of Springer Nature’s “CBT: Science into Practice” book series, and has received the Beck Scholar Award from Dr. Aaron T. Beck and Dr. Judith S. Beck in recognition of his scholarly contributions; additional information is available at www.nikolaoskazantzis.com, www.cbtru.com, and https://link.springer.com/series/15752/books.

Keynote Title: From Preventing Depression to Promoting Human Flourishing: MBCT Comes of Age

Depression will affect an estimated one billion people worldwide at some point in their lives. We have made extraordinary progress in developing approaches to treatment and prevention. Both cognitive and mindfulness-based therapies have been shown to be as effective as medication, to prevent relapse, and to give people skills that extend well beyond the end of treatment. Clinical guidelines around the world now recommend these approaches. And yet mental health remains a major challange, particularly among young people and those in socioeconomically deprived communities. Specialist psychological therapies, however well-delivered, can only ever reach a fraction of those who need them.

This keynote traces the arc of that progress and asks what comes next. The argument is threefold. First, we need to move beyond treatment to prevention — intervening earlier, and at scale, before depression takes hold. Second, we need to move beyond prevention to flourishing — teaching foundational skills for mental health and a life well lived, not merely the absence of disorder. Third, we need approaches that are accessible, engaging, and inclusive across the full range of life stages and contexts, from schools and workplaces to communities and families.

Drawing on ancient wisdom and the best of modern psychological science, the Mindfulness for Life programme represents one response to this challenge. Organised around levels of learning — systemic, introductory, intermediate, and advanced — it offers a scalable, evidence-informed pathway from managing daily difficulties to living with purpose, resilience, and connection.

A vision for 2050 is a world free from the devastating impacts of depression, where people flourish. This keynote sets out what that vision demands of us as researchers, clinicians, and teachers — and what the evidence suggests is within reach.

Key References:
Montero-Marin, J., van der Velden, A. M., & Kuyken, W. (2024). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy’s untapped potential. JAMA Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.2741

BIO

Willem Kuykem is the Ritblat Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. His work focuses on preventing depression, promoting mental health, and flourishing across the lifespan. He has published more than 150 journal articles and was named by Web of Science as in the top 1% of the most cited scientists in the world in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
He is the author of two books, Mindfulness for Life, (2024) and Mindfulness – Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Psychology (2019) with Christina Feldman; both published by Guilford Press. His work has been featured in the New York Times, New Scientist, Nature, Scientific American, Times Oprah Daily, Educational Supplement, the BBC, CBS, New Statesman, Le Monde, der Zeit, the Telegraph, the Guardian and numerous podcasts. He lives in London.

Keynote title : A review of evidence-based psychological interventions for psychosis

Evidence-based psychological interventions are now a core component of comprehensive care for people with psychosis. The current literature on key approaches, their empirical support, and proposed mechanisms of action will be summarised. Cognitive-behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp) is the most extensively studied intervention. Randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses show modest but reliable benefits for positive symptoms, distress, functioning, and relapse prevention, particularly when CBTp is provided in addition to antipsychotic medication. Family interventions, typically combining psychoeducation, communication training, and problem-solving, consistently reduce relapse and rehospitalization. Cognitive remediation yields small to moderate improvements in cognition and functional outcomes. Social skills training and supported employment further enhance social and vocational functioning, complementing more symptom-focused therapies. Emerging approaches, including acceptance and commitment therapy, mindfulness-based interventions, and compassion-focused therapy, show promising effects though the evidence base remains more limited. Overall, the evidence supports routine provision of structured, manualized psychological interventions as part of standard care for psychosis.

BIO
I am a Professor of Psychology at the University of Oslo and the University of Liège. My research focuses on psychosis and specific symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions. I have had the privilege of employing a range of methodologies, including epidemiological, experimental, and longitudinal designs. This work has also led to stimulating cross-disciplinary collaborations with, for example, anthropologists, philosophers, experts by experience, and film and literary scholars. It has also opened up possibilities for examining hallucinations in other clinical groups, such as patients with dementia. I have taught at several universities, both on psychosis specifically and on psychopathology more broadly. My clinical experience primarily involves work with individuals experiencing psychosis.

Jozefien De Leersnyder is an Associate Professor at KU Leuven’s Center for Social and Cultural Psychology studying the interplay between culture, psyche and well-being, particularly in changing and diverse social worlds. She is the editor of “The Cultural Shaping of Emotion” (Cambridge University Press, 2026), former co-President of the Belgian Young Academy and the recipient of multiple international awards (e.g., IUPsys Young Scholar Award). Currently, she leads several projects on equity in education (www.jeztoemotions.be) and an ERC-funded project that aims to re-think psychological acculturation.

Dr. John Pachankis is the David R. Kessler Professor of Public Health, Psychiatry, and Psychology at Yale University. He is the founding director of Yale’s LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative, which is the US’s leading academic center devoted to the scientific study of LGBTQ people’s mental health. He has published 200+ scientific papers in the fields of clinical psychology, psychiatric epidemiology, and public health and he has been the principal investigator on several grants from the National Institutes of Health. This research has identified biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying LGBTQ people’s disproportionate risk of mental health problems, developed treatments to address these mechanisms, and studied the implementation of these treatments in community settings across the US and around the world. His research has received several awards from national organizations, has influenced policy and professional guidelines, and appears in international news outlets. In 2023, he was a Fulbright Fellow in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. In 2024, he was a visiting professor at the Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law.

Keynote Title: From Restructuring to Relating: How Compassion Transforms the Therapeutic Process in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

What if the greatest barrier to change isn’t only a distorted belief, but also a harsh inner voice? And what if the therapist, too, is caught in cycles of self-criticism that silently shape the therapeutic encounter? Rather than replacing CBT, Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) offers a powerful framework for enhancing its techniques through the lens of evolved motivational systems. Drawing on evolutionary science, affective neuroscience, and a growing body of meta-analytic evidence, I will illustrate how compassion — understood as a complex, evolved motivational system — can regulate shame and self-criticism, two key transdiagnostic processes often resistant to cognitive restructuring alone. By focusing on both intrapersonal and interpersonal motivational shifts, CFT promotes physiological regulation and deepens emotional processing, thereby facilitating belief and schema change. I will share findings from my research on heart rate variability and psychophysiological responses to compassion-based interventions, highlighting how motivational change precedes and enables cognitive change. Special attention will be given to CFT’s application in LGBTQ+ populations, where shame-based processes are deeply intertwined with social stigma and identity development. This lecture will also briefly highlight the emerging relevance of compassion-focused approaches within psychedelic-assisted therapy, particularly in supporting preparation, emotional safeness, and the integration of difficult or transformative experiences. At the heart of CFT lies a deep awareness of the therapeutic relationship — not only with our clients, but with ourselves. By addressing the shame and self-doubt that arise in our own practice, compassion allows us to embrace our complexity, and become safer, braver spaces for others. Ultimately, this lecture will offer a perspective on how compassion — far from being a soft addition — serves as a scientifically grounded, powerful catalyst for transformation within cognitive therapy.

Petrocchi, N., Kirby, J. N., & Baldi, B. (2024). Essentials of compassion focused therapy: A practice manual for clinicians. Routledge.

Seabra, D., Carvalho, S. A., Gato, J., Petrocchi, N., & Salvador, M. D. C. (2025). (Self)tainted love: Shame and self-criticism as self-discriminatory processes underlying psychological suffering in sexual minority individuals. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 35(5), 714–732. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2024.2333777

BIO
Niki (Nicola) Petrocchi, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Psychology at John Cabot University in Rome and Founder and Director of Compassionate Mind Italia. She has published numerous scientific papers and book chapters, and authored a widely used manual on Compassion Focused Therapy. Her research and teaching focus on the psychophysiological bases of compassion and emotion regulation, with particular attention to the role of heart rate variability (HRV), integrating Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) . Dr. Petrocchi has played a key role in the dissemination of Compassion Focused Therapy in Italy, where the approach is now used in numerous mental health services within the public healthcare system and in several palliative care units. She has been actively involved in the international development of compassion-based approaches in psychotherapy, collaborating with clinicians and researchers across Europe and beyond. She regularly teaches and supervises mental health professionals and organizes trainings and retreats that integrate compassion, psychotherapy, and experiential practices. Her research interests include motivational systems in mental health, the psychophysiology of compassion, and the development of integrative approaches such as Compassion Focused EMDR, with a forthcoming book expected later this year. Her most recent work explores Compassion-Focused Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, as well as the application of compassion-based approaches with gender-diverse populations.

Prof., PhD Head of Research & Innovation Hampshire & Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, UK Visiting Fellow, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, UK BABCP Fellow

Keynote Title: Digital Mental Health: From Promise to Practice to Pause? 

There are two generations of digital mental health. The first was built by researchers and clinicians asking how to extend the reach of evidence-based therapy. The second is being built by technology companies asking how to make a language model feel like a therapist. The difference between those two questions is the difference between clinical science and product design. Recent statistics suggest AI chatbots may already be the largest unregulated provider of mental health support in the world, yet research shows that these tools systematically fail at core therapeutic tasks, including recognizing suicidal intent and challenging distorted thinking, while their design actively rewards engagement over recovery. Just as social media prompted calls for regulation and independent research, AI in mental health now may demand the same pause. This talk will examine where digital mental health helps, where it may harm, and why practitioners should lead the conversation about what comes next.

BIO
Ioana R. Podina is Professor of Psychology at the University of Bucharest and founder of the Laboratory of Cognitive Clinical Sciences. A licensed cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist certified at the Albert Ellis Institute (New York), her research focuses on digital mental health, computational linguistics applied to psychopathology, and cancer survivorship, with publications in top-tier international journals. Over the past decade, she has developed pioneering youth-focused gamified CBT interventions and mental health screening chatbots. Increasingly involved in the ethics of emerging technologies, she recently served as Vice Chair of UNESCO’s expert group on the ethics of neurotechnologies. She currently serves on the Ethics and Society Committee (EESC) of EBRAINS, the largest European research infrastructure dedicated to advancing brain science, where she shapes frameworks for the responsible deployment of neurotechnological innovations in health and mental health.

Keynote Title:Santé mentale dans la déficience intellectuelle et les troubles du développement : entre héritages et évolutions

Looking Back and Looking Forward on Mental Health in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Les personnes avec déficience intellectuelle et troubles du développement présentent une prévalence élevée de troubles de santé mentale, ainsi que des inégalités persistantes dans l’accès à des soins adaptés. Pendant longtemps, la santé mentale de ces personnes n’a pas constitué un objet clinique ou de recherche à part entière.

La reconnaissance de ces enjeux s’est progressivement développée, principalement à travers le prisme du « double diagnostic », centré sur l’identification des troubles psychiatriques associés. Cette approche a permis de rendre ces problématiques plus visibles, sans conduire pour autant à une évolution équivalente des repères cliniques disponibles pour l’accompagnement.

Dans le même temps, les pratiques se sont largement structurées autour de l’analyse et de l’accompagnement des comportements, avec des apports importants pour la compréhension des situations et l’organisation des interventions. Cette structuration a contribué à soutenir l’intervention dans de nombreuses situations, tout en laissant en partie ouvertes les questions relatives à la caractérisation des besoins émotionnels des personnes et à leur prise en compte dans l’accompagnement.

Il en résulte un décalage entre la reconnaissance des enjeux de santé mentale et les repères cliniques mobilisés pour les évaluer et les accompagner. Dans ce contexte, il apparaît nécessaire de réinterroger ces repères pour comprendre et intervenir dans ces situations.

Cette contribution vise à présenter différents cadres complémentaires permettant de mieux articuler les dimensions comportementales, émotionnelles et développementales, afin de soutenir des modalités d’accompagnement plus cohérentes et adaptées à la complexité des situations. Les implications pour la pratique clinique et la formation des professionnels sont discutées.

BIO
Romina Rinaldi, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Clinical Orthopedagogy Service at the University of Mons (Belgium). She holds a PhD in Psychological and Educational Sciences. She is the author of Psychopathology in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: Prevention, Assessment, and Support (Mardaga, 2021) and co-author of the French version of the Scale of Emotional Development – Short (SED-S) (Hogrefe, forthcoming 2026), which provides a standardized assessment of emotional resources and needs in individuals with intellectual disabilities, with the aim of guiding tailored support practices. Her research focuses on mental health and quality of life in adults with intellectual disabilities.

From Idiographic Case Formulation to Evidence-Based Transdiagnostic CBT in Real-World Settings

Cognitive and behavioral therapies are most often delivered as disorder-specific protocols or branded packages combining multiple techniques. Although widely regarded as gold-standard treatments because of strong empirical support, the meta-analytic evidence base is more heterogeneous than this picture suggests: treatment effects vary substantially across disorders, interventions, and control conditions; risk of bias and publication bias affect parts of the literature; dropout rates approach 25% depending on the disorder; and reported outcomes typically reflect treatment completers from WEIRD settings. Despite decades of mechanism research, no specific mediator of change in CBT has been firmly established, and recent methodological work indicates that group-level mediation findings may not legitimately generalize to the individual client.

Across populations in Europe and beyond, real-world complexity and comorbidity are the norm. Diagnoses and protocols offer a shared language but do not always capture the clinical picture the client presents. Treatment delivery becomes especially challenging in cross-cultural contexts and with populations affected by mass trauma events such as wars, political violence, gender-based violence, and natural disasters.

This keynote argues that idiographic case formulation is essential for translating evidence-based interventions into individualized clinical decision-making in real-world practice. A functional, mechanism-oriented approach to formulation enables clinicians to identify the specific factors maintaining each client’s presentation across cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and contextual domains, and to select, sequence, and adapt interventions on that basis rather than by diagnostic label alone. Drawing on translational research and clinical data from routine cases as well as complex presentations involving survivors of mass trauma in non-Western settings, the talk will illustrate how outcomes depend on the mechanisms targeted, the interventions selected, and the cultural and contextual fit of therapy. Cross-cultural effectiveness, in particular, depends less on culturally branded protocols and more on the clinician’s capacity to identify and intervene on functionally relevant mechanisms in context.

BIO

Ebru Şalcıoğlu is a behavior therapist and researcher known for her work on evidence-based cognitive and behavioral therapies, with a focus on idiographic case formulation and transdiagnostic intervention strategies. Her clinical and research experience spans trauma-related conditions, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive spectrum problems, prolonged grief, and eating disorders—particularly among survivors of war, torture, natural disasters, and interpersonal violence. She has published widely on the mechanisms and treatment of trauma and is the author of a recognized book on case formulation and therapy planning, as well as co-author of a clinical volume on the behavioral treatment of war and torture trauma.

Keynote Title: The mental health trap of poverty

Poverty cuts lives short. It brings death closer, obstructs self-realisation, wears down the body, and gives rise to mental disorders. The stress of financial scarcity is chronic and heavy, pressing down day after day. Despite the remarkable resilience of many people living in poverty, poverty remains a deep experience of vulnerability, invisibility, and powerlessness. It is hardly surprising, then, that poverty has psychological consequences.

A context of scarcity shapes how people feel, think, and act. As a result, people living in poverty sometimes make more rational decisions than those from wealthier classes, yet at other times less rational ones. These create a psychological trap, making it even harder to escape poverty through individual effort alone. Poverty is also a convergence of risk factors for mental disorders: chronic stress, disrupted sleep, stigma, violence. Anxiety and depression occur up to three times more often among people living in poverty.

We will see how poverty and mental disorders reinforce one another, tightening the trap still further. I will argue that only a combined approach—addressing both poverty and psychological suffering—can produce lasting change. Without tackling material deprivation, psychotherapy remains fragile; without psychological care, poverty reduction remains incomplete. 

KEY REFERENCES: 
Ridley, M. W., Rao, G., Schilbach, F., & Patel, V. H. (2020). Poverty, Depression, and Anxiety: Causal Relationships and Mechanisms. Science, 383, eadp1916. DOI: 10.1126/science.adp1916

Haushofer, J., & Salicath, D. (2023). The psychology of poverty: where do we stand? Social Philosophy and Policy, 40, 150-184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0265052523000419

BIO

Bram Vervliet is professor at KU Leuven, Belgium, where he leads a translational research center on fear extinction. He is head of the master’s program of psychology at this faculty, and he serves as associate editor for the journal Behaviour Research and Therapy. He is author of more than 150 papers on fear and anxiety, but recently his focus shifted to the largely neglected role of poverty in anxiety and depression. He leads an interdisciplinary research network SCARCE that investigates how scarcity (“not having enough”) influences cognitive and affective processes that deepen the poverty trap and increase the risk of mental disorders. His mission is to raise general awareness about the devastating mental effects of poverty and to invite psychologists to join the global fight against poverty.