Here’s How It Works
General Registration gives you access to all of the Symposia, Clinical Round Tables, Posters, Panel Discussions, Special Sessions, Invited Addresses, Research & Professional Development Sessions, and SIG meetings Friday through Sunday. These sessions do not require tickets. If you want to attend the General Convention only, all you need to do is register for the meeting and pay the “general registration” fee (download the registration form or register on-line). If you also want to attend ticketed sessions, tick off your choices on either the registration form or online at www.abct.org 
Pre-Convention Events (Clinical Intervention Trainings, Institutes, and AMASS) take place on Thurs. and are TICKETED sessions. Workshops and Master Clinician Seminars are also TICKETED sessions, but they take place Friday throughSunday, during the Convention proper.
Session Types Explained
General Sessions
Symposia: Presentations of data, usually investigating efficacy of treatment protocol or particular research. Symposia are either 60 minutes or 90 minutes in length. They have one or two chairs, one discussant, and between three and five papers.
Panel Discussions and Clinical Round Tables: Discussions (sometimes debates) by informed individuals on an important topic. These are organized by a moderator and have between three and six panelists who bring differing experience and attitudes to the subject matter.
Membership Panel Discussions: Organized by representatives of the Membership Committees, these events generally have a particular emphasis on training or career development.
Special Sessions: These events are designed to provide useful information regarding professional, rather than scientific, issues. For more than 25 years our Internship Overview and Postdoctoral Overview have been helping people find their educational paths.
Research Facilitation Sessions: Organized by members of the Research Facilitation Committee, these events aim to highlight research resources for those who study or practice behavioral and cognitive principles.
Research and Professional Development Sessions: To provide opportunities for attendees to learn from experts about the development of research and professional skills. Examples of such skills include, but are not limited to, grant writing, identifying funding agencies, reviewing, publishing, and other professional skills.
Mini Workshops: Mini Workshops address direct clinical care or training at a broad, introductory level. They are 90 minutes in length and presented throughout the meeting.
Clinical Grand Rounds: Master-level clinicians give simulated live demonstrations of therapy. Clients may be portrayed by graduate students studying with the presenter and specializing in the problem area to be treated.
Poster Sessions: One-on-one discussions between researchers, who display graphic representations of the results of their studies, and interested attendees. Because of the variety of interests and research areas of the ABCT attendees, between 1,200 and 1,500 posters are presented each year.
Special Interest Group Meetings: More than 35 SIGs meet each year to renew relationships, accomplish business (such as electing officers), and often offer presentations. SIG talks are not peer-reviewed by the Association.
Ticketed Sessions
Workshops: Covering concerns of the practitioner/educator/researcher, Work-shops are an anchor of the Convention. These sessions are 3 hours long and are generally limited to 60 attendees.
Master Clinician Seminars: The most skilled clinicians explain their methods and show taped demonstrations of client sessions. Offered throughout the Convention, these seminars are 2 hours long and are generally limited to 40 attendees.
Advanced Methodology and Statistics Seminars: Designed to enhance researchers’ abilities, these are 4 hours long and limited to 40 attendees.
Institutes: Leaders and topics for Institutes are taken from previous ABCT Workshop and Master Clinician Seminar presentations in which a longer format is beneficial. They are offered as 8-hour or 5-hour session on Thursday, and are generally limited to 40 attendees.
Clinical Intervention Training: One- and two-day events emphasizing the “how-to” of clinical intervention. The extended length, either 7 hours or 14 hours, allows for exceptional interaction.
Do presenters have to pay?
All presenters (except for the first two presenters of ticketed sesions) must pay to register.
Must I pay the General Registration Fee If I’m Only Attending Ticketed Sessions?
No.
What Is Your Refund Policy?
Refund requests must be in writing. Refunds will be made only until the October 12 deadline, and a $40 handling fee will be deducted. Because of the many costs involved in organizing and producing the Convention, no refunds will be given after October 12.
