Gail Steketee, PhD, MSWABCT President
Dear ABCT friends and colleagues from far and near,
I am delighted to welcome you to the 51st Annual Convention of ABCT in the city of San Diego, home to the San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Old Town and many other beautiful and historic sites. Some of you come from California, whereas others are joining colleagues from across the country and around the world. No matter how far you have come, I hope you enjoy the convention events that Program Chair Jordana Muroff and your colleagues at ABCT have assembled for you. Many of you responded with thoughtful ingenuity to our convention theme of "Applying CBT in Diverse Contexts". We were grateful for so many submissions, and very sorry to have to turn down many fine proposals.
As you attend the institutes, invited addresses, workshops, symposia, panels, master clinician sessions, and posters, you will experience ABCT's commitment to providing vibrant and effective mental health tools that enable us to understand and serve our clients and patients who come from many different backgrounds with complex needs. Whether you are a senior colleague with great skill and knowledge to impart, a mid-career collaborator amidst a too-busy professional life, or a relative newcomer in need of advice and mentoring to advance your academic and practice career, the conference has much to offer. I hope the convention's research, practice and professional offerings inspire you to take critical next steps in your own career.
My best wishes to my colleagues across the mental health professions - in psychology, social work, psychiatry, nursing, allied health and other disciplines - as you seek, find and share new knowledge to expand your skills and understanding. Assembling a major mental health convention is a complex task for ABCT staff and hundreds of members/volunteers who work hard for the organization and the growth of CBT. Tell us what you liked best and help us learn from our inevitable missteps - be sure to provide suggestions and potential solutions so next year can be even better. We take the feedback from the annual convention evaluation form very serious in the planning of future ABCT conventions.
Best wishes to you for exciting and satisfying days and evenings in San Diego with your ABCT colleagues.
