ABCT Fireside Chat | May 13, 2025

May 13th’s Fireside Chat discussion with ABCT President Dr. Steve Safren was be moderated by Dr. Sandy Pimentel and saw the president responding to questions about the U.S. federal administration executive actions and the impact on ABCT programs and our members. There was also be some discussions and updates on the upcoming 59th Annual Convention to be held in New Orleans this November.

See the Table of Contents below the video.

This video is sectioned into “chapters” to allow you to skip to specific questions. Find the timestamp in this table, and you’ll see the chapter in the video timeline.

03:46: Will ABCT be changing the organization’s website to remove any references to DEI or remove other language that the [federal] administration is flagging?

05:19: What if the federal government threatens [ABCT’s] 501-c3 status because of the stance that we’ve taken, [specifically] our DEIAJ stance?

11:16: What assurances do we have that ABCT will not [change our long-expressed supportive stance on DEIAJ initiatives as preemptive compliance]?

13:41: What [does] it mean to have a 501-c3? To what degree [can] ABCT, as a 501-c3, engage in political and social advocacy? What have [ABCT’s] board conversations been like regarding some of these issues? What can we do? What can’t we do?

16:34: What is the process of [ABCT] deciding how to move forward with potential relief efforts for affected members, including complimentary CE and membership dues relief? What is the timeline for final decisions around this?

18:25: What are [ABCT’s] financial vulnerabilities? What are existential threats to the organization? What do members need to know about where we are fiscally in light of the [political] environment and the recent events we’ve been talking about? 

24:05: Will ABCT ask presenters [for the 2025 Convention] to edit their presentations or remove any content or language with a DEAIJ focus, such as the removal of key words in the title or description, anything that could be identified or flagged?

26:46: How does ABCT plan to handle the overall impact of current events on the convention?

30:15: General updates for the 2025 convention

34:12: In the past, there have been incendiary comments made by speakers or attendees at the convention, and some have been seen as harmful. How does ABCT handle these issues? What does [ABCT] plan to do to prevent them from occurring in the future?

36:49: Update from Courtney White about the ABCT Convention Code of Conduct, including best practices and procedures.

39:19: Is religious imagery and/or clothing permitted at the ABCT convention this November?

41:37: Is the World Congress still happening in light of recent international events and current [national] events?

44:52: Do we know when the submission deadline is for the 2026 World Congress?

46:24: Questions about how we speak to the needs of our Clinician members with respect to the conference itself.

48:21: Any other 2025 Convention related topics worth mentioning?

52:07: Details about this year’s fundraising luncheon at the convetion

53:49: How will ABCT be orienting the hotel staff because of   the increasing number of members with disabilities?

54:44: Will [ABCT] be able to take future conferences to locations that are more supportive of reproductive rights?

58:48: Despite efforts that have been made to diversify our leadership and membership, ABCT remains a predominantly white organization.  What is ABCT doing to address this?

63:49: Are there any updated long term strategic plans for the organization?

71:53: Summarizing the effects of the [federal] government’s cutting back on grants related to SGM health issues. ABCT President Steve Safren provides examples.

67:24: Richard LeBeau

67:56: Question from a member — “I have a pending case, my PO informed that I need to ‘remove all DEI and gender ideology’ and that my study’s selection criteria ‘cannot discriminate on race or ethnicity’ to still be considered for funding. My case focuses on Native youth. [Is there any] guidance [that Steve can offer?]

84:20: How can individual psychologists work to most effectively prevent federal policy changes from harming the behavioral health of Americans? 

88:34: Final Thoughts