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International Associates

International Associates Committee

Chair: Lata K. McGinn, Ph.D.

Behavioral and cognitive therapies are increasingly well represented around the world. There are many national and regional umbrella associations across the globe devoted to research, education, and training in cognitive and behavioral therapies. The International Associates Committee of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) brings together colleagues from cognitive and behavioral associations all over the world. ABCT has a long history of outreach and generosity to our international colleagues and initially formed the International Associates Committee to help allied organizations in the cognitive and behavioral therapies get access to our journals at the member rate. Under G. Terence Wilson’s ABCT presidency in 1979, ABCT began holding meetings with the presidents of international associates at our Annual Convention to network, understand the issues allied organizations are facing in their country, and strengthen opportunities for education, research, and training. ABCT’s continued outreach and generosity has led to a substantial increase in the number of countries represented in the International Associates Committee.

Each Friday during ABCT’s Annual Convention, we convene an International Associates meeting. The agenda covers information on the upcoming World Congress and update of highlights of the organizations represented at the meeting. An International Associates dinner is organized each year on Friday night. Representatives are encouraged to attend and are welcome to bring a colleague. If your organization has not participated in our International Associates meetings and would like to participate, kindly contact ABCT’s Executive Director, Mary Jane Eimer ([email protected]).

The Chair of the International Associates Committee is also ABCT’s representative to the World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (WCCBT), which was launched on January 7, 2019. The WCCBT replaces the World Congress Committee (WCC), which was formed in 1995 and organized eight successful world congresses. The WCC closed on January 6, 2019 and its activities are now subsumed under the WCCBT. International Associates Chair Dr. Lata K. McGinn raised the idea for a World association in 2013 to serve as a worldwide humanitarian organization intended to bring together CBT colleagues across the world to promote mental health across the globe by fostering the dissemination of evidence-based prevention and treatments through collaborations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). She spearheaded a proposal for the World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies along with Keith Dobson, Rod Holland, and Philip Tata, which was presented to the WCC in 2014. The WCC was unanimous in its support and appointed a subcommittee with Lata McGinn as chair and tasked them with developing the organization. With support and consultation from the six founding member associations and their representatives, the WCC Sub-Committee, comprised of Lata McGinn (Chair), Thomas Ollendick, Keith Dobson, Rod Holland, Philip Tata, Ross Menzies, Sarah Egan, Jung-Hye Kwon, and Luis Peres, worked between 2014-2018 to launch the World Confederation.

Click here to learn about the formation of the WCCBT.

Newsletters:

The mission and aims of the WCCBT are as follows:

Mission:

The World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (WCCBT) is a global multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the promotion of health and well-being through the scientific development and implementation of evidence-based cognitive behavioral strategies designed to evaluate, prevent, and treat mental conditions and illnesses.

Aims:

Support the development and profile of cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT) worldwide.
Develop a worldwide network to share news, information, and issues in CBT.
Promote and advocate for mental health, CBT and evidence-based treatments for psychological disorders in order to improve well-being across the globe.
Develop and support effective implementation of CBT through training.
Facilitate and support research in CBT.

As one if its activities, the WCCBT will facilitate the organization of triennial world congresses. The 9^th World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies was held in the CityCube, Berlin, Germany, July 17-20, 2019. The upcoming 10^thWorld Congress of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (WCCBT) will be held in Seoul, South Korea.

The WCCBT board is comprised of the following members:

Australian Association for Cognitive and Behavior Therapy (AACBT)

Sarah Egan (Past-President, WCCBT) and Ross Menzies (Treasurer)

Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)

Lata K. McGinn, Ph.D. (Secretary) and Keith Dobson (President)

Asian Association for Cognitive and Behavior Therapy Association (ACBTA)

Ning Zhang and Firdaus Mukhtar

European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT)

Thomas Kalpakoglou and Rod Holland (Rep-at-Large)

International Association of Cognitive Psychotherapy (IACP)

Mehmet Szungur, M.D. and Lynn McFarr, PhD

Latin-American Association of Analysis, Behavioral Modification and Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. (ALAMOC)

Eduardo Pacheco and Luis Flores (Rep-at-Large)