Program

The Scientific Committee has endeavoured to present a program that will be useful to clinicians whilst inspiring us with some of the latest advances.

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM – SYDNEY ANXIETY, OCD AND RELATED DISORDERS CONFERENCE 2025 11 – 12th September, 2025
DAY 1 – 11th September, 2025
8:30am	Registration
9:00am	Welcome and Acknowledgment of Country – Prof Vlasios Brakoulias
9:05am	Special Guest to Open the Conference – Mental Health Commissioner, Jennifer Black
RAPID UPDATES 1 – Chaired by Vladan Starcevic
9:15am	Richard Bryant	PTSD – Key developments and issues
9:45am	Ross Menzies	OCD – Key developments and issues
10:15am	Alice Norton	Social Anxiety – Key developments and issues
10:45am	Morning Tea (45 minutes)
RAPID UPDATES 2 – Chaired by Alison Mahoney
11:30am	Maree Abbott	GAD – Key developments and issues (via video)
12:00pm	Melissa Norberg	Hoarding – Key developments and issues
12:30pm	Lunch and Posters (1 hour)
INNOVATION IN PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENTS – Chaired by Evelyn Kandris
1:30pm	Isaac Sabel	Imagery rescripting for hoarding
1:50pm	Emily Dewar	Family interventions for hoarding
2:10pm	Andrew Phipps	Schema informed CBT
2:30pm	Yasmeen El Masry & Evelyn Kandris	Transdiagnostic group therapy
2:50pm	Afternoon Tea (30 minutes)
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES – Chaired by Vlasios Brakoulias
3:20pm	Mike Millard	TWU clinic – Internet based CBT
3:40pm	Anthony Joffe	Patient-facing AI interventions
4:00pm	Erika Penney	GenAI, psychological practice and ethics
4:20pm	Gary Galambos	Virtual reality for OCD
6:00pm	Networking Dinner (venue TBC)

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM – SYDNEY ANXIETY, OCD AND RELATED DISORDERS CONFERENCE 2025 11-12th September, 2025
DAY 2 – 12th September, 2025
RAPID UPDATES 3 – Chaired by Mike Millard
8:30am	Jill Newby	Health Anxiety – Key developments and issues
9:00am	Vlasios Brakoulias	Update on diagnostic classification
9:30am	Vladan Starcevic	Pharmacotherapy update for anxiety, OCD and related disorders
10:00am	Janardhan Narayanaswamy	Stimulation therapies for anxiety – TMS, DBS, tDCS
10:30am	Morning Tea (30 minutes)
COMPLEX CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS – Chaired by Denise Milicevic
11:00am	Valsamma Eapen	Childhood tics and OCD
11:20am	Elizabeth Mason	Sleep and anxiety
11:40am	Lexine Stapinski	Anxiety and substance use disorders
12:00pm	Leah Curran	Anxiety and advanced cancer
12:20pm	Jessamine Chen	Anxiety in old age
12:40pm	Lunch and Posters (1 hour)
HOT TOPICS – Chaired by Yasmeen El Masry
1:40pm	David Castle	Psychedelics and Anxiety Disorders
2:20pm	Lynne Mason	Neurodivergence and Anxiety Disorders
2:50pm	Gordana Jovanova	Anxiety Disorders and ADHD
3:20pm	Afternoon Tea (30 minutes)
Announcement of Poster Winner
PANEL DISCUSSION – Chaired by Vlasios Brakoulias
3:50pm	1. Panic disorder 2. Separation anxiety 3. Trichotillomania / Skin-picking	Brief vignettes presented by clinicians with discussion points. Aiming to cover disorders not covered elsewhere.
4:50pm	Vlasios Brakoulias	Close Conference

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