General Questions about the ACBS World Conference

How do I sign up for individual sessions/workshops during the conference?

All sessions during the ACBS World Conference are open to all paid conference attendees.

You don't have to sign up for individual sessions.  You just go to the session/workshop you are interested in. 

ACBS attempts to put the most popular sessions into the largest rooms, but sometimes the room assignment is too small for the interest.  We apologize if a room is full before you arrive. Please consider arriving a few minutes early to your "must have" sessions.

(Note: Pre-Conference Workshops do require pre-registration and a separate fee to attend.)

How much do workshops cost during the World Conference?

Workshops given during the World Conference are free of charge.

(Note: Pre-Conference Intensive workshops have a separate fee and registration.)

What are The Follies?

The Follies is a unique feature of ACBS conferences. Basically, it’s a cabaret show, filled with funny songs, sketches, stand-up comedy routines, humorous PowerPoint presentations, pre-made videos, etc.  And of all of this funny and talented content is created by the conference delegates! Get your creative powers focused, anything you have seen in the ACT world that deserves to be made fun of is fair game! 

All registered conference attendees are welcome, don't forget to bring your name badge!

Immediately following the Follies we invite you to join us for a dance party in the same location! See you on the dance floor! 

What are educational objectives?

Educational Objectives are required for sessions to be eligible for Continuing Education (CE) credit. 

Writing Educational Objectives (according to the APA):

• Educational objectives, or learning outcomes, are statements that clearly describe what the learner will know or be able to do as a result of having attended an educational program or activity.
• Educational objectives must be observable and measurable.
• Educational objectives should (1) focus on the learner, and (2) contain action verbs that describe measurable behaviors
• Verbs to consider when writing Educational objectives:
  • list, describe, recite, write
  • compute, discuss, explain, predict
  • apply, demonstrate, prepare, use
  • analyze, design, select, utilize
  • compile, create, plan, revise, summarize
  • assess, compare, contrast, rate, critique
• Verbs to avoid when writing Educational objectives
  • know, understand, learn, become aware of, become familiar with, have a working knowledge of
  • be able to use, help clients respond to, approach, tweak
  • expand, grow, increase, improve
  • explore, express, appreciate, think critically

Examples of well-written Educational objectives:

• Implement traditional exposure-based interventions as adapted for an acceptance-based model.
• Describe the role and significance of avoidance in the development and maintenance of psychopathology.
• Conduct a full-scale values assessment with clients.

Examples of poor Educational Objectives:

• Hear the latest research about ACT. (not learner-focused; not about measurable behaviors)
• See a role-play. (not learner-focused; not about measurable behaviors)

What does a chairperson do?

The Chairperson for a PANEL should prepare to briefly introduce each Panelist. Keep it brief and relevant, so as not to take up lots of precious session time. Introduce all Panelists at the beginning of the session. Panels vary in their format, some have each panelist give 10 minute presentations followed by a discussion/debate by the panelists, some require the Chair to pose pre-arranged questions, some feed solely off of audience questions. The Chair is responsible for knowing or establishing the format and facilitating it (perhaps by asking the questions or calling on the audience members). If the panel gets off track (or off topic) it's the Chair's responsibility to bring them back to the topic, and make sure that the Educational Objectives listed in the Program are met/covered. Please keep in mind though that the Chair is not a Panelist (unless they are scheduled in both roles) and should make sure not to speak at length. If the Q&A is still going strong at the end of the scheduled time period, please thank the presenters, and announce that if the audience has any more questions, the presenters may be able to give them a few minutes in the hallway for remaining questions. This is necessary if another session is starting in 15 minutes (so that the next presenters can begin to prepare in the room) and so that those audience members that need to leave can do so (without disrupting the session) at the conclusion of the time period. It is the responsibility of the Chairperson to make sure that the session begins on time. Please make sure you have a watch.

Here's another cool article about Panel chairing for some other tips.

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The Chairperson for a SYMPOSIUM should prepare to briefly introduce each speaker, immediately prior to his/her presentation (this can be as minimal as Name, Affiliation, Paper title; or a little more substantive if desired, but still brief.) It is also your responsibility to monitor the timing of each speaker.  (Each session may have slightly different timing... if the session is 60 minutes, with 3 papers, each paper would be 10 minutes, then 15 minutes of time for the Discussant, followed by Q&A. If the session is 60 minutes with 4 papers, each paper would get 10 minutes, 10 minutes for the Discussant, and the remainder for questions.) If there is no Discussant, each presenter may have more time, or you can opt for a longer Q&A period.

Briefly tell each speaker, prior to the session something like "I'll keep the time on my watch. Each speaker has 10 minutes. I'll raise my hand in the back of the room when you have 5 minutes, and I'll raise my hand and hold up 1 finger when you have 1 minute left." You may put notecards on the lectern with the amount of time left, if you prefer. (The set up of the room may or may not permit this.) If the presenter does not stop at the end of their time, please kindly interrupt them (verbally), and ask them to wrap up so that the next presenter may begin.  (The audience will thank you!) The Question & Answer period for all papers should occur at the end of the session (not after each presentation). Please just make sure that everyone gets a fair and equal amount of time. (If the first person has a short talk, the extra time may be divided among the remaining speakers.) It is the responsibility of the Chairperson to make sure that the session begins on time. Please make sure you have a watch.

What does a discussant do?

A discussant is the final speaker in a SYMPOSIUM who highlights and integrates the contributions of various speakers in that symposium. That is, they use their expertise to provide a general commentary on individual papers within the session and explore how the papers (in relation to each other) help advance the topic. Discussants should plan to discuss the session for approximately 10 minutes, depending upon the time available, and then moderate questions from the audience. Discussants should directly request the papers (or at least the outlines) from the presenters before the conference, and prepare by reading related work prior to the conference.

How can my company become a sponsor?

Organizations have the unique opportunity to gain visibility and access to our highly engaged audience of professionals and thought leaders in contextual behavioral science. Your sponsorship helps advance ACBS’s mission while positioning your brand at the forefront of innovation and professional excellence.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities click here. 

Submission Information

What are some tips for submissions?

General:

• Citing research and presenting data (original or a review of data) is highly encouraged for all submission types.

• Make sure that your submission for a workshop/panel/etc. is appropriate for that format. Panel submissions that sound more like workshops are unlikely to be accepted and vice versa.

• Submissions should weigh the value of diverse voices against too many presenters to make it coherent. ACBS encourages (and depending on topic may require) panels/workshops to include a diverse complement of presenters (demographic diversity as well as diversity in areas of expertise), but not to the detriment of a coherent, we'll crafted session. Please consider the practicality of coordinating a quality session among too many presenters.

• Please accurately indicate if your submission is beginner, intermediate, or advanced. Please craft your submission to fit the audience you indicate. You do not have a better chance of being accepted if you choose all 3.

• If your expertise is in a very narrow area (ex. 55-57 year olds with trauma history), we encourage you to craft your workshop/panel submission to meet the needs of a wider audience. Your examples/demonstrations should of course be from your area of expertise, but we encourage that your abstract and title be accessible to more potential attendees.

• Make sure your abstract is clear and well written (have multiple people proofread it before submitting). Unclear or poorly written abstracts have a lower chance of being accepted.

• Make sure your abstract explains skills or information an attendee will walk away with at the conclusion.

• Background like “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a behavioral-based…..” isn’t necessary in your abstract. If you feel you need to persuade reviewers that your topic is important (but that background information isn’t relevant for an abstract to entice attendance) please add that to the “additional information” field at the end of the submission form.

• Create actual educational objectives - what the attendees should be able to do as a result of attending your session. (Read the examples/descriptions of what an objective is in the submission form before writing yours.)

• Post-test questions (required so that Continuing Education credit may be earned by those watching recordings of the live sessions), can often be developed (at least in part) from your education objectives. You can do up to 2 true/false questions and the remainder need to be multiple choice.  These questions don't have to be "extra tricky", they're just intended to gauge comprehension of information presented.

Specific to Workshops:

• Be realistic about what you are going to be able to do in the time available and about the time you need (don’t try to squeeze a 2 hour workshop into a 1 hour slot; adjust for the time).

• Workshops should not be didactic with a single exercise included at the end. This is a common mistake. Please consider multiple components (experiential exercises, role-plays, case conceptualizations, etc.) to make your workshop more appealing and useful. These should be woven thoughtfully throughout your workshop.

• Consider the unique opportunities available in the online format (if applying to present online). Not only can you plan for break out rooms, you can create polls, and ask people to indicate understanding/interest through the use of emoticons (thumbs up, etc.).

What are the guidelines for poster submissions?

Please consider using this innovative poster format, as we believe it will increase both efficiency and effectiveness in poster preparation and communication of data. (This format is not required, but strongly suggested.)

Find more information about this poster format here and download the template below. 

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Poster sessions facilitate a researcher to discuss their research for an extended period and allow attendees to select the presentations in which they are most interested. 

Poster size: A0 size or no larger than 36 inches by 48 inches. A smaller size is also permitted. VERTICAL/PORTRAIT orientation required for 2026.

Please consider using an engaging poster format such as the one described here. This should aid you in reaching your audience and getting the conversation started about your work.

***Please note, we are unable to print posters for presenters (or pay for poster printing), so please come to the conference prepared with your printed poster.

Want to save money on poster printing?

There are a few free options that you can find online to print a large image across multiple "regular" pages. It will require a little bit of trimming/scissor work, but these pages and some tape can save you some money if this is a barrier for you. Examples:

https://medium.com/idomongodb/tip-of-the-day-how-to-print-a-large-image-onto-multiple-pages-3d7564499c73

https://suncatcherstudio.com/block-poster/

Poster Session Information

Each poster area will include a number in the upper corner corresponding to the poster’s listed number found in the program. Poster presenters should arrive at the poster display area 15 minutes before the scheduled beginning of their poster session to set up their display materials. No electrical outlets or audio-visual equipment will be provided in the poster area. At the end of the session, your poster must be taken down and removed from the areas. 

Magnets, tacks, or sticky putty will be provided for hanging your poster materials; if your poster requires any special materials that cannot be mounted via magnets or blue a painter's tape, it can not be displayed (per venue rules).

During the session, your materials should be on display and you and your co-authors should be available to discuss the materials and answer questions. At least one author must be present at the poster during the presentation period.

What is Chapter/SIG World Conference submission sponsorship?

The "sponsorship" means that the Chapter/SIG members or leadership have put their support behind a presentation, as a quality representation of work in their field of study (SIG) or geographic area (Chapter). It means that the Chapter/SIG has reviewed and approved (and in some cases "spurred" the creation of) the submission. These can be any type of oral submission (paper, panel, etc.) or poster.

The Program review committee takes this information and gives those submissions extra consideration, because a group (Chapter or SIG) has already reviewed/approved the submission. Sponsorship does not guarantee acceptance of any particular submission.

Sponsorship also allows the particular SIG or Chapter to direct its members to items of interest while at the World Conference, which is a service given the complexity of our programs.

Sponsored submissions accepted for presentation will include "Sponsored by xxx SIG/Chapter" in the conference program, app, and online.

What do I need to know if I am submitting a session that has been sponsored?

If you would like to reach out to a Chapter and/or SIG for sponsorship, you will find contact information for each Chapter here and each SIG here.

The person who submits that particular session to the conference would indicate the sponsorship at the time of submission.

SIG and Chapter sponsored submissions receive more consideration than other submissions to the conference (as they have had a review and approval), but they are not guaranteed acceptance.

Presentations may be "co-sponsored" by more than one SIG/Chapter (usually for a "cross-over" topic).

What do Chapters and SIGs need to know?

SIGs and Chapters can each sponsor up to 3 oral presentation submissions (submitters indicate sponsorship while submitting). The method of review of your sponsored submissions is up to the individual SIG or Chapter, but we encourage you to involve your community, have a review process, and select submissions that you would like to support due to their quality and relevance to the Chapter or SIG’s mission.

If ACBS receives more than 3 submissions indicating sponsorship from one SIG/Chapter, the SIG/Chapter will be informed of the titles so that they can confirm which were sponsored.

Please use your sponsorship wisely to help the Program Committee and draw their attention to quality submissions in your area/topic. Again, this does not guarantee acceptance, but does lend the submission to extra consideration.

There is no further commitment by the Chapter or SIG beyond their initial review and agreement to "sponsor".

Need ideas for how to review sessions?

Use your SIG/Chapter listserv to recruit reviewers. Create a google form (or other submission method) to collect titles, author names, and draft abstracts, by 20 January (or 1 Feb., whatever timeline you can support), then review and notify submitters by 7 Feb. so that they have plenty of time to submit their session, with sponsorship, on the ACBS website.

Another idea is to craft a panel using your listserv. Email the listserv asking for cutting-edge ideas (relevant to your SIG) that would make for a good panel discussion at the conference and assign someone to chair it and recruit appropriate panelists.