Faculty of Psychotherapy 2026 Conference

Date

8 - 10 October 2026

Location

Crowne Plaza Melbourne
1-5 Spencer St, Docklands VIC 3008

Organised by

RANZCP

Delivery

In-person

Psychotherapy Trauma

The Faculty of Psychotherapy 2026 conference, Beyond the algorithm: Psychotherapy in everyday care, will be held in Melbourne from 8–10 October, providing space for conversation, connection, and reflection.

Algorithms promise to relieve therapeutic uncertainty. Siren-like, they sing of reliability, precision, scalability, and efficiency. To always know, to never doubt, feels safer than to think. Yet the capacity to think without certainty is germinal. It allows the emergence of the patient’s unique, subjective experience, if only it can endure the turbulence of the encounter.

Beyond the Algorithm invites us to consider how medical psychotherapeutic practice both leverages and transcends manuals, checklists, and apps, not by rejecting them, but by honouring the complexity of human experience within every therapeutic encounter. In the crisis of everyday care, in the ordinary clinic, the ward, the home visit, or the emergency department, a single therapeutic encounter can be transformative.

This conference is an invitation to rediscover the therapist’s craft, forged in doubt and moving beyond algorithms, false certainties, and easy answers. It encourages us to reaffirm psychotherapy as a living, humane practice within the very systems that ultimately depend upon it.

Conference program

The Organising Committee is currently curating a dynamic program which will be published online in the coming months.

Registration

Registration will open in the coming weeks.

Call for abstracts

Abstracts are now invited. If you wish to submit an abstract for consideration by the Organising Committee, you must also intend to register for the conference. Online submission is the only accepted method of abstract submission.

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 29 April 2026.

Abstract submission key dates

Abstract submission closes: Wednesday 29 April 2026 Notification to authors: Friday 15 May 2026 Author acceptance of offer deadline: Friday 29 May 2026 

How to submit your abstract

Poster abstract submission is a two-step process: 

Step 1

Download the relevant abstract template [MS Word; 13.8 KB], save it to your desktop and complete it.

Step 2

Create an account via the abstract submission portal and upload your abstract

Please note:

All abstracts must be prepared according to the guidelines provided. Incomplete or incorrect submissions will be returned to the author and must be re-submitted immediately in the correct format to be considered for inclusion in the program.
Abstract submission will close at 11.59 pm AEST on Wednesday 29 April 2026.

Abstract submission portal

Abstract speaker registration

The invitation to submit an abstract does not constitute an offer to pay for travel, accommodation or registration costs associated with the conference. Similarly, no presenter fee is paid to successful participants. 

All presenters must register for the conference in order for the presentation to be included in the program. 

Further enquiries 

For any enquiries regarding abstract submission please contact events@ranzcp.org 

Terms & conditions

Cancellation policy

Delegate cancellation - change of mind

All requests for cancellation must be made in writing and sent to events@ranzcp.org.

Cancellations received before Monday 7 September 2026 will incur a $75.00 administration fee. No refunds will be issued after this date. However, an alternative delegate name may be submitted. All cancellation and substitution requests must be made in writing to events@ranzcp.org.

Delegate cancellation - medical

The health and safety of conference attendees is our highest priority.

If, on medical grounds, you are unable to attend the conference, you must cancel your attendance in writing by email to events@ranzcp.org. A full refund will be provided; however, you may be asked to provide additional details.

Conference cancellation

If the RANZCP is required to make any changes or cancellations to our conference due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to Acts of God, terrorism, war, strikes or industrial action, fire, explosion, inevitable accident, breakdown of property, changes in law, or pandemics or global health crises, delegates will be notified by email and will be provided a full refund of their registration fee.

Health and safety

All participants at the conference will be required to comply with the Health and Safety Guidelines and protocols in place with the venue/s and the conference which will be aligned and compliant with all relevant Commonwealth and state government health advice at that time. By registering for this event, the RANZCP reserves the right to provide your contact details to authorities for the purposes of contact tracing and any other relevant government requirements. Details of any relevant protocols and requirements will be communicated to delegates who will be bound by these requirements.

Insurance

Conference participants are strongly advised to secure appropriate travel and health insurance. The RANZCP and the conference Organising Committee accept no responsibility for any loss in this regard.

The RANZCP will only collect personal information from individuals when it is reasonably necessary for the activities of the RANZCP, and all such collection will be subject to the RANZCP Privacy Policy and any other notifications.