8-14 September 2025

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A Youth Mental Health Crisis? Kids These Days, the Exhausted Middle, and the Divided World

Virtual , Australia

Charles Sturt University

Presenters: Will Dobud, PhD (Charles Sturt University) and Nevin Harper, PhD (University of Victoria, Canada) Abstract: Amid rising concerns about a so-called youth mental health crisis, this presentation challenges simplified narratives and explores the deeper social, cultural, and relational dynamics impacting the well-being of youth. We’ll explore how systemic pressures create a divided world for young people to navigate. From labeling and overprotection to social media saturation and adult interference. Will and Nevin discuss the "exhausted middle" concept: parents, therapists, educators, and adults caught between institutional demands and the urgent needs of youth. Rather than pathologising kids, this talk invites a compassionate response that sees youth mental health not as an individual failure but a collective responsibility. About the Presenters Will Dobud, PhD, MSW has over 20 years of therapeutic experience working with youth and families from diverse backgrounds across the US, Australia, and Norway. Will is currently a Senior Lecturer of Social Work with Charles Sturt University and a friend of the Outdoor Therapy Centre for Research and Practice. He has developed innovative programs that integrate psychotherapy and the outdoors to improve teenagers' experience when seeking mental health treatment. A dedicated, award-winning researcher and senior social work lecturer, Will explores ways […]

Free

Mapping Clinical Trials in Outdoor Therapy

Virtual , Australia

Presenter: Andi Dickmeyer Abstract: Andi’s presentation explores the integration of clinical practice with outdoor and nature-based therapies. Drawing on findings from a recent scoping review of 58 clinical trials involving adult populations, the presentation examines key features of current research, including trial design, type of outdoor therapy intervention and intensity, targeted populations, assessment measures, facilitator qualifications, and methodological quality. By mapping the existing landscape of outdoor therapy trials delivered by mental health professionals, this work aims to highlight strengths, identify gaps, and offer recommendations for advancing rigorous research in this field. About the Presenter: Andi Dickmeyer (she/her) is a psychologist and PhD candidate at the University of Newcastle investigating outdoor therapy interventions for men with low mood. Andi has explored the intersection of nature connection and mental health through outdoor therapy practices including adventure therapy, wilderness therapy, forest bathing, nature art, and guided solo practices internationally through a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship from the United States.

Free

The No-Talk Conversational Approach to Healing Stuff

Virtual , Australia

Charles Sturt University

Presenter: Graham Pringle, PhD (The School of Therapeutic Practice) Abstract: The Conversational Model (Meares) struts onto the therapy stage, ready to fix complex trauma with some serious swagger! We're diving into how complex trauma (ISSTD) messes with your head-body-self, leaving dissociation like a bad heckler in your skin and in your brain. Forget boring talk therapy; this model’s all about riffing with actions, expressions, and active listening, reacting to every vibe the person throws. For anyone tired of talk-talk-talk "tell how you feel about that?", this is your ticket to a trauma-busting, non-talk conversational approach! About the Presenter: Dr Graham Pringle, PhD, MA (Outdoor Education), Dip Soc Sci (Psych), Dip Ed, Dip Child Youth & Family, CIV Adventure-Based Youth Work, conducts the research about youth and complex trauma, trains adults, and presents his research at conferences domestically in Australia and internationally. He has experience in residential care, youth work, foster care, outdoor therapies, outdoor leadership, and teaching.

Free
Featured Featured

The Great Debate: That Australia’s history unites us

National Library of Australia Parkes Pl W, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Academy of Social Sciences in Australia

A Social Sciences Week special event Tuesday 9 September 4pm Student Debate 5pm Refreshments Hour (drinks and light supper included in ticket price) 6pm The Great Debate Join us for an evening of compelling debate as six of Australia's premier academics tackle the complex question of whether Australia's history unites us. TEAM AFFIRMATIVE: ⭐️ Georgina Downer GAICD, CEO of the Robert Menzies Institute, ⭐️ Professor Jakelin Troy FASSA, Director, Indigenous Research at University of Sydney, and ⭐️ Professor Frank Bongiorno AM FASSA, Professor of History at The Australian National University. TEAM NEGATIVE ⭐️ Professor Michelle Arrow FASSA, president of the Australian Historical Association, ⭐️ Vonda Malone, former CEO of the Torres Strait Regional Authority, and first female Mayor of the Torres Shire Council, ⭐️Professor Dan Woodman FASSA, TR Ashworth Professor in Sociology at the University of Melbourne . PLUS Join us from 4:00pm for an East vs West showdown, as the winners of our Seriously Social Great Student Debate Competition present their positions on the topic. Travelling to us from central Queensland, we have Calliope State High School and from Western Australia we have Carmel Adventist College. Hear fresh perspectives from the bright minds of tomorrow. The Great Student Debate is proudly sponsored by University of Canberra. Don't miss this thought-provoking event, packed with […]

$20

A Conversation about Feedback and Deliberate Practice in Therapy

Virtual , Australia

Charles Sturt University

Presenter: Cindy Hansen (Holistic Research Canada) Abstract: In this interactive session, Will Dobud interviews Cindy Hansen, Chief Science Officer at Holistic Research Canada, focusing on how Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT) and Deliberate Practice (DP) can enhance practice and improve outcomes for those practices in outdoor therapy. With over 20 years of experience, Cindy's innovations in psychotherapy technologies offer valuable insights into improving treatment effectiveness, which will be discussed in relation to outdoor therapy and all therapeutic work. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask Cindy questions about developing systems to enhance their therapeutic effectiveness. About the Presenter: With over 20 years of experience in developing and implementing groundbreaking psychotherapy technologies, Cindy Hansen has established a solid reputation for award-winning innovations that enhance treatment effectiveness at both the individual and system levels within the healthcare industry.

Free

Therapy Was Never Supposed to Be This Boring: The Lost Spirit of Pragmatism

Virtual , Australia

Charles Sturt University

Presenters: Will Dobud, PhD & John Paul Healy, PhD Abstract: This presentation examines how contemporary therapy strayed from its pragmatic and experiential foundations, becoming increasingly techno-rational, standardised, and disconnected from lived experience. Once grounded in the dynamic, socially engaged ethos of pragmatism championed by figures such as Jane Addams and John Dewey, therapeutic practice is now often reduced to technical interventions and narrow, evidence-based protocols (or worse, manuals). Revisiting the principles of experiential learning and critical reflective practice, this session explores efforts to restore therapy’s original spirit, which values context, creativity, and human connection. Through the presenters’ experiments of reintroducing pragmatist ideas into social work education and practice, it becomes possible to reimagine therapy as a vibrant, responsive process rooted in real-world challenges and collective growth. About the Presenters Will Dobud, PhD, has over 20 years of therapeutic experience working with youth and families from diverse backgrounds across the US, Australia, and Norway. He has developed innovative programs that integrate psychotherapy and the outdoors to improve teenagers' experience when seeking mental health treatment. A dedicated, award-winning researcher and senior social work lecturer, Will explores ways to enhance the experience and effectiveness of mental health supports and advocates for youth impacted by the […]

Free

Reel Migration

Virtual , Australia

Reel Migration is a participatory workshop that explores the intersections between migration and visual representation through the lens of sociological inquiry. Drawing on key concepts from migration studies including displacement, exile, belonging, and visibility, the workshop examines how fiction films can inform the visual representation of the real in sociological research. Participants will engage in close visual analysis and critical discussion of selected scenes from Far From Home (Sohrab Shahid Saless), News from Home (Chantal Akerman), Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder), and The Suspended Step of the Stork (Theo Angelopoulos). The workshop will focus on how cinematic mise-en-scène can be translated into tools for representing the real in sociological research. Participants will then reflect on their own research or lived experiences of migration and develop a short storyboard imagining how these narratives could be communicated visually. Key Themes Visual storytelling as sociological method The workshop treats fiction films as more than narrative examples. They are used as tools for generating sociological insight and representing migrant experience through formal cinematic choices. Reflexivity in visual representation Participants are encouraged to reflect on their own positionality, and aesthetic decisions. This supports a reflexive approach to how migrants are seen and […]