In November of 2025, MHTC’s Clinical Supervisors spent an incredible four days at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) 2025 Annual Convention in New Orleans! The year’s theme was—“Bridging the Divide: Promoting Rigorous Science and Inclusive, Affirming Therapies”—set the stage for an energizing, multi-day convening focused on advancing evidence-based care, training excellence, and meaningful collaboration.
We were proud to have Ana Zdravkovic, PhD, Scott Charlton, LMFT, Sanmit Singh, PsyD, and Joanne Lam, PsyD representing our training program across multiple events throughout the conference.
Internship & Postdoctoral Fellowship Fair: Year Two at ABCT
Ana Zdravkovic, PhD, and Joanne Lam, PsyD, hosted our second year at the ABCT Internship and Postdoctoral Fellowship Fair, and the response was outstanding. Our booth drew strong interest from trainees eager to learn about California-based internship and postdoctoral fellowship opportunities. We may have been the only site representing California, which created a unique opportunity to connect with students nationwide. Several meaningful conversations took place, and one student has already followed up with our clinical supervisors to schedule a meeting to learn more about our internship program—an exciting and tangible outcome of the conference.
Poster Presentation Spotlight
Scott Charlton, LMFT and Ana Zdravkovic, PhD, presented a poster they created along with Shay Loftus, PhD and Galina Kovaleva, titled:
“The Cognitive Therapy Rating Scale–Revised (CTRS-R) Enhances CBT Training for Therapists Early in Their Career.”
Their work highlighted how structured feedback tools can strengthen therapist skill development, enhance supervision, and ultimately improve client outcomes—underscoring our program’s commitment to high-quality, evidence-based training.
Investing in Supervision Excellence and Clinical Growth
In addition to presenting and recruiting, Ana, Scott, Sanmit, and Joanne—attended advanced workshops throughout the four-day conference designed specifically for experienced clinicians and supervisors. These sessions emphasized ongoing growth as supervisors and deepening clinical leadership skills, recognizing that strong training programs are built on reflective, well-supported supervisors.
Our team was particularly excited to engage in sessions focused on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), clinical supervision and implementation science. These workshops explored advanced applications of these models, fidelity and adaptation across diverse clinical contexts, and strategies for effectively translating evidence-based treatments into real-world care settings. Insights from these sessions will directly inform how we structure supervision, support skill acquisition, and ensure that our trainees are equipped to deliver high-quality, effective, and sustainable care.
Building National Connections
Throughout the conference, our supervisors connected with graduate students from across the country during the Doctoral Internship and Postdoctoral Residency meet & greet, sharing information about our training pathways and building lasting connections within the national CBT community.
Our supervisors return energized and inspired, ready to bring these insights back to our clinical work and training programs as we continue advancing excellence in CBT and evidence-based practice.
Contributed by: Dr. Joanne Lam
