EMDRAA Conference Call for Abstracts
Invitation to Submit
The EMDRAA Scientific Committee invites abstract submissions for the 2027 EMDRAA Conference to be held in Melbourne, Thursday 20 - Saturday 22 May 2027.
Theme
Adaptive by Nature - The Continuing Evolution of EMDR Therapy
Venue
Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, Melbourne Victoria, Australia
Dates
Thursday 20 May: Consultants’ Day & Pre-Conference Workshops
Friday 21 and Saturday 22 May : Main Conference
Expected Attendance
700 allied health professionals
Format
Hybrid conference with in-person and online participation on Friday and Saturday.
The conference theme, Adaptive by Nature - The Continuing Evolution of EMDR Therapy, provides a broad platform to explore how EMDR therapy continues to evolve in response to new evidence, emerging clinical challenges and our growing understanding of trauma and its treatment.
All presentations for Consultants’ Day and the Main Conference will be selected through this Call for Abstracts.
Authors wishing to present as part of either program must submit an abstract for consideration by the submission deadline.
Important Dates
14 Sept 2026
Call for Abstracts Open
1 Nov 2026
Abstract Submission Deadline
Week of 7 Dec
Notification of Outcome
31 Dec 2026
Presenter Registration Deadline
January 2027
Program Launch
Presentation Types
Oral Presentation
Consultants' Day
Oral Presentation
Poster Presentation
Authors must select their preferred presentation format from one of the above options when submitting their abstract. Authors may submit more than one abstract.
All presenters must attend the conference in person and deliver their presentation live.
Please note that the final presentation format is at the discretion of the EMDRAA Scientific Committee and may be different to the author’s nominated format.
Submission Guidelines
All abstracts must:
- Be written in English and entered into the relevant field in the online submission form. You may prepare your abstract in another program before copying it into the form; however, please check the formatting carefully before submitting.
- Use a brief, clear and descriptive title.
- Clearly define the subject and proposed focus of the presentation.
- Use abbreviations only for commonly understood terms. Uncommon terms should be written in full on first use, followed by the abbreviation in brackets.
- Not exceed 250 words, excluding citations. Abstracts exceeding the word limit will not be reviewed by the Scientific Committee.
- Amendments to abstracts after submission cannot be guaranteed.
- Posters must be informational in nature and must not include promotional or advertising material. All posters will be reviewed and approved by EMDRAA prior to display at the conference. Accepted poster presenters will be required to submit their final poster for approval approximately one month prior to the conference.
- Decisions regarding abstract acceptance and presentation format are at the discretion of the Scientific Committee. Scheduling and programming decisions will be made in conjunction with the EMDRAA Conference & Events Committee.
Assessment Criteria
When being reviewed, abstracts will be assessed against the following criteria:
- The degree to which the abstract demonstrates clear and specific relevance to the EMDR standard protocol.
- Does the abstract demonstrate a clear conceptual understanding of EMDR?
- Does the abstract present material supported by a solid research foundation?
- The extent to which the abstract reflects a strong and accurate clinical knowledge base.
- The extent to which the abstract demonstrates originality or contributes new insights to the field.
- Does the abstract appeal to a large number of EMDRAA members?
- Does the abstract support the application of EMDR to diverse populations or minority groups?
- The presenters qualifications & previous presenting experience.
- How effectively the submitted learning objectives support audience understanding of EMDR.
- The clarity and relevance of the proposed presentation format in relation to the topic.
- Overall Rating.
How to Submit
To submit an abstract, please complete the online submission form and provide all required information by the closing date. Late submissions or abstracts submitted by email will not be considered.
Please note: Incomplete submissions will not be considered for review.
Contact Information
These details will be used for correspondence regarding your abstract submission, including outcome notifications and presenter communications.
Presentation Information
- Presentation Title
- Presentation Type
- Theme
- Authors and Affiliations
- Presenting Author Biography: Maximum 100 words
- Abstract: Maximum 250 words
- Citations (Please provide details of any research, literature, articles, or other sources that support the background, rationale, evidence base, or findings presented in your submission). Submissions must be supported by appropriate citations and references to recent, scientifically relevant literature. Submissions that are not adequately referenced will not be reviewed.
- Learning Objectives: Please provide 3 - 4 learning objectives outlining what participants will know, understand or be able to apply following the presentation.
- Highest level of EMDR training and/or accreditation: Please outline your highest level of EMDR training and/or accreditation, including any current EMDRAA accreditation status.
- Previous Presentation Experience: Please provide details of any previous presentations, workshops, webinars, conference sessions or other relevant speaking experience.
- Conflicts of Interest: Please disclose any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest relevant to your submission or presentation. Failure to disclose may result in withdrawal of acceptance.
In addition to the above, authors will be asked to address the following where relevant.
Cultural and Contextual Considerations
Describe any cultural, social, historical, community or contextual factors relevant to the population, clinical setting, research or material presented.
Where relevant, authors should outline how cultural safety, cultural humility, diversity, equity and inclusion have been considered in the development and delivery of the presentation. Presentations should avoid generalisations about cultural, ethnic, religious or other communities and clearly distinguish between research findings, clinical observations and personal or professional perspectives.
Sensitive or Potentially Distressing Content
Does your presentation include content relating to potentially distressing, sensitive or contested subject matter?
This may include, but is not limited to, war or armed conflict, terrorism, violence, abuse, suicide, sexual violence, racism, discrimination, political or geopolitical conflict, religion, graphic clinical material or experiences of marginalised communities.
If yes, please briefly describe the nature of the content and any steps you will take to present the material in a trauma-informed, culturally respectful and professionally appropriate manner.
Terms and Conditions
By submitting an abstract, and presenting at the conference, authors acknowledge and agree to the following.
Engagement
Presenters acknowledge and agree that they have not entered an employment relationship with EMDRAATM and are engaged as independent contributors to the conference under these terms and conditions.
Conference Policies
Presenters agree to participate in accordance with the EMDRAATM Conference Presenter Terms and Conditions, Conference Safety and Inclusivity Statement, and Conference Code of Conduct.
In-person Attendance
All presenters agree to attend the conference in person and deliver their presentation live.
Presenter Registration and Expenses
At least one author must register in person for the conference for the abstract to be included in the program.
Presenting authors must register for the conference and are responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and registration costs. A discounted registration fee is offered to accepted presenters.
The discounted presenter registration rate is available only to authors who are presenting at the conference. Co-authors who are not presenting are not required to register; however, if they wish to attend the conference, they must register at the applicable standard registration rate.
Presentation Content
Presentation content must relate to the accepted abstract, support EMDRAA’s educational purpose, and be designed with audience learning in mind.
Presentations may address clinical practice, research or trauma occurring in contexts that are politically, culturally or socially contested, including armed conflict and humanitarian crises, where this context is relevant to understanding the application or delivery of EMDR therapy. The inclusion of such subject matter does not, of itself, constitute political advocacy.
Presentations must maintain a clear clinical, research or educational focus and must not be used to promote or advocate for a partisan political position.
Information presented as research or evidence must be appropriately referenced. Where relevant, presenters must clearly distinguish research findings and established evidence from clinical or professional opinion, lived experience, advocacy and other forms of commentary.
Where contested terminology, characterisations or claims are relevant to the presentation, presenters must appropriately attribute these to their source or clearly identify them as the position, finding or assessment of the relevant author, organisation or authority.
Presentations must not include content that demeans, marginalises or targets identifiable groups based on race, religion, ethnicity, nationality, political belief or cultural identity.
EMDRAATM will assess presentation content on its relevance, educational merit, clinical or research basis, and consistency with these Terms and Conditions. A presenter’s personal views or opinions expressed outside the Conference, including through personal social media activity, will not ordinarily form part of EMDRAA’s assessment of presentation content.
Presenters agree to provide a clear verbal and/or slide-based content advisory at the commencement of their presentation where potentially distressing material may be discussed.
Case material confidentiality must be maintained and identifying details concealed.
If a presentation includes a practicum component, the Presenter agrees to notify EMDRAATM in advance and obtain EMDRAA’s prior written approval before proceeding.
EMDRAA’s right to review presentation content
EMDRAATM reserves the right to request reasonable modifications to session descriptions, content advisories or presentation materials where, in its assessment, these are inconsistent with these Terms and Conditions, the Speaker Guidelines, EMDRAA’s Code of Conduct, or its Safety and Inclusivity requirements.
This may include requesting clearer attribution or referencing of claims or evidence, greater distinction between research, clinical opinion, lived experience and advocacy, or changes necessary to maintain an appropriate educational focus.
EMDRAATM may make such modifications a condition of acceptance or continued participation in the Conference. Where concerns cannot be appropriately addressed, EMDRAA may withdraw the invitation to present.
Promotion and Marketing
Presenters agree to:
a) EMDRAATM using presentation title/s, abstract/s, biography/s (including name, position, organisation), and image/s (headshot) for promotional purposes related to the event, including on EMDRAA’s social media channels, conference website, EMDRAATM website, virtual event platform, and other communications.
b) Being photographed at the event and having their photos included in EMDRAATM publications.
Licence for Educational Use
Presenters grant EMDRAATM a royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to use, reproduce and publish presentations and any associated materials for the purposes of the EMDRAATM Conference.
Presenters acknowledge and agree that EMDRAATM may make the recording of their presentation, in whole or in part, and any supporting materials available to registered participants through the virtual event platform for the advertised period of access.
This licence is limited to the delivery and on-demand availability of the EMDRAATM Conference and does not extend to other EMDRAATM educational programs, webinar libraries or professional development activities.
Accuracy
Presenters acknowledge and agree that factual content, information, and data in presentations and supporting materials are true and accurate to the best of their knowledge.
Content Ownership and Permissions
Presenters confirm that they:
a) own the content;
b) have obtained all necessary permissions or licences to use and share any third-party content; and/or
c) where applicable, are using third-party content under the fair dealing exceptions (e.g. for research, study, criticism or review), and all content is properly attributed.
Legal Compliance
Presenters agree to comply with all relevant legislation and legal obligations, including (but not limited to) those relating to:
a) intellectual property and moral rights
b) privacy (including of patients or other individuals)
c) confidentiality and data protection
Conflict & Coordination
Presenters agree to advise and consult with the EMDRAATM if they plan on delivering the same content at another event within the four weeks before their speaking engagement with EMDRAA. This is done to avoid conflicts with competing events and organisations.
Presenters agree to disclose Conflict of interests before accepting an invitation to speak and during the abstract submission process. Additionally, if a speaker is selected to present at the conference, they agree to disclose conflicts of interest to attendees at the commencement of their presentation.
Involvement of an entity with commercial interest related to the topic area must be disclosed and must not influence the content of a presentation (no brand or service promotion within the content, although promotion can occur at the start or at the conclusion of the presentation).
Acknowledgment of any sponsor associated with a presentation can occur at the start, during breaks, or after the presentation, but must not be included in the presentation.
Presentation Materials
Presenters must provide a final copy of their presentation slides or poster to EMDRAATM no later than one week before the conference. Submitted materials may be reviewed by EMDRAATM and will be converted to PDF for inclusion in the conference attendee app and virtual event portal. Presentation slides will also be provided to the onsite audiovisual team to support the delivery of presentations at the conference.
Presenters may provide an edited version of their slides or poster for distribution where necessary to protect client confidentiality, privacy, copyright, or other sensitive information. This version may differ from the materials used during the live presentation.
Indemnity
Presenters indemnify the EMDR Association of Australia (EMDRAATM) against any legal claims arising from copyright or intellectual property infringements, privacy breaches, or any other legal issues related to the content presented.
Live Broadcast and Recording
Presenters agree to:
a) EMDRAA transmitting presentations via live stream to registered conference attendees.
b) EMDRAA creating an audio-visual recording of presentations and copying any supporting materials connected to it.
Presenters may request that specific confidential or sensitive content be removed from the recording before it is made available to attendees. Any required edits should be clearly identified to EMDRAA as soon as practicable following the presentation.
Presentation Publication and Distribution
Presenters agree to:
a) EMDRAA recording presentations and publishing the recording, in whole or in part, on the on-demand virtual event platform for access by registered participants.
b) EMDRAA publishing supporting materials, in whole or in part, on the conference website, virtual event platform and EMDRAA website.
No Payment or Reimbursement
Presenters agree to allow the use of their presentation and materials as outlined above, without charge, payment, or reimbursement of any associated expenses.
Cancellation and Presenter Changes
If a presenter becomes unable to deliver their presentation for any reason, they will notify EMDRAATM as soon as possible.
Presenters will make reasonable efforts to assist in finding a suitable alternative presenter or otherwise support EMDRAATM in adjusting the session delivery.
Our focus is simple: to ensure people seeking mental health support have access to the highest quality EMDR therapy. We do this by setting professional standards, accrediting Practitioners, Consultants and Trainers, and supporting ongoing training and research.
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