This website is the new official website of the Asian Cognitive Behavioral Therapies Association. We have moved from an old website (https://asiancbt.weebly.com/) that is now defunct.
Welcome to ACBTA! We are celebrating World CBT Day on April 7th. The World CBT Day is sponsors by the World Conferedation of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (WCCBT: https://wccbt.org) also coincides with the WHO’s World Health Day, as a way to commemorate the importance of CBT in global health given its evidence-based efficacy in addressing various mental health problems.
A Special Message from the Co-Chair of the 10th World Congress of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies 2023 – Professor Kee-Hong Choi, inviting you to attend this year’s world congress in Seoul, South Korea on 1-4 June 2023.

THE 10TH WORLD CONGRESS OF COGNITIVE AND BEHAVIOURAL THERAPIES 2023 WILL BE HELD IN SEOUL, KOREA FROM 1st to 4th JUNE 2023!
Check out the main website: https://wccbt2023.org
This year ACBTA celebrates World CBT Day by sharing a recording of our March 2023 ACBTA Meet-the-Expert Talk by Professor Kyong-mee Chung, who is also the co-chair of the coming 10th World Congress of CBT in Seoul, Korea from 1-4 June 2023:
Prayers for Türkiye and Syria
On BEHALF OF ALL ACBTA MEMBERS, 7 FEBRUARY 2023
This is a time of great agony and shock for all of us. Immeasurable damage has been caused by the deadly earthquakes and continuing after shocks that have rocked Türkiye, Syria and adjoining countries.
We extend our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims, injured and those affected by this natural calamity. Our prayers are with those who are still waiting to be rescued as a result of this natural disaster. We pray for their early and safe rescue. Our well wishes to all the rescue workers and those treating and supporting the affected.
We stand in complete solidarity with all our affected fellow humans and are open for all efforts towards assistance in the aftermath of this great disaster.
With immense grief and regrets.
Our inaugural newsletter is out! Check it out here:

The 18th of July 2022 was Aaron T. Beck Day! Dr Beck would have been 101 years-old.

The late Dr Beck, a psychiatrist, is known as the Father of Cognitive Behavior Therapy – a therapeutic approach that uses cognitive and behavioural approaches in helping individuals learn skills to problem-solve and cope with personal challenges, while moving towards better resilience and to thrive. CBT does not just treat psychological disorders, but also promotes mental health.
So, for Aaron T. Beck Day, we pay tribute to a pioneer who developed CBT and made it his lifelong work to keep on perfecting his craft, along with others at Beck Institute, led by his daughter Dr Judith S. Beck, and together with clinicians and researchers from rest of world.
We believe CBT is for all – not just mental health professionals but for anyone who uses it to help themselves and others. Recovery from any mental illness is not in the clinic, but in the community. The more familiar people are with CBT techniques, the better likelihood of recovery for individuals who are going through therapy as they would be better supported by their community.
Why CBT? Because it is very well-researched and found to be effective in reducing symptoms of various mental illnesses, and to help individuals get better. It is an evidence-based method that is continually studied to improve on delivery and practice. As with any treatment method, it is not 100% – therefore needs to be researched and these new findings are shared at professional conferences of CBT.
In 2023 – 1st-4th June, we will have the 10th World Congress of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies held in Seoul, Korea. This is a conference that pulls together professionals, students and interested parties to exchange new knowledge about the development of CBT and other cognitive and behavioural approaches to improving quality of life. It is organised by the Korean Association of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (KACBT) on behalf of the Asian Cognitive Behavior Therapies Association (ACBTA; www.acbta.org).
Being in Asia – this conference would be more accessible to Asian mental health practitioners, students and any interested parties. Those who are interested, do check out : https://www.wccbt2023.org/ – for updates on the event.

We had the Inaugural WORLD CBT DAY – 7 APRIL 2022 !For this, the World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies will be having a series of talks. Please see the message from WCCBT President, Dr Keith Dobson below:






For more talks and other events, please see: Events – Asian Cognitive Behavioral Therapies Association (ACBTA)
Our biggest event for the year 2021 was the 7th Asian Cognitive Behavior Therapy Conference on 5th to 7th July 2021. We had 7,472 registered participants from 80 countries!
We thank all speakers and participants for being part of our conference and making it a successful one. Our gratitude also goes out to our sponsors for the conference awards – Naluri and the Malaysian Society of Clinical Psychology, as well as to Sunway University for providing the virtual platform for free! We also congratulate the award winners – see: Conference Awards. For more details please see: https://acbta.org/archives/.
The Conference Program and Abstract Book can be found here: Publications | MSCP
Cognitive therapy seeks to alleviate psychological stresses by correcting faulty conceptions and self-signals. By correcting erroneous beliefs we can lower excessive reactions
Aaron T. Beck, Father of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy


The trouble with most therapy is that it helps you feel better. But you don’t get better. You have to back it up with action, action, action.
Albert Ellis, Founder – Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy