The UCL Centre for Behaviour Change (CBC), in collaboration with the Behavioural Sciences Group at the NOVA National School of Public Health, is delighted to confirm its 9^th International Conference.

The conference will take in Lisbon, Portugal on 2nd & 3rd April 2025, with pre-conference workshops on 1st April. The exact location will be confirmed soon.

For more information on the conference, please visit the CBC website: 

CBC International Training Programme Advanced Module: Introduction to ontologies and the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology.

This module will introduce the use of ontologies to advance the behavioural and social sciences by improving intervention reporting, linking written information and datasets across knowledge silos, and enabling data to be analysed using machine learning and artificial intelligence.  We will present the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology, demonstrate how to use it in behavioural science, and explain how to contribute to its ongoing improvement.   

The module will be interactive and include time for demonstration, practice and discussion; there will be short breaks between sessions during the day.

Facilitators: Professors Susan Michie and Robert West, Drs Marta Marques and Paulina Schenk, and Lisa Zhang

The session will run from 10am to 4pm with 30 minutes for lunch and a 15-minute break in the morning and afternoon.

Places are limited with the course capped at 36 participants and require a minimum number of 10 participants.

For more information on the Advanced Modules, see here

Centre for Behaviour Change International Training Programme Advanced Module: Designing and evaluating behaviour change interventions: applying the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology.

This module is for people who have completed the introductory module or have a good knowledge of ontologies and a familiarity with the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology (BCIO). Participants will learn how to use the BCIO for designing, evaluating and reporting interventions, and for evidence synthesis. It will present in depth the parts of the ontology representing aspects of intervention content and delivery. Participants will undertake guided practice using the available tools for searching, visualising and updating the BCIO The module will be interactive and include time for demonstrations, practice and discussion. There will be short breaks between sessions during the day.

Facilitators: Professors Susan Michie and Robert West, Drs Marta Marques and Paulina Schenk, and Lisa Zhang

The session will run from 10am to 4pm with 30 minutes for lunch and a 15-minute break in the morning and afternoon.

Places are limited with the course capped at 36 participants and require a minimum number of 10 participants.

Daily session timings are from 10am GMT +1/BST.

For more information on the Advanced Modules, see here:

A key task in developing behaviour change interventions is to answer the question of who and what should we focus our intervention on in order to achieve our goal. Behaviours form parts of interacting systems that evolve over time, and the choice of behavioural and population targets can usefully be informed by modelling the causal influences in those systems: a process that can be described as behavioural systems mapping. This module takes participants through the principles of systems thinking, how they can be applied to behavioural systems through methods of behavioural systems mapping, and how to analyse and interpret behavioural systems maps. It equips participants with the knowledge and skills required to begin to create and use behavioural systems maps using freely available software. 

Facilitators Dr Jo Davan-Wetton, Professor Robert West, Dr Lucy Porter and Dr Vivi Antonopoulou will deliver an online session from 10.00am to 4.00pm (UK time, GMT). The module is interactive and includes practical sessions in which participants can work together to familiarise themselves with both the principles and practice of creating behavioural systems maps. 

Places are limited with the course capped at 36 participants (minimum no.: 10). 

For information on other Advanced Modules, see

Centre for Behaviour Change International Training Programme Advanced Module: Process Evaluation: Applying the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) Toolbox.

Process Evaluation can be applied to better understand the outcomes of our behaviour change interventions by asking questions such as, which parts of our intervention were actually delivered, how were they received, and how and why did they have their impact on our target behaviour? This module will explore two key components of Process Evaluation; Fidelity and Mechanisms of Change. Participants will learn about what these components of Process Evaluation are, why they are worth investigating, and how the Behaviour Change Wheel toolbox can help us to do so. 

Facilitators Dr Fabiana Lorencatto and Dr Danielle D’Lima will deliver an online full-day session from 10am-4pm.  Key content will be broken down into digestible chunks with time allocated to apply the learning to learners’ own interventions and gain support on how to prioritise different components of process evaluation based on available resources.

The session will run from 10am to 4pm with 30 minutes for lunch and a 15-minute break in the morning and afternoon.

Places are limited with the course capped at 25 participants and require a minimum number of 10 participants.

Daily session timings are from 10am GMT.

Presented by Dr Jennifer Thomas, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University. Chaired by Lucy Serpell, Professor of the Psychology of Eating Disorders at UCL.

Learn to treat ARFID using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy:

Since Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) was first described in the DSM 5, clinical researchers in the field of eating disorders have been working to develop treatments for both young people and adults with the condition. CBT for ARFID (CBT-AR) has been developed by Jennifer Thomas and Kamryn Eddy and shows great promise for the treatment of this challenging disorder. In her second ever UK training in CBT-AR Dr Thomas will offer eight hours of training across two afternoons via Zoom. Attendees will learn how to engage patients and families, explain the treatment approach, create a personalised formulation and plan treatment to support those with ARFID to increase the range and amount of foods they are able to consume and, where necessary, to restore to a healthy weight. The approach clearly specifies how to target early change and to tackle maintaining mechanisms in order of priority. 

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) Training with Dr Helen Donovan

Online course 

Tuesday 22nd October 2024, 9:00 – 3.45 BST

Online via Zoom

What is Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST)?

CST is an evidence-based group treatment for people with mild to moderate dementia. It involves 14 or more sessions of stimulating, themed activities, based around more complex principles including learning theory and person-centred care. CST can be extended into a longer-term treatment and can be offered to a range of clients including outpatients and people in residential or day care.

What does the training involve?

Training is interactive, involving group exercises, role-play, and video observation as well as some ‘teaching’. It is aimed to equip people with the knowledge required to deliver group CST in their work setting.

Who is the trainer?

The training is led by Dr Helen Donovan, a consultant clinical psychologist who has held senior positions since 2004 in the NHS in Bedfordshire & Luton including developing and providing services to people with dementia. She has been involved in CST and Maintenance CST research projects with UCL and has extensive experience of supervising and delivery of CST groups, and providing CST training in the UK and internationally.

This UCL Conference examines the psychology of beginnings and endings in psychoanalytic depth.

Tickets for the clinical seminars taking place on the evening of Friday 29 November will need to be added to your booking when purchasing a main conference ticket. The clinical seminars are closed groups, and available to those attending the main conference.

The evening clinical seminars will take place in various locations. Please look carefully at the seminar leader names to check which seminars will take place in person. Space is limited for the clinical seminars so early booking is advised to avoid disappointment.

Booking for the main conference and clinical seminars will close 12.00 (GMT) on Thursday 28 November 2024. 

A recent special issue of Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, edited by Patrick Luyten, Saskia Malcorps, Anthony Bateman, and Peter Fonagy, brings together several important contributions that illustrate this shift in both the theory and practice of MBT.

This webinar will feature contributions from Dr. Patrick Luyten and the authors of two papers from the Special Issue: Anthony Bateman and colleagues on the role of mentalizing in the development of complex post-traumatic stress disorder, and Peter Fuggle and colleagues on outcomes for Adaptive Mentalization-Based Integrative Treatment (AMBIT) informed care

Join us to explore the latest developments in the mentalizing approach and their implications for clinical practice.

Booking for webinar will close 09.00 (BST) on Wednesday 9 October 2024.