Psychotherapy
Section committee
GARGOT Thomas
, Chair
KOUTSOMITROS Theodoros,
Co-Chair
TANYERI KAYAHAN Selin,
Secretary 
KRAXNER Fabian,
Councillor 
KJAER Jesper Noergaard,
First Other Councillor 
SEKER Asilay,
Second Other Councillor Section mission
This Section's mission is to:
Promote international and multidisciplinary exchange of experiences, knowledge, and training in the psychotherapeutic treatment of mental disorders, especially in the psychiatric setting. During the EPA congress, there should be at least one specific section Symposium and one CME training Course focused on new trends in psychotherapeutic research and practice.
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Section objectives
- Promote international and multidisciplinary exchange of experiences, knowledge, and training in the psychotherapeutic treatment of mental disorders especially in the psychiatric setting.
- During the EPA congress there should be at least one specific Section Symposium and one CME Training Course in which new trends in psychotherapeutic research and practice are focused
- Promote to our colleagues' worldwide projects that our Psychotherapy Section members are involved for example publications, articles, books etc. (for example European Psychotherapy Guidebook)
- Creation of a EPA Psychotherapy Section WhatsApp group for easier communication between our members: https://chat.whatsapp.com/IvGvrYZOokK4Y3aoZibm4t
- Once monthly free Balint Group for EFPT and EPA Psychotherapy Section members
Annual reports
Future Activities
workshop
Current mapping of psychotherapy care across Europe
30 March 2026 - 30 March 2026 / EPA2026 Prague
Description :
30.03.2026 | 08:00 - 09:30 | South Hall 2B
Chair: Mariana Pinto Da Costa (United Kingdom), Selin Tanyeri Kayahan (Türkiye)
The Silent Crisis: Unveiling the Global Health Burden of Psychotherapy Delays through the Mental Health Access Burden Index (MHABI) - Khutaija Noor (United States)
Disparities in Access to Psychotherapy Training across Different Parts of the World - Mariana Pinto Da Costa (United Kingdom)
Psychotherapy Services: Treatment Gaps and Unmet Needs - Fabian Kraxner (Switzerland)
Anywhere Anytime: Opportunities and Limitations of Digital Psychotherapies - Imran Gokcen Yilmaz-Karaman (Türkiye)
Partners :
EPA Public Mental Healt Section
workshop
Catatonia across the spectrum: clinical cases, challenges, and management
29 March 2026 - 29 March 2026 / EPA2026 Prague
Description :
29.03.2026 | 08:00 - 09:30 | Club A
Chair: Ömer Yanartaş (Türkiye) , Virginio Salvi (Italy)
Pediatric Catatonia: A Complex Case Study in a Neurodevelopmental Context - Celestine Bidault (France)
Detecting the Invisible: Catatonia in Autoimmune Encephalitis and How to Intervene Early - Francisco Cruz Aviña (Mexico)
Catatonia in Affective Disorders and Psychotherapeutic Interfaces - Małgorzata Gietka (Poland)
Catatonia Across the Spectrum of Psychiatric Disorders: Should Treatment Vary? - Virginio Salvi (Italy)
Substance-Induced Catatonia: The Case of Synthetic Cannabinoids - Anastasia Sikora (Ukraine)
Somatic Causes of Catatonia: Medical Workup and Psychiatric Management - Ömer Yanartaş (Türkiye)
workshop
Restoring lives, expanding horizons: multidisciplinary approaches to psychiatric recovery
29 March 2026 - 29 March 2026 / EPA2026 Prague
Description :
29.03.2026 | 15:00 - 16:30 | Terrace 2A
Chair: Nell Boxall (United Kingdom) , David Gurrea Salas (Switzerland)
Beyond Containment: Risk, Recovery and the Ethics of Forensic Psychiatry - Hasanen Al-Taiar (United Kingdom)
An empathic approach to rehabilitation - Robert Cornish (United Kingdom)
Rebuilding Lives After Trauma: Positive Psychotherapy in the Rehabilitation of PTSD Patients - Anastasia Sikora (Ukraine)
The role of dual diagnosis and real-life examples - Sureyya Melike Toparlak (United Kingdom)
Pathways to Empowerment: Integrating Psychoeducation, Peer Support, and Co-production for Lasting Recovery - Petr Neckar (Czech Republic)
Unmet Needs in Recovery and Rehabilitation - Fahriye Oflaz (Türkiye)
workshop
Psychotherapy training of early career psychiatrists: global challenges, opportunities, and future directions
30 March 2026 - 30 March 2026 / EPA2026 Prague
Description :
30.03.2026 | 15:00 - 16:30 | North Hall
Chair: Mustafa Di̇nçer (Türkiye), Asilay Seker (United Kingdom)
Psychotherapy training in psychiatry: Current opportunities and perspectives of early career psychiatrists - Selin Tanyeri Kayahan (Türkiye)
Global Standards and Gaps in Psychotherapy Training: A UEMS Perspective - Marisa Casanova Dias (United Kingdom)
Psychotherapy Training in Diverse Cultural and Institutional Contexts: Challenges and Adaptations - Ahmad Alhadi (Saudi Arabia)
The Role of Supervision in Shaping Psychotherapeutic Competencies: Who, How, and What? - Jesper Noergaard Kjaer (Denmark)
Is AI Useful in Psychotherapeutic Education? - Fabian Kraxner (Switzerland)
EFPT Psychotherapy Guidebook: The Story of a European Project - Theodoros Koutsomitros (Greece)
course
Useful open science tools for conducting research in psychiatry
28 March 2026 - 28 March 2026 / EPA2026 Prague
Description :
28.03.2026 | 13:30 - 17:00 | Club D
In psychiatry the methodology of scientific method can sometimes be difficult to understand. Different tools ease the processes of collecting and interpreting data but they can be too expensive. Here we will present and review free and open source software that help to communicate, collect, interpret and publish data. These tools can be easily reused and shared. This improves validity and reproducibility of scientific research. While discussing all these challenges and in order to be interactive, we will involve the participants in the different steps of collection of the data of a prototypical scientific study, an international cake testing database!
An overview of the processes and tools:
We will evaluate a study protocol and pre-register this protocol defining the primary outcome.
Which is the best cookie from two different brands?
We will discuss the issue of sample selection. Who will taste the cookies?
Randomiser will help us to attribute a condition (cookie A or B) to each subject.
Limesurvey helps to run online surveys.
What did you think about each characteristic of your cookie?
R helps to analyse and plot the data.
What is the mean score?
How to plot the results?
Is the difference significant?
GitHub helps to share our data and analysis script publicly or not.
ArXiv helps to publish early works and manuscripts before publication.
The EQUATOR Network provides guidelines that help to write scientific articles.
Lastly, we can promote our work on Wikipedia and discuss what are the advantages and issues to promote your own work.
Director: Thomas Gargot (France)
Co-Director: Jesper Noergaard Kjaer (Denmark)
course
Empowering caregivers, enhancing recovery: European best practices and tools
30 March 2026 - 30 March 2026 / EPA2026 Prague
Description :
30.03.2026 | 15:00 - 18:30 | Club A
Informal caregivers are essential to the recovery of individuals with severe mental disorders. However, this role often results in significant emotional, social, and financial strain, which adversely impact caregivers’ mental and physical health. In turn, this reduces caregiving effectiveness and hinders patients’ recovery outcomes [1]. Providing comprehensive support for caregivers is therefore essential to sustain their role.
Various caregiver support interventions have been developed, differing in objectives (psychoeducation, family therapy…); format (single-family or multifamily groups; peer-led or service-based…), and duration. Many have proven effective and adaptable across diverse settings [2-3]. However, navigating these interventions raises key questions: How to choose the appropriate intervention? What is the role of family peer support workers? Is a gradual approach advisable, and how should it be designed?
References:
1. Mittendorfer-Rutz et al. (2019). Patients With Schizophrenia—A Nationwide Comparative Study (…). Schizophr Bull, 45:794–803.
2. Gemito, L., Alves, E., Moreira, J., Marques, M. F., Caldeira, E., Ferreira, R., … & Lopes, M. (2024). Programmes Addressed to Informal Caregivers’ Needs: A Systematic Literature Review. Geriatrics, 9(3), 71.
3. Sin J, et al. (2017). Effectiveness of psychoeducational interventions for family carers of people with psychosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin. Psychol. Rev., 56:13–24.
Director: Elisabetta Scanferla (France)
Co-Director: Romain Rey (France)
business meeting
EPA Psychotherapy Section Meeting
28 March 2026 - 31 March 2026 / EPA2026 Prague
Description :
Time and place will be announced.
other meetings
Use and Abuse of Artificial Intelligence-driven Technologies: Opportunities, Risks, and Ethical Dilemmas for Psychiatry
01 April 2026 - 31 December 2026 / Online
Description :
Proposal by Fabian Kraxner was accepted for EPA 2026 Webinar Series. Webinar details will be provided later.
other meetings
Section Meet and Greet
28 March 2026 - 31 March 2026 / EPA2026 Prague
Description :
Organized by Fabian Kraxner. Details will be provided later.
Publication
Psychotherapy training in psychiatry: A systematic review and narrative synthesis on the early career psychiatrists’ satisfaction, strengths, barriers, and recommendations
01 April 2026
Journal :
SubmittedAuthors :
Mustafa Dinçer, Selin Tanyeri Kayahan, Jesper Nørgaard Kjær, Mariana Pinto da Costa, Thomas GargotAcknowledged as official Section publication?
YesPublication
Psychotherapy training in psychiatry: A systematic review and narrative synthesis on the early career psychiatrists’ supervision