PRE-CONGRESS WORKSHOPS


As an integral element of the Congress scientific program, a series of full-day and half-day pre-Congress workshops will be held on Sunday 3 May 2026 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Victoria. An additional workshop will be held on Monday 4 May 2026. 

All workshops will provide valuable insights and discussions across a broad range of topics.

Registration for the workshops is now available via the Congress registration form.

Places are strictly limited and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend booking early to ensure you don't miss out.

Please refer to the workshops below for their specific cost for attendance.


Sunday Workshops

Time: 0930-1630
Presenter: Jo Wailling, Cameron Grover, Hannah Whittaker-Komatsu
Cost: Standard - A$510 | Registrar - $265
Workshop details

This full-day workshop explores how care, comprising coercive practices, can cause widespread harm including to psychiatrists themselves through moral and other forms of injury. Participants will learn how relational principles and practices can be applied at individual and systemic levels in response to harm in order to support mutual healing and learning, alleviate moral injury, and restore wellbeing, dignity and trust. Our interdisciplinary team includes clinicians, lived experience and research perspectives and we will use experiential methods to facilitate safe individual and group sense-making about restorative responses and the central role of cultural safety, equity, and allyship.
Time: 0930-1230
Presenters: George Halasz, Eileen Tay, Mathew Coleman, Sarah Michael
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

Framed by Allan Schore’s affect regulation paradigm and enriched by the insights of Winnicott, Bion, and Klein, this workshop explores the developmental conditions necessary for ethical, relational leadership to repair systemic gridlocks. It contrasts defensive, survival-based systems with environments that enable growth through co-regulation and mutual attunement. Participants are invited to engage with their own experiences of leadership or training impasse (gridlocks), recognising how these may represent developmental echoes within institutional systems. The workshop fosters the emergence of psychologically safe, ethically grounded, and relationally attuned leadership in psychiatry. 
GABRIELE BAMMER WORKSHOPTime: 09:30-12:30
Presenters: Korinne Northwood, Dan Siskind, Susanna Every-Palmer, Nicole Korman
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

This workshop will develop clinician confidence in identifying and managing treatment-refractory psychosis, with a particular focus on clozapine therapy. We welcome any clinician, trainee, or allied health professional who wishes to develop or expand their understanding of contemporary, evidence-based management of patients with complex psychotic illness.

We will offer guidance on commencing and optimising clozapine treatment, management to reduce clozapine-induced ADRs (including metabolic effects), assessing neutropenia and myocarditis risk associated with clozapine over an extended period, present clinical features and monitoring protocols for rechallenge following clozapine-induced myocarditis or agranulocytosis, as well as non-pharmacotherapy augmentation strategies.
Time: 0930-1230
Presenters: Judith Hope, David Copolov, Nicholas Keks
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

The workshop will focus on effective and safe use of various antipsychotics indicated for the treatment of mood states including schizoaffective disorder, bipolar mood disorder (mania, mixed state, depression), treatment resistant depression and related psychiatric disorders.  Research evidence will be integrated with clinical experience to provide guidelines for treatment, with case discussions designed to strengthen attendees’ prescribing skills.
Time: 0930-1230
Presenters: Diana Korevaar, Celia Roberts, Anthony Olsen
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - A$195
Workshop details

This workshop will provide a skills-based understanding of body oriented therapeutic interventions which aim to facilitate more creative cognitive behavioural change in the management of treatment resistant psychiatric disorders. Participants will experience guided breathwork, movement-based meditation, somatic enquiry exercises, contemplative dyad work and small group exploration of how to integrate these modalities into routine psychiatric practice.
Time: 0930-1230
Presenter: Edward Mullen, David Coghill, Catherine Cox
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

Modern Psychiatrists in both public and private settings are increasingly asked to screen, assess, and manage complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders(NDD) across all age ranges. Many Psychiatrists seek further training and supervision but report feeling less prepared when faced with a Dual Diagnosis of NDD and Substance Use and other behavioural addictions. In this workshop, participants will consider the literature that informs our understanding of developmental perspectives of how addiction starts and how to incorporate the unique vulnerabilities and strengths of outpatients into a formulation and treatment plan. We will also review current recommendations for management of ADHD and how we might adapt these in patients who are at risk of addiction or have established Substance Use Disorders. There will be opportunity for participants to bring a clinical example from their own practice to discuss in small groups led by the facilitators that will focus on adapting formulation, engagement and treatment planning incorporating our knowledge about NDD and substance use and Addictive behaviours.
Time: 0930-1230
Presenter: Toby Winton-Brown, Richard Kanaan, Adith Mohan, Wendy Phillips, Alex Lehn
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is common yet often challenging for psychiatrists. This interactive workshop introduces contemporary models, practical communication strategies, and psychotherapeutic approaches. Through case vignettes and role-play, participants will gain skills to engage patients, manage comorbidities, and work collaboratively across disciplines to improve outcomes and service pathways.
Time: 0930-1230
Presenter: Rajan Nishanth Jayarajan, Rebecca Wild
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

The proposed workshop, titled "Addressing Burnout in the Workplace: A Balint Group Approach," targets the pressing issue of burnout among psychiatry trainees and consultants. This was recently exemplified by the RANZCP Health of the Workforce Survey. Burnout, driven by the emotional demands of psychiatric practice, significantly impacts professionals' well-being and the quality of patient care. 
This workshop introduces Balint groups as a proven method to prevent and reduce burnout. Through guided reflective practice, participants will explore their emotional responses to patient interactions, gain deeper insights into the doctor-patient relationship, and develop coping strategies to manage work-related stress. Designed for a maximum of 30 participants, the workshop will be highly interactive, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for open discussion. Facilitated by experienced Balint group leaders, the session will provide a space for psychiatry professionals to share their experiences, reflect on their challenges, and learn from one another. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a clear understanding of how Balint groups can enhance their emotional resilience and professional satisfaction. The workshop aligns with the broader goals of the RANZCP Congress 2026 by addressing the critical need for effective burnout prevention strategies within the psychiatric community.
Time: 0930-1230
Presenters: Song Chan, Prachi Brahmbhatt
Cost: A$25
Workshop details

This workshop will help candidates prepare effectively for the MEQ examination. Members of the Examinations Committee will explain the MEQ format, required standards, and how to clearly demonstrate competency, highlighting what examiners look for and strategies for success. Participants will engage in small group activities to practise MEQ responses and discuss approaches, supported by examples from past candidate submissions. The workshop is designed for trainees and Specialist International Medical Graduates who have not yet completed their MEQ. By attending, participants will better understand the MEQ assessment process, gain practical experience, and work collaboratively with experienced Writtens Subcommittee members.
Time: 0930-1230
Presenter: Lyn Chiem, Dominika Baetens, Nicky Zigouris
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195

Workshop details

In an increasingly complex mental health landscape, psychiatrists are being called on not only to deliver high-quality clinical care, but also to lead quality improvement. Through small and large group scenario-based discussions, this interactive workshop will introduce participants to foundational knowledge in improvement science, and explore its real-world application including approaches to collaborating with teams and the common pitfalls in leading and sustaining change. This workshop is ideal for psychiatry trainees and early-career psychiatrists seeking to turn ideas for better care into meaningful and sustainable change. 
Date: Sunday 3 May 2026 Time: 0930-1230
Presenters: Sarah Hollingsworth (Holly) Lisanby
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

TBC
Time: 0930-1230
Presenters: Denise Riordan, Manjit Kaur
Cost: A$25
Workshop details
This half day workshop is aimed at:

  • Fellows who have been approved to become Substantial Comparability assessors and require the appropriate accreditation
  • Existing Substantial Comparability assessors who wish to refresh their skills in order to maintain their accreditation.
  • The workshop involves pre-reading and self-calibration using resources which will be provided. 
Attendance is by invitation only – previous accreditation or an approved nomination to become a Substantial Comparability assessor is required for Fellows who wish to attend this workshop. 

Fellows who are interested in becoming a Substantial Comparability assessor and have at least three years post-Fellowship experience should contact the Specialist International Medical Graduate team by emailing simgehelp@ranzcp.org for details on the approval and accreditation process. 
Time: 1330-1630
Presenters: Tony Fernando
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

Mindfulness is now widely embraced in psychiatry, but it represents only one strand of a much larger body of Buddhist psychology. This workshop introduces mental health professionals to secular Buddhist frameworks that expand beyond mindfulness, offering practical strategies for easing distress and fostering resilience. 
Participants will explore dependent origination as a map of how thoughts and emotions arise, learn the two arrows of suffering as a guide for responding rather than reacting, and apply the three marks of existence to manage stress and change. Compassion practices will be introduced as antidotes to self-criticism, while generosity and gratitude will be explored as resources for strengthening wellbeing. The workshop will combine short lectures, guided meditations, reflective exercises, and group discussion, ensuring participants not only gain knowledge but also direct experiential insights.

Target audience: Psychiatrists, psychiatry trainees, psychologists, psychotherapists, and other mental health professionals.

By the end of the session, participants will have practical, evidence-aligned tools to enhance resilience, deepen compassion, and integrate Buddhist insights into clinical care. 
Time: 1330-1630
Presenter: John Reilly, Allan Pascoe, Sarah Reilly, Stephen Parker
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

Clinicians with addiction and other subspecialist psychiatric expertise will present a workshop on substance use and substance use disorders co-occurring with psychotic disorders, as inducing agents of and triggers for psychosis and as factors exacerbating existing psychotic symptoms and complicating management and prognosis of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. The Workshop will provide an overview of relevant epidemiology, diagnostic and prognostic issues and use clinical cases to outline possible assessment and management approaches in complex but common clinical scenarios, with a focus on adult patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. In relation to substance use the focus will be particularly on cannabinoids and stimulants however other substances and co-morbid substance use will be considered. The target audience will be psychiatrists, trainees and other clinicians. 
Time: 1330-1630
Presenter: Graham Meadows, Sally Francis, Diana Korevaar
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

Participants will develop foundational mindfulness skills, gain practical insights into patient experience, and explore opportunities for training and integrating MBIs into routine clinical practice.
Time: 1330-1630
Presenters: Gabriele Bammer
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

An understanding of real-world complex problems (such as climate change, migration crises, racism etc.) teaches us that they cannot be controlled, they are riddled with uncertainty and unknowns, and that “answers” are trade-offs rather than perfect solutions. Workshop participants will be invited to reflect on, and share, their knowledge and experience of the impacts of these fundamental features of complexity on psychiatric practice, as well as how an understanding of psychiatry can help us better deal with complexity. 
Time: 1330-1630
Presenters: Matthew Kang, Dennis Velakoulis, Dhamidhu Eratne, Sarah Farrand, Tom Reilly, Andrew Evans, Priscilla Tjokrowijoto, Wendy Kelso, Mark Walterfang, Samantha Loi
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

The Neuropsychiatry Primer offers a practical introduction to the diagnosis and management of complex neuropsychiatric presentations. Using case-based discussion, neuroimaging, neuropsychology, and biomarkers, the workshop will equip psychiatrists and trainees with tools to improve diagnostic confidence and multidisciplinary care.
Time: 1330-1630
Presenters: Aswin Ratheesh, Dan Siskind, Nicola Warren, Susanna Every-Palmer, Steve Kisely
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

Commencing research can be a daunting task for most college trainees and fellows. While a range of methodologies are available and necessary to advance the field, there are commonalities in the process of initiating research. Developing a research question, writing a proposal, securing funding, analysing data and disseminating findings are key steps that early-career researchers must master. This workshop aims to demystify these steps and provide practical guidance to help new investigators succeed in their research endeavors, and their supervisors to support them to do so.  This workshop is targeted at new investigators including trainees and fellows, and fellows interested to supervise trainees.  
Time: 1330-1630
Presenters: Richard Harvey
Cost: A$25
Workshop details

This workshop is aimed at Fellows, new Fellows and trainees in the last stages of training. This workshop will provide participants with the understanding and skills to conduct audit activities to meet the requirements of the RANZCP CPD program.
Time: 1330-1630
Presenters: Lyn Chiem, Nicholas O’Connor, Simon Stafrace, Kathryn Turner
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

Using the Victorian Psychiatry Leadership Framework, this interactive 3-hour workshop will equip participants to think, feel and act like leaders. Through facilitated discussion centred on vignettes based on real-world leadership challenges, participants will explore leadership styles, decision-making, communication, and ethical dilemmas. The workshop is ideal for psychiatry trainees and early-career consultants seeking to enhance their leadership capability in complex mental healthcare settings.
Time: 1330-1630
Presenters: Vikram Patel, Richard Bryant
Cost: Standard - A$395 | Registrar - $195
Workshop details

The workshop is based on an analysis of five case studies of the scaling up of psychological treatments in contexts in Europe, Asia and Africa. Following a lecture which summarizes the findings of the case studies, group work will enable the participants to learn about the application of three frameworks (RE-AIM, the WHO Health Systems and political economy) for the design, implementation and evaluation of scaling up psychological treatments which deploy a diverse community-facing workforce. Applications of implementation in the Australian context will be a focus of discussion.
Time: 1330-1630
Presenters: Balaji Motamarri
Cost: A$25
Workshop details

This half-day workshop is aimed at:

  • Fellows who have been approved to become National Assessment Panel members and require the appropriate calibration and training
  • Existing National Assessment Panel members who wish to refresh their skills and to maintain their accreditation
  • The workshop involves pre-reading and self-calibration using resources which will be provided. 
Attendance is by invitation only – this will be a closed session. An approved nomination to become a National Assessment Panel member is required for Fellows who wish to attend this workshop. 

Fellows who are interested in becoming a National Assessment Panel member and have at least three years post-Fellowship experience should contact the Specialist International Medical Graduate team by emailing simgehelp@ranzcp.org for details on the nomination and approval process. 

Monday Workshop

Time: 1330-1630
Presenters: Lisa Lampe, Yang Yun
Cost: A$25
Workshop details

This half day workshop will assist trainees, supervisors, Directors of Training and members of Branch Training Committees with responsibility for approving project proposals to better understand the process of developing, implementing, reporting and submitting a Scholarly Project. Discussion will cover how the expected standard is applied across marking domains and to different types of projects and the resources available to support trainees and supervisors.

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