The European Congress of Psychiatry serves the EPA’s educational mission by offering high-quality EPA Courses that cover all aspects of psychiatry. Each course consists of two 90-minute sessions. Please note that fees for the courses are charged separately.
How to register
You can register for an EPA Course through the EPA Congress Registration System.
- Registration for the EPA Courses is only available for onsite Congress participants.
- Pre-registration for each Course is required.
- Space is limited – register now to ensure a spot in your preferred Course.
Take note: rates provided below exclude 21% VAT.
| Courses (on-site only) | ||
| Courses – Country A | Pre-registration (early and regular fees) | EUR 65 |
| On-site registration | EUR 75 | |
| Courses – Country B | Pre-registration (early and regular fees) | EUR 45 |
| On-site registration | EUR 55 | |
Accreditation
The EPA 2026 Courses
Assessment and Treatment of ADHD In Adults
Director: Sandra Kooij
Co-Director: Toni Ramos-Quiroga
ADHD is not outgrown in the majority of children with the disorder, and has a prevalence of 3-5% in the general population of all ages. It is an often inherited childhood onset condition that continues during the lifespan and is associated with a lot of comorbidities in the mental and physical domain, as well as with many impairments. Due to the high comorbidity, ADHD is also highly prevalent (mean 20%) in other psychiatric disorders, like anxiety, depression, addiciton, sleep disorders, bipolar disorder, autism, borderline personality disorder and others.
In this interactive course, the epidemiology, prevalence, neurobiological background, assessment and treatment of this complex disorder in both women and men will be discussed by experienced researchers and clinicians.
Beyond Ultra High Risk for Psychosis: the Basic Symptoms Criteria
Director: Frauke Schultze-Lutter
Co-Director: Andrea Raballo
Basic symptoms (BS) are subtle, self-experienced disturbances in mental processes and central components of the psychopathology of psychoses. A subset of cognitive BS (i.e. “Cognitive Disturbances”, COGDIS) was associated with higher transition rates to psychosis than the ultra-high risk (UHR) criteria over follow-ups of three years or longer . Recommendations for the early detection of psychosis therefore emphasize the clinical utility of COGDIS.
Yet, reliably identifying BS requires specific psychopathological competence. COGDIS has also been associated with a brain signature based on structural MRI data that could also identify schizophrenia patients; this further supporting its usefulness for the detection of a high risk for psychosis.
Therefore, this course, an integral part of the educational framework of the EPA Section for Prevention of Mental Disorders, is designed as a clinically oriented implementation of the EPA Guidance project on the early detection of clinical high-risk of psychosis.
The course is intended for a broad, interprofessional audience across the career continuum in all care settings (i.e. children and adolescent, and adult psychiatry and psychology) interested in the early detection of psychosis. It is also intended for neuroscientists and research-oriented clinicians interested in the neurobiological correlates of psychoses and their clinical high-risk states.
Brief Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Suicide Prevention: An Introduction
Director: Craig Bryan
In contrast to traditional approaches that view suicide risk as a symptom or outcome of psychiatric disorders, newer generation treatments view suicidal behavior as a transdiagnostic behavior that results from distinct mechanisms and processes. This approach has significantly improved the effectiveness of newer generation treatments relative to typical mental health treatments. Two interventions in particular—brief cognitive behavioral therapy for suicide prevention (BCBT) and crisis response planning (CRP)—have been shown to reliably reduce suicidal behaviors in multiple randomized clinical trials. This presentation provides an overview of these interventions, presents supporting scientific data, and discusses unique features of these interventions that contribute to superior reductions in suicide risk relative to other mental health treatments. Video vignettes will demonstrate key components of BCBT and CRP.
Clinical Psychiatry and Ethical Dilemmas: From Principles to Practice
Director: Jan Wise
Co-Director: Cecile Hanon
Modern psychiatry is grounded in four fundamental ethical principles: beneficience, non maleficience, autonomy and justice. Yet in daily clinical practice, psychiatrists are frequently confronted with situations where these principles appear in tension—or even direct conflict.
What happens when a patient refuses treatment despite clear clinical risks ?
How do we determine capacity in the context of severe psychiatric illness?
And when, if ever, should public safety outweigh medical confidentiality?
This course will explore some of the most pressing ethical challenges in psychiatry today, from the dilemmas of suicidality and involuntary care, to end-of-life decisions and physician-assisted dying. We will also examine emerging issues such as the ethical use of artificial intelligence in clinical settings and the implications of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Particular attention will be paid to the clinician’s role as both caregiver and gatekeeper—navigating between personal values, legal frameworks, and the patient’s expressed wishes.
Through small group discussions, analysis of real-life cases, and pre-course materials, participants will engage with these dilemmas in a reflective and practical way.
Complex PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder Across the Lifespan: Clinical Specificities and Tailored Management Strategies
Director: Hala Kerbage
Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) share significant clinical overlap, particularly in domains of emotion dysregulation, interpersonal instability, and self-identity disturbance. However, important differences exist in their aetiologies, trajectories, and treatment approaches. Misdiagnosis or conflation of these two conditions can lead to suboptimal care, especially in adolescents and young adults where early intervention is crucial.
This course aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the phenomenology, neurobiological underpinnings, developmental and clinical aspects, as well as evidence-based therapeutic strategies for C-PTSD and BPD. The session will highlight current diagnostic challenges, review recent research findings, and offer clinical tools for differential diagnosis and personalized treatment planning across developmental stages.
Interactive clinical vignettes will illustrate key distinctions and therapeutic decision points. Attendees will gain practical insights into trauma-informed care models, including the integration of stabilization techniques, psychotherapeutic modalities (e.g., DBT, EMDR, TF-CBT), and the management of comorbidities.
Digital Addictions: Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment, Including Digital Interventions
Director: Sophia Achab
The widespread adoption of digital technologies is changing the way people communicate, work and access information. This landscape is shaping and building new forms of social interaction and identity with variable effects on mental health and wellbeing.
The emphasis on personal autonomy and self-expression is becoming more pronounced, as individuals seek to assert their identity and differentiate themselves from others in a rapidly changing and fragmented world.
Whereas technology is developing disproportionately, new psychopathological expressions are emerging, mostly technology/digitally-driven and not fully explained by classical psychopathology, particularly among young digitarians.
Innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches propose the integration of advanced digital solutions (e.g., digital phenotyping, robotics, metaverse, AI etc.).
The course will address the complex interplay between technology and mental health in the modern world. The course will discuss the new psychopathological trajectories due to the digital world, by providing a critical overview on the behavioral addictions, discussing the dilemma of new ‘digital’ addictions, the pathological threshold between problematic and culturally/socially-accepted use of new technologies and new emerging psychopathological trajectories.
Finally, a section will provide an overview on innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches such as digital tools and interventions including the potentials of AI.
Enhancing Comorbidity Management In Borderline Personality Disorder
Director: Lionel Cailhol
Co-Director: Rémy Klein
This course is dedicated to advancing the treatment of comorbidities among individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). By comprehensively exploring psychiatric, personality, and physical health comorbidities, participants will gain practical insights and evidence-based strategies to optimize patient care and outcomes.
The course begins with an introduction to BPD and its treatment fundamentals, covering the definition, diagnostic criteria, and general principles of treatment. An overview of comorbidities is then provided, highlighting key challenges and clinical considerations.
Part I focuses on the different types of comorbidities encountered in BPD, including psychiatric comorbidities, personality comorbidities, and physical health comorbidities. Particular attention will be given to how these comorbidities influence BPD outcomes.
Part II addresses treatment strategies for BPD with comorbid conditions. It begins with general principles and tools, including the role of lifestyle medicine and psychotherapy approaches tailored for comorbidity.
Participants will also learn about treatment hierarchies and strategies for prioritizing goals when multiple diagnoses are present. Finally, evidence-based guidelines for psychopharmacological management of psychiatric comorbidities.
Empowering Caregivers, Enhancing Recovery: European Best Practices and Tools
Director: Elisabetta Scanferla
Co-Director: Romain Rey
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.
Hospital Architecture – How to Renovate, Repurpose and Built Psychiatric Facilities
Psychiatric hospitals are often poorly designed, contributing to violent incidents, lack of meaningful patient-staff interactions, and patient boredom. Growing evidence suggests that the physical environment of hospitals can support positive interactions, enhance feelings of control and safety, and improve staff efficiency. Despite this, there is limited guidance available for clinicians on how to design or repurpose hospital spaces to make them more therapeutic.
This course was developed to:
- Raise awareness of how the built environment affects patients and staff;
- Provide tools to assess the quality of hospital spaces; and
- Offer guidance on how to renovate, repurpose, or design psychiatric facilities to enhance their therapeutic value.
The course will be interactive and delivered in two 90-minute sessions.
The first session will explore how the built environment impacts patients, staff, and visitors. Key concepts such as ‘therapeutic environments’ and ‘salutogenesis’ will be introduced. Participants will also learn how to quickly evaluate the quality of ward, facility, or hospital environments.
The second session will focus on practical steps. Participants will be encouraged to bring photos, plans, or specific problems related to their own wards or hospitals for solution development. If no materials are provided, attendees will be divided into small groups to generate improvement ideas for communal ward areas, nursing stations, and patient bedrooms.
How to Write A Good Scientific Paper and Get It Published
Director: Umberto Volpe
Co-Director: Sophia Frangou
How to Write a Good Scientific Paper and Get It Published is a practical guide for researchers who wish to improve their publication success. The workshop covers how to frame a focused research question, structure an article, and present methods, results and interpretation in a clear and accessible way.
Participants will learn also how to select an appropriate journal, tailor their manuscript to its audience, and respond constructively to peer review. The workshop also addresses important issues in scientific publishing including authorship, research integrity and use of AI tools.
At the end of the workshop, attendees will have a roadmap to planning, drafting and revising manuscripts that meet contemporary expectations in high-quality journals.
Navigating the Road To Wisdom: Advanced Insights Into Bipolar Disorder In the Elderly
Director: Thomas Desmidt
Co-Director: Pierre Lavaud
1. Introduction and Overview
2. Theoretical Foundations
- Clinical Specificities: Discuss unique characteristics, including subtle manic symptoms and severe depressive episodes.
- Differential Diagnosis: Explore challenges in differentiating bipolar disorder from dementia and depression due to chronic illnesses.
- Comorbidity Management: Address how medical comorbidities influence clinical presentation and treatment.
3. Interactive Case Studies
- Case Study Discussions: Present real-life cases for diagnosis and treatment plan development.
4. Treatment Approaches
- Medication Management: Discuss mood stabilizers and antipsychotics, emphasizing caution and monitoring.
- Non-Pharmacological Approaches: Explore psychotherapy, family support.
5. Role-Playing Exercises
- Scenario-Based Role-Playing: Practice diagnosing and managing bipolar disorder with role-playing exercises.
- Feedback and Discussion: Provide feedback and highlight key learning points.
7. Evaluation and Closing
Pharmacotherapy of Depression (and Beyond): the Art of Prescribing Antidepressants
This interactive, evidence-based course is a “follow-up” of the previous popular course on antipsychotic treatment, organised by the Psychopharmacology Section at several past EPA Congresses. The primary target audience is early career psychiatrists, but it may be also of interest to more experienced prescribers who want to deepen their knowledge and become familiar with the latest developments in the field.
The course is divided into several topics that cover novel nomenclature of antidepressants, (NbN), their pharmacology, clinical efficacy and safety, potential drug-drug interactions, treatment in specific situations (children and adolescents, elderly), evaluation of treatment response, management of non-response.
In addition to the antidepressant drugs, other treatment interventions (herbal remedy, neurostimulation, psychedelics) will be briefly discussed.
Risk Assessment and Risk Management of Violent Patients In General Psychiatry
The course will provide the knowledge and research results about the risk of psychiatric patients of becoming violent and of becoming offenders with violent crimes. It will focus on the indicators of risk for violence and delinquency but also on the indicators of immediate threat and imminent aggression on wards and in outpatient settings.
It will teach on how to develop a structure in the assessment and to come to a professional judgment on the severity and on the imminence of risk. It will also teach on risk formulation and risk communication among staff and outside of the clinicians’ surroundings (relatives, police, courts, caretakers).
It will address risk management, when to intervene and how, the methods of prevention and the long term guidance of risky patients.
Screening and Monitoring of Cognitive Impairments In Psychosis Using the Cognitive Assessment Interview (CAI)
The aim of this interactive course is to train participants through the presentation of didactic material and live demonstration, in conducting a brief, interview-based assessment of cognitive functioning using the Cognitive Assessment Interview (CAI). The CAI was designed for use in routine clinical settings or as a co-primary measure in clinical trials to obtain baseline severity levels of cognitive deficits, determine their impact on daily functioning, and to screen and assess change in cognitive functioning over time.
Course methods and materials will involve small group discussion; power point slides; use of the CAI Manual and CAI Rating Form; video-taped interviews of “actual” patients being assessed with the CAI.
The course content will involve:
- a review cognitive deficits such as problems with working memory, reasoning and problem-solving, and poor attention that are commonly observed in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders;
- a review of the functional impact of cognitive deficits;
- interactive training in the use of the CAI using video-taped interviews and discussion of each participant’s ratings compared to consensus ratings; and
- identification of how the CAI can be used in screening of cognitive functioning, treatment planning, and the ongoing assessment of change in cognition.
Course highlights include an interactive discussion of the course participant’s ratings in comparison with a set of “gold standard” ratings.
Shared Decision-making In Complex Care: Bridging Physical and Mental Health for Better Outcomes
Shared decision-making (SDM) is a collaborative process that empowers patients and healthcare providers to make informed, patient-centered care choices together. However, patients with comorbid medical and mental health conditions face unique challenges, including fragmented care, stigma, and varying treatment priorities.
This interactive course will explore practical strategies for implementing SDM in complex cases, emphasizing communication skills, interdisciplinary collaboration, and evidence-based tools to align treatment plans with patient values and clinical needs.
In addition, participants will be able to learn practical examples of SDM program implementation such as the SELF-HELP+ (SH+) programme developed by WHO and implemented with the International Medical Corps, which focuses on strengthening individual decision-making, stress regulation, and goal setting in people with high emotional burden — often in humanitarian or complex care settings. This experience will complement the SDM approach, especially when working with dual-diagnosis populations or patients with trauma-related barriers to communication.
Throughout the course, the attendees will analyze real case examples and through role-playing, and expert insights, participants will gain the confidence and skills to navigate SDM effectively in dual-diagnosis populations
Format:
Interactive presentations, videos, case-based learning, role-playing and small-group exercises
Useful Open Science Tools for Conducting Research In Psychiatry
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.