Australia and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy

02/03/2026

A multiplicity of visions for the Conversational Model reveals a rich, evolving landscape at the intersection of theory and praxis. ANZAP’s 2026 Annual Conference Committee invites a
collaborative meditation on the expansion of the Conversational Model in the here and now, and in the future unfolding.
For this year’s conference, the committee welcomes papers that demonstrate creative, cogent, and cutting-edge approaches to the Conversational Model, a dynamic psychotherapy in conversation with contemporary research.

Abstracts (presentations of 45 minutes including question/discussion time) should be up to 300 words. Please email to Anne Malecki at the ANZAP office: [email protected]

25/02/2026

We’re seeking referrals for patients who could benefit from long-term, low-cost psychotherapy through the ANZAP training program. Our trainees are skilled professionals working under supervision, offering affordable, high-quality care. If you know someone who could benefit, please consider referring them to us!

23/02/2026

Erotic transference in psychotherapy is a normal and well-recognised clinical phenomenon, reflecting the activation of deeper longings, unmet needs, and relational patterns within the therapeutic process. When thoughtfully acknowledged and worked through, these feelings can deepen insight and advance therapeutic progress rather than signal pathology or impropriety.

They’re often compassionate good listeners who focus on their clients’ needs – so is it any wonder many patients find themselves with a crush? A writer, who is in exactly this position, talks to people on both sides of the couch

23/02/2026

Dr Allan Schore – Keynote Speaker & Pre-Conference Workshop Presenter.

ANZAP is delighted to announce that Dr Allan Schore will join us as both Pre-Conference Workshop Presenter (Friday, 23 October, 2026) and Keynote Speaker (Saturday, 24 October, 2026).

Dr Schore will be live streaming from Los Angeles, bringing his internationally renowned work in attachment, affect regulation & neuropsychotherapy to our psychotherapy community.

Further details coming soon.

23/02/2026

ANZAP warmly welcomes psychotherapy trainees from across Australia and New Zealand 🇦🇺🇳🇿

Our trainees include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and general practitioners — all united by a shared commitment to deepening their clinical work through the Conversational Model of psychodynamic psychotherapy.

We are proud to foster a rigorous, relational, and reflective training community dedicated to advancing excellence in psychotherapy practice across disciplines.

01/09/2025

New research in Psychotherapy Research highlights what really matters to clients in therapy.

Patients say the most valuable experiences are personal, flexible, and built on a strong therapeutic relationship—with space to explore deeper causes, not just surface symptoms.

They also shared what doesn’t work: approaches that feel generic, manualized, or rushed. A good reminder that effective therapy is about connection, understanding, and depth

Qualitative research highlights the frustration of patients who felt their sessions were scripted, with many calling instead for personalization and stronger therapeutic bonds.

10/08/2025

At the 2025 World Congress for Psychotherapy, the ANZAP president Prof. Anthony Korner reflected on “Dreaming as Big Idea,” highlighting Australia’s unique contribution to psychodynamic psychotherapy. Once reliant on overseas psychoanalytic training, Australia has in recent decades embraced pride in its Indigenous heritage, including the cultural significance of the Dreaming. This shift parallels the development of the Conversational Model, pioneered by Prof Russell Meares, which emphasises the self as a dynamic process, the centrality of feeling, and a forward-looking therapeutic stance. Distinct from traditional psychoanalytic schools, the model is transtheoretical, integrates insights from neuroscience and developmental psychology, and remains open and evolving.

01/08/2025

"What we want is quick, clever fixes. What we need is quite different: the ability to tolerate intolerable feelings, to sustainably change and grow"

What we want is quick, clever fixes. What we need is quite different: the ability to tolerate intolerable feelings, to sustainably change and grow

19/07/2025

"The strong emphasis on neuroscience in the 1990s and early 2000s is now giving way to a new psychiatric pluralism, one that increasingly views psychotherapy as real treatment and psychosocial factors as fundamental to understanding the causes and basic nature of psychopathology."
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The strong emphasis on neuroscience in the 1990s and early 2000s is now giving way to a new psychiatric pluralism, one that increasingly views psychotherapy as real treatment and psychosocial factors as fundamental to understanding the causes and basic nature of psychopathology.