SESSION FORMAT

Wellness Activities are designed to provide participants with tools for relaxation, personal enrichment, and promotion of resilience, as well as experiential learning opportunities in methods proven to be beneficial for patient well-being. In addition to programs in yoga, mindfulness meditation, and various outdoor recreational activities, the Program Committee is interested in including a limited number of additional opportunities for meeting participants to explore and experience innovative and/or important approaches to wellness.

Wellness activities are not eligible for CME credit. If you think your submission would be eligible for CME credit, please submit it as an Other Program.

GUIDELINES

A Wellness Activity has flexible guidelines and can accommodate any number of programs in order to be considered by the Program Committee for the 2026 Annual Meeting program:

• Be designed around a larger topic or skill set pertinent to physician wellness.
• Can be a mix of didactic lectures, discussion, and hands-on learning exercises.
• The Review Abstract must provide details describing the activity and precisely outline how time for the activity will be organized, INCLUDING any pertinent background or evidence base for the utility of the activity.
• Some examples of programs that have proven successful at past meetings include therapeutic drawing, poetry writing, paper cutting, and music therapy.

STANDARD ROOM SETUP AND AV

A Wellness Activity will be in a room with seating at tables in a u-shape or hollow square, but room setup can be flexible depending on the session. AV requests will be considered but cannot be guaranteed. Wellness Activities hosted outside of the meeting venue(s) will also be considered.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Each submission for a Wellness Activity should include the following items:

• Submission Title (no more than 20 words)
• Chair(s) affiliation and email address(es)
• At least two (2) educational learning objectives
• Requested length of session (1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours)
• Requested Room Set (hollow square or other special setup)
• Review Abstract that includes the program’s objectives, the approach to guiding participants, and proposed schedule.
  • If you anticipate capacity limit for this session, it MUST be addressed in your review abstract.
• Names, organizations, contact information, email addresses, and disclosures for all co-presenters

NOTE: Wellness Activities do not require a Proceedings Abstract.

CONTENT ADDRESSING ETHICAL AND INCLUSIVE CLINICAL EDUCATION

AACAP is deeply committed to advancing mental health access and quality care across populations. We support training and practice approaches that help clinicians provide effective, person-centered, and contextually informed care for individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences.

We strongly encourage presenters to consider including content that examines variations in prevalence, diagnosis, or treatment across varied cultures, groups, and communities — or to explore other meaningful ways to integrate principles that promote inclusion and ethical care into their presentations. This may include inviting presenters with a range of perspectives, incorporating insights from individuals with personal or community experience, or drawing from the setting of Atlanta to enrich the session content in ways that reflect AACAP’s mission.

If such information is limited or not included in a presenter’s work, we ask that speakers acknowledge these gaps and highlight the need for continued efforts to better meet the needs of diverse communities in research and practice.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Wellness activities are free and open to all meeting attendees as space permits. Programs can be 1-2 hours long.

The Chair and/or presenter of an accepted Wellness activity may claim up to $75 for reimbursement following the meeting for the cost of providing all of the necessary materials for this activity (receipts must be provided and approved after the meeting). It is the presenter’s responsibility to bring and set up these materials onsite for the session.

BEGIN YOUR SUBMISSION

AACAP will accept Wellness Activities based on space availability and efficacy of the proposal. All Wellness Activities must submit a complete proposal each year to be considered for the program at the Annual Meeting. To submit a Wellness Activity for consideration, select “Begin a Submission” at the top or bottom right-hand side of this page.

Questions regarding Wellness Activities can be directed to can be directed to meetings@aacap.org.