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Brian Schmaus, PhD, has been to many conferences related to his field, but going to the ADAA conference has been a bright spot ever since he first attended in 2008 in Savannah. At the time he was still a graduate student at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Illinois. “I saw right away: This organization is for me,” says Brian, now a licensed psychologist at the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago.
The director of his clinical practicum had recommended ADAA, and Brian wasn’t sure what to expect. He had been to a much larger conference and one that was heavily research-oriented. “I immediately liked the composition and size of ADAA,” Brian says. “I get to see a lot of people in my field — my colleagues and also some leaders in the field I may not have access to at other conferences.”
Most of the ADAA symposia and workshops have 20 to 50 people in the room, creating a friendly ask-anything dynamic. “It’s so much easier to interact in that kind of setting,” he says. Many of Brian’s key takeaways come from that kind of interaction. The way the conference reaches across the disorders and pulls together different disciplines and people is also key. “ADAA has a great balance in terms of size and talking about research and clinical work.”
Brian is in an enviable position because several of his colleagues from the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago also attend and present sessions. “That’s something we aspire to. I don’t think other clinics do that,” he says. Having several staff attend builds camaraderie. It also makes them better practitioners because it gives them a chance to talk after the conference and really figure out how to apply new techniques and research to their daily challenges. This year Brian is giving a presentation with three of his colleagues. “ADAA helps me be a better psychologist, and in turn I’m better able to help my clients overcome their fears.”
For him, the conference has become the place to network with colleagues. “I never know who I’ll meet,” Brian says. They could be graduate school peers or people he met last year, or a whole new set of friends who bring new ideas and topics of conversation.
Brian appreciates so much about the ADAA conference. “It’s allowed me to see the country and visit places I never would have gone,” he jokes. But more than nice scenery, the professionalism, balance of research and practice, and atmosphere have kept him coming back every year since 2008. “I enjoy everything about ADAA. If I could belong to only one organization or go to one conference, it would be ADAA.” Will you be there?
