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First Khobar Conference On Psychiatry & Mental Health

Contemporary Psychiatry: From Evidence to Better Practice

The Saudi Psychiatric Association (SPA) is pleased to present the First Khobar Conference on Psychiatry & Mental Health, bringing together distinguished psychiatrists, mental health professionals, researchers, and experts for a day of scientific exchange, clinical updates, and professional development.

Under the theme “Contemporary Psychiatry: From Evidence to Better Practice,” the conference aims to bridge the gap between emerging scientific evidence and everyday clinical practice, highlighting contemporary challenges, advances in psychiatric treatment, and practical approaches to improving mental healthcare.

Conference Highlights

  • More than 20 distinguished speakers sharing expertise and clinical insights.

  • Plenary Panel Discussion: Advancing Mental Health Care in Saudi Arabia: Addressing Gaps, Integrating Services, and Empowering Practitioners.

  • Specialized Scientific Tracks covering Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotic Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Psychology & Psychotherapy.

  • Practical Clinical Workshops focusing on assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based therapeutic interventions.

  • In-Person & Online Participation options for the scientific conference.

  • Opportunities for professional networking, knowledge exchange, and continuing medical education.

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

The scientific conference and workshops offer accredited CME hours:

  • Scientific Conference: 8 CME Hours

  • Workshops – Part One: 3 CME Hours

  • Workshops – Part Two: Approved 8 CME Hours

Who Should Attend?

The conference welcomes psychiatrists, psychiatry residents, clinical psychologists, mental health professionals, researchers, and other healthcare practitioners interested in contemporary psychiatric practice.

 

No speakers found

Event Schedule

9:00 am - 9:15 am

OPENING CEREMONY

SPA President Welcome remarks and conference opening

9:15 am - 10:00 am

PLENARY PANEL DISCUSSION: Advancing Mental Health Care in Saudi Arabia: Addressing Gaps, Integrating Services, and Empowering Practitioners.

Dr. Abdulhameed Alhabib

Dr. Abdulhameed Alhabib

Dr. Feras Al-Awad

Dr. Feras Al-Awad

Dr. Yasser Ad-Dab'bagh

Dr. Yasser Ad-Dab'bagh

10:00 am - 10:20 am

Updates in Psychopharmacology for Autism and ADHD: Current Treatments and Emerging Therapies

Dr. Sami Alharthi

Dr. Sami Alharthi

10:20 am - 10:40 am

Prevalence of sleep disorders among university students: Academic impact and association with adverse childhood experiences

Prof. Sulhi Ali Alfakeh

Prof. Sulhi Ali Alfakeh

10:40 am - 11:00 am

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Treatments in the Pipeline

Dr. Ahmad Al-Almai

Dr. Ahmad Al-Almai

11:00 am - 11:20 am

Depressive Disorders in Adolescents

Dr. Ali AlSaad

Dr. Ali AlSaad

11:20 am - 11:30 am

Q & A

11:30 am - 12:30 pm

COFFEE & PRAYER BREAK

Break Time

12:30 pm - 12:50 pm

Schizophrenia in 2026: What and where is the lesion?

Prof. Yasser Abdulrazek

Prof. Yasser Abdulrazek

12:50 pm - 1:10 pm

Beyond Positive Symptoms: New Frontiers in Treating Negative and Cognitive Symptoms of Schizophrenia

Dr. Sherif Saad

Dr. Sherif Saad

1:10 pm - 1:30 pm

Twice Yearly dosing: A new Era In Schizophrenia Management

Dr. Majed Alharbi

Dr. Majed Alharbi

1:30 pm - 1:40 pm

Q & A

Q & A: Psychotic Disorders Track

1:40 pm - 2:00 pm

Beyond Mood: Impulsivity, Reward & Risk Across Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, and Substance Use Disorders

Dr. Rafat Alowesie

Dr. Rafat Alowesie

2:00 pm - 2:20 pm

Bipolar Spectrum: From Diagnosis to Clinical Complexity

Dr. Nasser Alzain

Dr. Nasser Alzain

2:20 pm - 2:40 pm

Pharmacological Management of Bipolar Disorder: Evidence-Based Approaches

Dr. Ali Garatli

Dr. Ali Garatli

2:40 pm - 3:00 pm

Evidence based pharmacotherapy for comorbid bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder

Dr. Ahmad Abdelkarim

Dr. Ahmad Abdelkarim

3:00 pm - 3:15 pm

Q & A

Q & A: Mood disorders track

3:15 pm - 3:45 pm

COFFEE & PRAYER BREAK

4:00 pm - 4:30 pm

The Emotional Schema Model In Psychotherapy

Dr. Osama Aljama

Dr. Osama Aljama

4:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Dissociative symptoms or ADHD? Navigating Symptom Overlap in Clinical Assessment

Dr. Norah Aldawsari

Dr. Norah Aldawsari

5:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Diagnostic dilemmas in classifying personality disorders

Dr. Mahmood Rashad

Dr. Mahmood Rashad

5:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Q & A

6:00 pm - 6:15 pm

CLOSING CEREMONY

Closing remarks and acknowledgements

Dr. Feras Al-Awad

Dr. Feras Al-Awad

10:00 am - 11:30 am

الوظائف التنفيذية وتنظيم الانفعالات: تحويل المهارات المعرفية إلى تدخلات علاجية إكلينيكية

Executive functions and emotions regulation: Turning cognitive skills into clinical interventions. 1. Explain the relationship between executive functioning and emotion regulation. 2. Identify executive-function difficulties that commonly present alongside emotional dysregulation, including: - inhibitory control - cognitive flexibility - working memory - planning and organization - attentional control - decision-making 3. Differentiate between an emotional regulation problem and an underlying executive-function difficulty that may interfere with regulation. 4. Assess executive-function vulnerabilities that contribute to impulsive or emotionally driven responses. 5. Apply practical executive-function training strategies to improve the ability to pause, shift, plan, problem-solve, and choose a response. 6. Integrate executive-function strategies with established approaches such as CBT, DBT, ACT, or trauma-informed interventions. 7. Practice translating executive-function exercises into real-world situations involving anger, interpersonal conflict, rejection, frustration, or emotional overwhelm.

Dr. Norah Aldawsari

Dr. Norah Aldawsari

11:30 am - 1:00 pm

الضغوط النفسية واضطرابات التكيّف: التقييم والتشخيص

Stress and adjustment disorder: Assessment and diagnosis. -التعريف بمفاهيم الاختبار والتقييم والتشخيص. -التعريف باضطراب التكيف عبر نظم التشخيص. -التعريف بتقييم اضطراب التكيف والإجهاد: الاختبارات والمقابلات. - تقديم أدوات التقييم القديمة والحديثة. - ⁠التعريف بخصائصها خصائصها القياسـ نفسية. - ⁠التعريف بكيفية استخدامها وحدود الاستفادة منها.

Dr. Saeed Alzahrani

Dr. Saeed Alzahrani

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

التدريب على مهارات العلاج السلوكي الجدلي (DBT): النشرات التعليمية وأوراق العمل التطبيقية

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills Training: Handouts and Worksheets. ١- فهم الإطار النظري للعلاج الجدلي السلوكي. ٢- تحليل السلوكيات المضطربة وفق نموذج العلاج الجدلي السلوكي. ٣- إعداد الصياغة الجدلية للحالة العلاجية. ٤- تحديد الأهداف العلاجية وترتيب أولوياتها. ٥- بناء الجلسات العلاجية وإدارتها وفق مبادئ العلاج الجدلي السلوكي.

Dr. Sami Al-Arjan

Dr. Sami Al-Arjan

2:30 pm - 4:00 pm

العلاج المعرفي السلوكي لإضطراب القلق الاجتماعي

CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder. ١- التعرف على الخصائص السريرية والمعايير التشخيصية لاضطراب القلق الاجتماعي. ٢- استعراض الأدلة العلمية على فعالية العلاج المعرفي السلوكي. ٣- شرح النموذج المعرفي السلوكي والعوامل التي تسهم في استمرار الاضطراب. ٤- ممارسة الفنيات المعرفية والسلوكية الأساسية، بما فيها التعرض والتجارب السلوكية.

Dr. Mishaal Alaqeel

Dr. Mishaal Alaqeel

Prof. Ahmed Alhadi

Prof. Ahmed Alhadi

Tickets

From ر.س155
9:00 am -7:00 pm (Asia/Riyadh)
November 14, 2026 -November 14, 2026

Venue Info

Grand Hyatt Hotel - AlKhobar, Saudi Arabia
November 14, 2026 - November 14, 2026
9:00 am - 7:00 pm

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Tickets

From ر.س155

Event Attendee

Maram Almathami

Maram Almathami

Hadeel salem

Hadeel salem

Nawaf Aljahdali

Nawaf Aljahdali

Saudi Psychiatric Association Team

events@spa.org.sa

Frequently Asked Questions

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Log in to your account at ***events.spa.org.sa*** or create a new account if you are a first-time user. Select your preferred ticket type and quantity, then proceed to complete the attendee registration form and checkout process.

Do I need to be an SPA member to register?

No. SPA educational events are generally open to both members and non-members. However, discounted SPA Member tickets are reserved for eligible members of the Saudi Psychiatric Association. Membership eligibility may be verified before registration approval.

Do SPA members receive discounts on event tickets?

Yes. Members of the Saudi Psychiatric Association (SPA) are eligible for discounted registration fees on selected educational activities, including conferences, symposia, webinars, and workshops. Not an SPA member yet? You can apply for membership through our official website ***https://spa.org.sa/join***. Once your membership is approved and active, select the “SPA Member” ticket when registering for an event to benefit from the discounted rate.

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Payment is currently accepted through bank transfer. During checkout, transfer the registration fee to the following account and upload your bank transfer receipt in the designated field.–Account Name: ***Saudi Psychiatric Association***– Bank: Al Rajhi Bank–IBAN: ***SA7380000301608010126668*** Your registration will be confirmed once the SPA team verifies your payment.

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Once the SPA team verifies your payment and approves your registration, your order status will change to Completed. You will receive a confirmation email indicating that your event booking is complete, along with your ticket details.

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Once your registration is approved, you can download your ticket using the link provided in your confirmation email. For in-person events, please present your ticket or QR code at the registration desk. Keep your ticket for future reference.

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You can view your order history and check your payment status by logging in to: ***https://events.spa.org.sa/my-account*** On Hold: Awaiting payment verification. Completed: Payment approved and registration confirmed. Cancelled / Failed: Order not completed; please contact support if you believe this is an error.

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Yes. Participants who fulfill the applicable attendance and verification requirements will receive a certificate following the event. For CME-accredited activities, CME credits are subject to the relevant accreditation and eligibility requirements. Certificate distribution details will be communicated to participants.

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For assistance with registration, payments, tickets, or event access, please contact: SPA Events Support >> Email: ***events@spa.org.sa*** Please include your full name, registered email address, and order number to help us assist you efficiently.