Our proximity to pain and suffering, however skillfully held, can draw us into its depths. In order to take care of ourselves, it is imperative that we draw from the restorative and regenerative benefits of connection, one of the most potent forces in health and healing. This conference is not only for the people we serve, but for ourselves too.

The theme for the SEPI 2026 conference, Connection Within, Between and Beyond recognizes the significant role that connection plays in the process of psychotherapy and other therapeutic modalities. We invite presenters to demonstrate how their work can be applied to both patients and practitioners. Jeffrey Kottler and Jon Carlson’s book, The Client Who Changed Me (2005) illustrates the significant and often life changing ways in which therapists have been changed by their clients. This conference expands on their work and others by exploring the necessity of connection beyond the therapeutic relationship too. We welcome presentations that touch on the significant impact our work can have on us when we are also exposed to the reality of complex trauma, secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, survivor’s guilt, prolonged grief, moral injury, etc.

The conference committee seeks to encourage submissions featuring many types of collaborative partnerships: 

•       Connection across generations, communities, cultures and countries: We welcome submissions that highlight cultural factors and feature presenters from different generations, communities, cultures and countries.

•       Connection across practitioners, academics and researchers: We welcome submissions that feature and encourage active collaboration and provide opportunities for members from all areas of our field to learn from one another

•       Connection across disciplines: We welcome submissions and presenters from disciplines beyond psychotherapy

•       Connection across theoretical orientations and treatment modalities: We welcome submissions that focus on the integration of theory and practice from different orientations and modalities.

•       Connection across individual, dyadic and group modalities: We welcome submissions for our work with individuals, couples and groups.

 

PROGRAM FORMAT

We encourage the participation of practitioners and scholars from all psychotherapy traditions and disciplines to attend our 2026 conference. The program will consist of pre-conference workshops, panels, structured discussions, mini-workshops, individual papers, and posters. There also will be plenary panels and the SEPI president’s address.

We wish to underscore that: 

•       SEPI is particularly devoted to facilitating dialogue among participants. As such, all presentations should allocate ample time for audience participation and discussion. 

•       We encourage the use of videotaped sessions, verbatim transcriptions, demonstrations, case presentations, or other methods that ground the dialogue, clarify practical considerations, and demonstrate clinical application. Please be sure to secure client’s informed consent for the ethical use of session material.

 

TYPES OF PRESENTATIONS

PANELS/SYMPOSIA (75 minutes)

A panel/symposium is a formal presentation that ideally includes 3 presenters and 1 discussant, leaving time for audience participation. Each panel must have a moderator who will introduce the presenters and topics, monitor time allotments, and guide audience participation.

STRUCTURED DISCUSSIONS (75 minutes)

Please note that the moderator of a discussion group is responsible for confirming at least two other individuals’ participation and for organizing all aspects of the presentation. Film, videotape, music, artwork, or other forms of media can also be used to stimulate discussion.

MINI-WORKSHOPS (75 minutes)

Mini-workshops are designed primarily for practitioner audiences and focus on skill development or experiential involvement. Preference will be given to workshops that include multiple presenters. A workshop “summary sheet” (overview of the topic) and handouts (if applicable) should be available to participants. Only a limited number of mini-workshops will be possible during the conference. Due to the short nature of these workshops, a pointed focus is desirable. 

POSTERS

Posters are graphic representations of the results of studies or tools to help in decision-making. Interested attendees have one-on-one discussions with the presenter whose work is displayed. Poster dimensions should approximate 91 x 122 cm (or 36 x 48 inches). Many attendees appreciate receiving a handout that summarizes a poster’s findings. 

INDIVIDUAL PAPERS (15 Minutes)

This category includes research, theoretical, and clinical papers that are not part of a panel/symposium.  The program committee will form accepted papers into panels.  However, we strongly recommend that instead of submitting individual papers, you try to create a panel yourself by seeking out other people doing similar work and recruiting a discussant.  The likelihood of acceptance is higher for panels than for individual papers.  For this purpose, you are encouraged to use the SEPI listserv or Facebook.  

LIMITS ON FIRST AUTHORSHIPS

There is a limit of two first-author presentations at the conference; however, there is no limit on other forms of participation, such as discussant, moderator, or second authorship. All presenters will be subject to the usual registration fee for the conference. 

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS

The submission deadline is January 15, 2026. Submit online through the SEPI Conference submission portal at   https://sepi.mymeetingsavvy.net The program committee will send notices of acceptance by February 15, 2026

Please note that if you are submitting a panel, structured discussion, or workshop, you must provide two learning objectives and upload the CVs of all presenters as part of your submission.  Guidance for writing learning objectives is available on the SEPI website  We encourage submitters of panels, structured discussions, and workshops to obtain your co-presenters’ CVs prior to logging into the submission portal.  These materials are required in order to facilitate making conference submissions eligible for continuing education credit, which is a great service to many SEPI members. 

Continuing education for psychologists will be offered through the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (Division 29 of the American Psychological Association/APA).  The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy is approved by the APA to offer continuing education for psychologists, but the Society maintains responsibility for the program.

CONFERENCE LANGUAGE

Please note that presentations must be given in English.  Please rest assured that perfect English is NOT a requirement; however, presentations must be understandable to English speakers. 

REVIEW CRITERIA

All submissions are rated for rigor (scientific, clinical or theoretical), scope of coverage, relevance to psychotherapy integration, and consistency with the meeting theme. Mini-workshops are additionally rated for presenter qualifications and usefulness of the training objectives. Proposals must be sufficiently detailed to allow evaluation of these criteria.

TRAVEL AWARDS

Student travel stipends

Six student stipends not to exceed $500 each are available to defray costs for students who are presenting at the conference.  To qualify for a stipend, students must be the first author and presenter of a paper or poster and must be SEPI members.  The submission portal provides an opportunity for students to indicate that they are interested in being considered for a travel stipend.

Paul L. Wachtel Travel Grants

Up to two travel grants not to exceed $1000 each are available to support travel to the conference by SEPI members and SEPI fellows.  Please note that SEPI student members are not eligible for these grants.  To apply, please go to the awards section of the SEPI website: https://www.sepiweb.org/page/wachtel_award.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Accommodations

We are pleased to announce that accommodations in both dorm rooms and apartments are available on the campus of Pepperdine for a small fee.  More information will be forthcoming. 

 

We hope to see you in Malibu, California

PROGRAM COMMITTEE
Kristin Osborn, Chair Jeffrey Magnavita Jeffery Smith	kristinarosborn@gmail.com

 

For conference specific questions/requests, please contact us at: sepimembership@gmail.com