February 26 to March 2, 2024

Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland

AGPA Connect 2024

Call for Proposals

Submit Your Proposal

Dear Group Colleagues:


How wonderful it was to be back in person for AGPA Connect 2023! We hope you are still enjoying the warmth of connection and the inspiration of excellent group training. We are fortunate to be a part of such a rich and vibrant community whether in-person or in the virtual community format where we all get to be learners and teachers.   

 

It is now time to begin the planning for AGPA Connect 2024. The meeting will be held from February 26 to March 2, 2024 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, a stone’s throw from Washington, DC. Once again, we will offer some programs virtually for those of us who prefer this format. The theme for the meeting is, “Turbulent Times: Using Groups to Overcome Divisions and Foster Engagement.”

 

If you will be with us in-person, imagine being in the backyard of our Nation’s Capital with your colleagues at AGPA. At this unique waterfront getaway, you can enjoy shopping and dining and capture Instagram-worthy views from atop the Capital Wheel. You will be a short ride from the heart of Washington, DC with its many monuments, museums, entertainment, and restaurants. History buffs can immerse themselves between meetings in the historical ambiance of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Whatever your likings, our site for Connect has something to offer everyone.   

 

As you know, AGPA Connect is about connection. We gather and engage closely with people from all over the world in our conference events, in the hallways of the hotel, in coffee shops, the hotel bar, and at social events. Our training events are world-class and have a focus on interaction that encompasses conversations about research, theory, and the latest in clinical application. Professional and personal friendships develop at Connect that last a lifetime.

 

We offer our attendees a wide array of learning opportunities that include formal presentations and lectures, experiential learning and demonstration groups, courses, and plenary presentations. We are open to multiple theoretical perspectives and embrace recent research findings. Our attendees come from diverse disciplines and backgrounds and serve a variety of populations within a wide range of settings. 

 

Some of the questions we address at Connect and in keeping with our theme are:

  • How are groups able to overcome our national and international divisions?
  • How do groups foster engagement and how do the connections make a difference?
  • There is a wide spectrum of challenges that we face: how can group address these?
  • If group is about relationships and connection, then how do we deepen people’s experience of each other in a world that seems increasingly disconnected, disembodied, and polarized?
  • How can group more effectively respond to people’s complex identities?
  • What is the research that supports the idea of group having the power to make a difference and bring about change?
  • What are the future directions in research that will help us meet the challenges before us?
  • How do the creative arts enrich our relational experience?
  • What have we learned from the latest findings in neuroscience and how do we apply them to groups?
  • What did we learn from the pandemic and other disasters and what is the role of group in helping people and communities work through these crises? 

 

These questions are just a few of the ones that can be addressed in the submission of proposals that are relevant to the theme: “Turbulent Times: Using Groups to Overcome Divisions and Foster Engagement.”

 

We welcome all proposals that might focus on research findings, or theoretical approaches, or techniques and interventions geared to specific populations, or models of group therapy. And be creative! We are here to expand our knowledge-base and our interactive experiences. We encourage you to be bold. 

 

Additionally, diversity issues are integral to all the work we do as group psychotherapists. A culturally responsive approach to group therapy respects peoples’ complex identities. In your proposal, it is mandatory that you explain how you will address and incorporate issues related to diversity (e.g., differing ages, races, sexual orientations, religions, gender identities, cultures, body size, abilities, or socio-economic realities), social justice, and/or anti-oppressive practices.

 

We ask that you consider sharing your professional expertise with your group therapy community of teacher/learners. For it is with such generosity of spirit that our AGPA family thrives. The quality of the meeting is dependent on your expertise and creativity. Your willingness to propose an old topic with a new angle or a fresh idea that fits with changes in our industry is crucial to the success and impact of Connect. So, think outside the box. We are excited to hear your ideas!

 

Program Proposals Submissions are due by June 19, 2023. The online submission form is located on our website at: AGPA Connect 2024 Call for Abstracts


We look forward to receiving your in-person and virtual program proposals as we plan and prepare for an outstanding Connect 2024!  

 

 

Sincerely, 

 

D. Thomas Stone, Jr., PhD, ABPP, CGP, AGPA-F 

Ginger Sullivan, MA., LPC, CGP, AGPA-F 

Co-Chairs, AGPA Connect 


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