2017 Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference: Anaheim, CA

This week I won’t be in the office, as I will be attending the 2017 “Evolution of Psychotherapy” Conference in Anaheim, California. It didn’t take much to persuade me away to leave 9 inches of snow in Metro Detroit for 5 full days in sunny southern California but the biggest draw is seeing the biggest and most influential names in the field of therapy (psychologists, counselors, psychiatrists, humanitarians, neurologists, social workers) all come together to speak about their recent publications and passions in counseling.

This conference only happens every four years and has been called “The Woodstock of Psychotherapy” as the list of speakers and alumni is truly a Who’s Who of researchers and practitioners… in fact, you may recognize some of their names from appearances on the Discovery channel, Oprah, or your Psych101 textbook. The conference includes attendants from 50 foreign countries and 47 keynote speakers and I feel truly lucky to be attending and networking with such an exceptional faculty.

As a relationship specialist and sex therapist, I will be primarily attending and blogging about the presentations from the masters in couples therapy: John and Julie Gottman, Esther Perel, Sue Johnson, Harville Hendrix and Helen LeKally Hunt, Otto Kernberg, Michele Weiner-Davis (some names that my clients have heard me mention before) and researchers I have been reading about since my undergraduate textbooks at UNC-Chapel Hill. My hope is to include some resources, tips and the most up-to-date findings in relationship therapy. Stay tuned!