SCT: An Innovative Approach to Sustainable Change

Pre-Conference Institute: Saturday & Sunday, June 5 & 6, 2027
Two-Day Experiential Training

Five-Day Conference: Monday – Friday, June 7-11, 2027
Two-Hour Workshops

The deadline for submitting your proposal is September 20, 2026.

We are excited to experiment again with an online conference. We hope this experiment will make it possible for many people for whom the time and expense of traveling to the conference is difficult to attend and participate. We also hope it will invite creativity in the workshops and weekend institutes proposed! 

We are looking for interactive sessions that focus on systems-centered theory and application. Trainings, workshops, and institutes can include:

• SCT theory pertaining to clinical, organizational, pastoral care and educational contexts
• Research relevant to the topic
• Experiential exploration and/or discussion
• Applications in specified contexts

The information requested in your proposal is:

• Required to meet the continuing education standards of the American Psychological Association (APA) and New York State Education Department (NYSED).
• Used in evaluating your proposal and developing the conference program.
• Available on the website to allow participants to select the training sessions that best match their goals.

Your proposal needs to meet the following criteria:

• Relevance in a specified clinical, organizational, or educational context
• Take into consideration conference attendees of all experience levels and professional backgrounds
• Minimal use of SCT jargon

The deadline for submitting your proposal is September 20, 2026. If you have any questions, please contact Brian Conley (USA) or Åsa Bergquist Håål (Sweden).

Note: You can begin a draft of your proposal by entering basic information and you can return to continue working on it. Only completed proposals will be reviewed. Please review the guidelines below carefully.

After submission, the group reviewing your proposal will communicate with you. Please allow time for revisions to your proposal. You can expect to be notified of the final decision regarding your proposal by late November.

SCTRI Norms for All Conference Presentations:

• All presenters are expected to register, pay for, and attend the Conference.
• Workshops and trainings at the SCT Annual Conference will only be recorded for these purposes:
  • supporting the learning of members of that specific training
  • for the benefit of SCTRI-as-a-whole
  • for use in research
  • helping SCT cross the boundary to the wider world such as brief clips that help illustrate elements of the theory
• Participants in any recorded training must give express permission to record prior to the event. Please contact Brian Conley with any questions around recording.
• The final stage of a successful conference event (institute, training, or workshop) is APA's completion of its internal review, followed by your revision to the original event proposal if required to meet APA's standards. Should such revision be necessary, we will contact you and assist you in responding. The results of the APA review may take as long as 2 years.

Guidelines for Submitting Your Proposal:

Please Note: You must be logged in to the SCTRI website to add a new proposal or revise a proposal. If your name appears in the top right of the screen, you are logged in.

If you are an SCTRI member or have attended the SCT Annual Conference recently, you already have a username and password. Click the blue "Login" link in the top right.

If you do not recall your username or password, click the blue "Login" link in the top right & then click the gray "Reset Password" button & follow the prompts.

Questions? Contact Kathy Lum at admin@systemscentered.com.

Submitting a New Proposal:

In an effort to support you in submitting a strong and complete proposal, we have included a checklist to guide you through all the fields in the proposal to meet continuing education standards. Please review the standards checklist here.

Click the “New Proposal” button below to begin. Follow the links throughout the form for guidelines on presenter bios, learning objectives, presentation content, and supporting references.

Cloning Your 2026 Proposal for the 2027 Conference:

You can clone your 2026 proposal and revise it for 2027. Click the "Clone a 2026 Proposal" button below to begin. After you clone your proposal, you can make changes and save it as a draft or submit it as complete. Your proposal(s) will now be displayed at the bottom of the page. Select the “Edit” link next to the proposal to make additional changes.

NOTE: Please review the continuing education standards checklist here and revise your proposal per these standards.

Overview of the Proposal Submission Process:

• We recommend that you complete your proposal in a Word document before starting the online proposal form so that you can copy & paste the information and reduce the chance of being logged out or losing your information.
• You can save a DRAFT of your proposal and SUBMIT it at a later time. You will see a list of any proposals you have submitted or saved at the bottom of this page. Use the "Edit" link to update your workshop details or the "View" link to see a summary. The website will timeout after 1 hour and your draft will not be saved unless you tick the "SAVE AS DRAFT" box at the bottom of the form and press the "SAVE" button. We recommend that you save your work as you go along.
• You will be asked for the following information:
  • Event Type - select Weekend Institute or Conference Event
  • Category - select Institute, Afternoon Workshop, etc
  • Title - a clear and informative title that lets the participant understand what to expect from your workshop
  • Description - a brief description (maximum of 65 words). For institutes and morning training groups, please include any prerequisites. This information will appear on the website.
  • Format - choose in priority order the formats you will use (limit of 3), with 1 being the primary format: didactic, demonstration, experiential, sharing of experience
  • Training Track - choose in priority order (limit of 3), with 1 being the primary track: clinical, organizational, SAVI, clinical pastoral education, research, theory & basics, education, general interest
  • Training Level - open to all levels, foundation, intermediate, intermediate/advanced, advanced
  • Application Form - if required
  • Presenter(s) Information – name, credentials, email, brief biography, CV
  • Learning Objectives – afternoon workshops & drop-in groups – 3 learning objectives; institutes & multi-day training groups - 6 learning objectives
  • Program Content – brief narrative describing how the content of your presentation focuses on the application of psychological assessment and/or intervention methods that have overall consistent and credible empirical support in contemporary peer-reviewed scientific literature and builds upon the foundation of a completed doctoral program in psychology. Your narrative must establish the link between your learning objectives and supporting references.
  • Supporting References – At least 3 relevant references within 10 years of the conference year, published in a book or peer-reviewed journal, and with no more than one reference authored by the presenter(s). Articles from the SCT Newsletter do not meet the criteria. This is not intended as a reading list. Please limit your total references to 5.
• You will be asked to upload current CVs or resumes for all presenters, as well as any required applications, when you submit your proposal, so please have these to hand.
• Please note that all fields are required, and you will only be able to submit your proposal when it is complete.

• When you have completed the form, please click the “Save” button. Your proposal will be displayed in the list at the bottom of the page. If you are unable to submit a proposal, please contact Kathy Lum.