6th Annual Mid-Year Conference on Religion and Spirituality Conference: Feb. 29 and March 1, 2008
Pre-Conference: Feb. 28, 2008 The 6th Annual Mid-Year Conference on Religion and Spirituality was held on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 29 and March 1, 2008, at the Loyola Columbia Graduate Center in Columbia, MD. The Pre-Conference seminars were held on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008. The Conference represents a joint partnership between Division 36 (Psychology of Religion) of the American Psychological Association. The goal of this partnership is to leverage resources in an effort to stimulate research in the area of psychology and religion/spirituality. The Conference provides a supportive academic forum where professionals discuss the latest research findings and scientific advances in the field. A quick look at the program guide shows a very diverse range of interests being represented by scholars at all levels, from graduate students to leading figures in the field. There is no other professional conference with a major purpose of promoting research in religion and spirituality. The Department of Pastoral Counseling has been sponsoring this research event since it began 14 years ago as a small roundtable discussion on religious research. The first “Conference” was attended by about 15 graduate students, faculty, and invited researchers. Over the next several years the conference grew to a half-day event that included several invited speakers and more than 100 attendees. The Conference is now two full days preceded by a one day pre-conference.
This year the Conference and pre-conference seminars drew over 250 registrants from across the country and internationally. Attendees came from Iceland, Mexico, Canada, The Netherlands, Africa and Belgium and at least 13 states were represented. For more information contact Brenda Helsing, bhelsing@loyola.edu. For more information contact Brenda Helsing, bhelsing@loyola.edu. | 
