Welcome to Norfolk!

Dear Friends,

Our world is full of words – some data, lots of opinions, many pleadings, questions, and more. My word to you here is WELCOME. I like this word. It suggests to me the truth of our existence, that we are welcome on this planet and in our very being. None of us needs to find reasons for our existence, although some of us try to do so. For the 45th Annual Meeting of AAPC, we are all welcome – to gather, to grow, to make new discoveries about our practice and ourselves in it, to enjoy Norfolk and one another.

As we gather in the hope of “Expanding Visions” for our practice and our lives, we will focus on theological and spiritual perspectives found in our practice. I anticipate that this focus will be a welcome respite from the thousands of words aloft in this season of presidential debates/primaries and also a painful war. Those public aspects of our lives challenge the lives of clients and influence our own. How we address the questions implicit in our practice may be a resource for how we also address our public lives.

Plenary presenters approach from different angles. Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D., discusses issues of practice from internal family systems theory. As the pioneer who has articulated and developed this therapy, Dr. Schwartz will focus on ways that the internal family system of persons contributes to and detracts from health and wholeness in living. Rev. Carrie Doehring, Ph.D., will explore the kinds of questions our clients are asking, how those questions are framed, and the belief systems implicit in those questions. Have our real beliefs matured in ways that account for the diversity of our world? How does our theology support effective engagement with clients? Our keynote presenters have worked with persons in diverse spiritual and theological communities. They bring a depth of experience to this conversation.

Ken Nafziger, D.M.A., is our conference chaplain. Dr. Nafziger is well known in North America and Europe for his splendid choral work as a conductor and teacher. He has given wonderful leadership to the Atlantic Region gatherings. Primary Process, the improvisational jazz group of AAPC members, will once again provide music interludes throughout the meeting. Norfolk is a welcoming port city with lively cultural, arts, and waterfront activities. It is near other destinations of interest, such as historic Williamsburg and Washington, D.C. for those able to extend their travel time.

Workshops, before and during the conference, and the working groups invite you to explore several theological and spiritual dimensions of practice. I think it will be difficult to leave this conference without an expansion of our vision! My hope is that as our vision expands, so do our hearts become more open and at peace. To experience this kind of deep refreshment is indeed to experience being welcome!

Ruth Ann Clark

AAPC Program Planning Chair

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Conference Sponsors

American Professional Agency
AAPC Atlantic Region
Others to be acknowledged at the Annual Conference

Program Planning Committee

Ruth Ann Clark, Chair
Alice Graham
Jeffrey Hamilton
Bill Hedrick
Dale Kuhn, AAPC President
Rod Landes
Gayle Madison
Joretta Marshall, AAPC Vice President
Marjorie Smith
Loren Townsend, Continuing Education Consultant
Douglas Ronsheim, Sharon Sheflett, and the AAPC Staff

Local Arrangements Committee

Bill Hedrick, Chair
Russell Davis
David Girardin
Doug Thorpe
Staff of Tidewater Pastoral Counseling Service