2021 AMCAP Convention

When: Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2021

Where: Joseph Smith Memorial Building, Salt Lake City, UT 

Pre-registration prices will go until Sept. 15th, 2021. After that prices will increase $20. We will not accept any online registration after Sept. 23rd. We will accept walk-in registration the day of the event *only* if space is available. These tickets will incur an additional $40 charge. There will not be any accommodations for Dietary Restrictions for same day registrants, so register early!

The First presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints counsels us to get vaccinated and wear masks in public meetings with limited distancing. For the safety of all, we request participants wear masks regardless of vaccination status. Masks and hand sanitizer will be available at the registration table and in each breakout room. We thank you for your cooperation in this important matter.

Convention Highlights:

We are so excited to be able to meet again in-person this year! The 2021 AMCAP Convention theme is “Connecting Through Emotional Healing”. We hope you will plan to join us at the gorgeous Joseph Smith Memorial Building for inspiring and educational presentations.

The Convention will be held Thursday, Sept. 30th from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm and Friday, October 1st  from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. 

We anticipate 12.5 APA/NASW Continuing Education hours available during our two day convention.

For those who have attended our conference before, this year will be a little different.  On Thursday we will have an all-day workshop titled “Using Emotion to Foster Eternal Bonds” (6.5 CEU’s) .   We are pleased to have Rebecca Jorgensen, Ph.D and Scott Woolley Ph.D as our presenters for this incredible workshop.  

The Session on Suicide Prevention will be held Thursday evening 6:30-8:30 PM.  We are pleased to have Melissa Taylor, MS, LMFT, CEDS-S as our presenter for that session. “Melissa completed the AMSR (Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk: Core Competencies for Behavioral Health Professionals in Acute Services) training conducted by the Education Development Center in conjunction with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the ZERO Suicide in Health and Behavioral Health Care Institute, and Universal Health Services. She teaches all nurses, medical personal, and clinicians at Center for Change how to assess for suicide risk according to the AMSR research and approach.”

Special Musical Guest:  On Thursday morning we are so delighted to welcome Grammy Nominated musician, world-renowned and highly acclaimed recording artist and concert violinist— Jenny Oaks Baker.  She will favor us with a few musical numbers to start the conference.  

Keynote Speakers

Bruce C. and Marie Hafen will give our keynote address on Friday morning titled “Faith is Not Blind” . 

   Elder Hafen received a bachelor’s degree from BYU and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Utah.   After practicing law in Salt Lake City, he went to BYU in 1971 as a member of the original faculty of BYU’s new Law School.  He taught and published research on family law and constitutional law.     He served as the President of BYU-Idaho from 1978 to 1985.   Then he was Dean of the BYU Law School and later served as the Provost—the second in command–at BYU.  He was called as a full-time General Authority in 1996, serving in area presidencies in Australia, North America, and Europe.  He also served at Church headquarters as an adviser to the Priesthood Department, the general auxiliary presidencies, Church History, and the Temple Department.  He became an Emeritus General Authority in 2010 then served as president of the St. George Temple. More recently he served as Chairman of the Utah LDS Corrections Committee, overseeing the Church branches in Utah’s state prisons and county jails.  He is the author of several books on gospel topics, including the biography of Elder Neal A. Maxwell, and books on marriage, the temple, and the Atonement—including The Broken Heart and Covenant Hearts.

 Marie K. Hafen is a homemaker and teacher.  She has a Master’s Degree in English from BYU and has taught Shakespeare, freshman writing, and Book of Mormon at BYU-Idaho, the University of Utah, and BYU.  She was also on the Young Women General Board, the Board of Directors of the Deseret News, and was matron of the St. George Temple.  She has edited and co-authored books with her husband, including The Contrite Spirit and, most recently, Faith Is Not Blind

Terryl Givens, currently the Neal A. Maxwell Senior Research Fellow at the BYU Maxwell Institute in Provo, will end our convention with his plenary address titled ” Traditions of the Fathers: Language, Identity and Narrative. 

A New York native, Terryl Givens did his graduate work in intellectual history (Cornell) and comparative literature (UNC Chapel Hill). He is professor emeritus of religion and literature at the University of Richmond, where he held an endowed chair. An award-winning author, Givens’s work has been called “provocative reading” by The New York Times and includes among some twenty titles, a two-volume history of Mormon thought: Wresting the Angel, and Feeding the Flock, as well three books authored with his wife Fiona: The God Who WeepsThe Christ Who Heals, and The Crucible of Doubt. Professor Givens has also been a commentator on CNN, NPR, and in the PBS/Frontline documentary, The Mormons.