An annual conference of practitioners and scholars sharing knowledge and research about current issues in clinical practice.

July 31, 2026, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
In-Person
Smith College Campus Center
100 Elm Street, Northampton, MA 01060
Lunch provided.
Participants may earn up to 5.5 CEs.

The 2026 Deepening Clinical Practice Conference will gather clinical practitioners to explore leading-edge modalities in mental health and social work practice. Drawing on a range of modalities from psychodynamic to somatic approaches, the event will highlight the diverse clinical practices being used to engage with and support a wide range of populations. 

Attendees will gain insights into how emerging theories and established practices can be integrated to provide holistic care that addresses both individual and systemic challenges.

Key areas of focus include: 

Trauma, Survival, and Psychophysiology: Exploring trauma through neurobiological, psychodynamic, and somatic lenses, with attention to adaptive survival responses, relational recovery, and healing across the lifespan.

Antiracist and Culturally Responsive Practice: Advancing culturally attuned, antiracist clinical frameworks that address systemic inequities, sociopolitical dynamics, and the lived experiences of marginalized communities.

Expanding Psychodynamic and Long-Term Care: Reclaiming and deepening access to long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, including specialized approaches for adopted persons and neurodivergent individuals.

Social Context, Power, and Structural Realities: Examining how race, class, wealth, identity, and political forces shape clinical practice and therapeutic relationships.

Integrated and Accessible Interventions: Promoting interdisciplinary, evidence-informed approaches that expand access to care, including work with eating disorders, peer workforce support, and somatic-narrative integration.

Through 1.5-hour breakout sessions, the conference will offer participants the opportunity to deepen their understanding of how clinical modalities can be applied to support healing and resilience across a variety of populations.

This event promises to be an enriching platform for professionals aiming to advance their expertise and contribute to the evolving landscape of mental health and social work practice.