Greetings once again from the IAGP Sapporo Conference Scientific Team.We are developing a program for the conference to positively impact the global challenges we face. We’d like to introduce ourselves so you can get to know us better. We are experienced group scholars but newbies in this challenging endeavour: so we welcome everyone in our community, members or not, to contribute ideas and support! This is an opportunity for seasoned practitioners and presenters to share their latest work, for young and junior professionals to get involved in making the world a better place, and for those on the fringe to move from being observers to active participants.

A conference is an opportunity to discuss, share questions, and propose solutions to common and specific issues of interest. The conference topic affects us all and future generations. So, let’s think together about how we can all contribute by sharing our ideas, starting before the congress, inviting colleagues, attending, and enjoying camaraderie with our peers.

Visit the 22nd IAGP International Congress website IAGP-2025 iagpsapporo2025.com and check  some essential information, such as welcome messages from the IAGP president, the SPC co-chairs, and the LOC chair, that already begin to transport us into the atmosphere of the event.

Start preparing now for how you’d like to contribute to the conference program; the call for papers will come soon. Stay tuned. You may also want to contact colleagues or students to think about co-presenting. Conferences are a good opportunity for newcomers to learn the ropes of presenting with their trainers and develop their roles as presenters.

Don’t forget to share this conference with your colleagues and add it to your social media.
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This time, we are sharing a brief bio of the Conference Co-Chairs.
The next newsletter will include more information about the conference committee. 

KAORU NISHIMURA, Japan
He’s a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan.
His interest is psychodynamic and mentalization-based groups, especially for children, young people and their families.
He is also a former board member of IAGP, former editor-in-chief of IAGP FORUM, and editorial committee member.
He has long been on the board of the Japanese Association for Group Psychotherapy and works for the editorial committee as editor-in-chief.

DR. ROBERTA MINEO, Italy
Dr. Mineo is a tenured academic and a leadership advisor. She teaches clinical psychology and group processes and runs groups in educational settings with 100+ participants. She believes raising the right questions is often more enlightening than finding comforting truths.
As the new co-Editor in chief of the IAGP scientific journal, she’s open to contributions from IAGP members and beyond to publish and nurture the groups’ learning community.

If you have visions or tips to offer, please email Kaoru: [email protected]
or Roberta: [email protected]