PSLC 2027 Call for Session Proposals

All proposals are due by 5 p.m. ET, Friday, October 2, 2026.

Plenary/general session (60 minutes, includes 15 minutes Q&A)

A plenary/general session brings all conference participants together for a shared learning experience focused on a topic of broad interest and relevance. These sessions are designed to provide key insights, spark discussion, and set the stage for deeper exploration throughout the event. The format typically includes approximately 45 minutes of presentations, panel discussion, or moderated conversation, followed by 15 minutes of audience Q&A, allowing attendees to engage directly with speakers and explore questions related to the session content.

Concurrent session (60 minutes, includes 15 minutes Q&A)

A concurrent/breakout session provides attendees with the opportunity to explore a specific topic, practice area, or emerging issue in greater depth. Designed for a more focused audience, these sessions encourage learning, engagement, and the exchange of ideas among participants with shared interests. The format typically includes approximately 45 minutes of presentation, demonstration, panel discussion, or interactive content, followed by 15 minutes of audience Q&A, allowing attendees to ask questions, share perspectives, and discuss practical applications of the information presented. Concurrent sessions should offer actionable insights, innovative approaches, lessons learned, or best practices that participants can apply in their work and communities.

Synchronous Review, Duplicate, and Piecemeal Publication APA policy prohibits an author from submitting the same manuscript for concurrent consideration by two or more publications (see Section 1.20, Conflict of Interest, Publication Manual, 7^th Edition)

APA policy prohibits publication of any manuscript that has already been published in whole or substantial part elsewhere. Authors have an obligation to consult journal editors if there is any question concerning prior publication of part or all of their submitted manuscripts.

In light of changing patterns of scientific knowledge dissemination, APA requires authors to provide information on prior dissemination of the data and narrative interpretations of the data/research appearing in the manuscript (e.g., if some or all were presented at a conference or meeting, posted on a listserv, shared on a website or through social media, including academic social networks like ResearchGate, etc.). This information (2–4 sentences) must be provided as part of the author note.

Authors who have posted their manuscripts to preprint archives, such as PsyArXiv, before submission should include a link to the preprint in the author note.

When a manuscript contains data that are part of a larger study, the cover letter should describe the larger study and provide references for other study papers. Authors must be prepared to provide copies of related manuscripts when requested as part of the editorial review process. Authors should clarify the relationship between their paper and others from the same study, including detailed specification of the overlap in participants, measures, and analysis. The value-added scientific contribution of their study must be clearly stated in the cover letter.

When a manuscript contains data that are part of a larger study, authors should describe the larger study and provide references for other study papers. Authors must be prepared to provide copies of related manuscripts when requested as part of the editorial review process. Authors should clarify the relationship between their paper, including detailed specification of the overlap in participants, measures, and analysis, and others from the study. The value-added scientific contribution of their study must be clearly stated in the cover letter.

All research involving human participants must describe oversight of the research process by the relevant Institutional Review Boards and should describe consent and assent procedures briefly in the Method section. All statistical tests should include effect size whenever possible.

First-person language ("I", "we") should be avoided. Terminology should be sensitive to the individual who has a disease or disability. The journal endorses the concept of "people first, not their disability." Terminology should reflect the "person with a disability" (e.g., children with diabetes, persons with HIV infection, families of people with cancer) rather than the condition as an adjective (e.g., diabetic children, HIV patients, cancer families). Nonsexist language should be used.

It is important to highlight the significance and novel contribution of the work.

PSLC 2027 is accepting session proposals that fall within one or more of the following categories.

• Strengthen advocacy skills and strategies — Build practical skills and provide tools that leaders can use to advance legislative, regulatory, and grassroots advocacy.
• Navigate complex and emerging issues — Explore challenging or rapidly evolving issues affecting psychology, psychological practice, and the communities psychologists serve.
• Create space for dialogue and collaboration — Foster meaningful discussion across perspectives, organizations, and jurisdictions to strengthen relationships and identify opportunities for collective action.
• Strengthen SPTA leadership and organizational capacity — Share strategies and promising practices that help psychological associations build stronger, more sustainable organizations and advocacy programs.
• Advance the future of psychological practice — Examine changes in healthcare, technology, the workforce, reimbursement, scope of practice, and other trends shaping the profession.

When submitting a proposal, you will be asked to select the category that best aligns with your proposed session.

Session information

Type of session

• Plenary/General Session
• Concurrent Session

Session title (Max: 75 characters including spaces)

• Please use APA Style when entering.
• Tip: Attendees often decide which session to attend based on their titles. Make sure yours is clear and engaging, with the key words and concepts at the beginning

Session description (50 words max)

• This is the brief description that will appear in the program. It should provide a clear overview of the session and make the case for why this topic is relevant and useful to attendees.

Session abstract

• The abstract should describe the session's overall focus and/or goals, including any interactive component or audience engagement strategy. It should also provide a brief mention of the content to be covered by each of the individual speakers/presenters. If you submit the session for CE consideration, the abstract will also be used to review the session for CE. (300 words max)

Learning objective

• Learning objectivesopens in new window, or learning outcomes, are statements that clearly describe what the learner will know or be able to do as a result of having attended an educational program or activity.
• Learning objectives:
  • Must be observable and measurable
  • Should (1) focus on the learner, and (2) contain action verbs that describe measurable behaviors
  • Should complete the sentence: "Based on the content of the session, participants will be able to…"

Scheduling accommodations (optional)

• If any of the participants require scheduling accommodations related to religious beliefs or other protected statuses, please provide details.

Continuing education

• The APA Office of Continuing Education in Psychology sponsors CE credit for selected sessions offered at PSLC 2027.
• All sessions for PSLC 2027 are eligible to be considered for continuing education (CE) credit.

How to be considered

If you would like to submit your session for CE review, please be sure to review the “APA Standards and Criteria for Approval of Sponsors of Continuing Education for Psychologistsopens in new window” to make sure your session meets the parameters of CE in psychology.

If your session meets the parameters of CE in psychology, select “Yes” to the Consideration for CE Credit question in the program submission form and then complete the following fields: 

Will you (or co-presenters) be supported financially by a manufacturer of any commercial product?

Full disclosure statement

• Will you gain financially (beyond any honoraria received) by the sale of any product or publication as a result of this session?
• Has any of the research to be presented been funded by external sources (e.g., university, industry)? If so, by whom?

Ethical considerations

• Are you presenting material that was obtained in or through a professional relationship?
• Are you presenting data from a research study that you, or you in conjunction with colleagues, conducted?
• Are you presenting material that participants in your session may find stressful?
• Have you been the subject of an adverse finding by an ethics committee of a professional association or a licensing board in the past 10 years, or are you currently under the scrutiny of an ethics committee or licensing board?

Reference list (at least three current, relevant, supporting, and complete references)

Instructor qualifications (required for chairs, co-chairs, and presenters)

• Current employment title
• Number of years in current position
• Education background
• Professional licensure status
• Teaching experience
• Previous professional positions

Note: The abstract section of the submission will also be used to review the session for CE.

The CE session items are included in the PSLC 2027 program submission form and must be completed at the time of submission.

The CE Office will review each session. Decisions will be made by Friday, October 30. If your session is approved to offer CE credits, you will be notified. The number of sessions offering CE credit may be limited due to cost, space considerations, and scheduling of sessions; therefore, not all sessions submitted for CE credit will be approved to offer CE credit.

Ready to submit your proposal for PSLC 2027? Please review all eligibility requirements, proposal guidelines, and submission instructions before submitting.

All proposals are due by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, October 2, 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Submit your PSLC 2027 proposalopens in new window

Have questions or need assistance with your PSLC 2027 proposal? Email PSLC support.

Who may submit a program?

Any APA member and/or SPTA member invited to PSLC 2027 may submit a proposed session for consideration.

Number of submissions allowed

An individual may serve as a Chairperson and submit a maximum of one proposal to be considered for PSLC 2027. Multiple submissions that are redundant or substantively similar are not permitted.

In addition, as the organizer and submitter of the session proposal, the Chairperson is responsible for coordinating with all proposed presenters and obtaining their consent to participate prior to submitting the session proposal. Chairpersons should ensure that all presenters are aware that they are included in the proposal and have agreed to participate and register if the session is accepted.

Number of participations allowed

Individuals may be included in up to two sessions as a presenter, panelist, moderator, discussant, facilitator, or other participant role.

Disclosure of conflicts of interest

All presenters are expected to disclose relationships that could reasonably be viewed as creating a conflict of interest with respect to the content of their presentations. The general purpose of such disclosures is to allow the listener to make his or her own informed assessment of the presentation. Each presenter is ultimately responsible for determining whether they should disclose a given relationship. Appropriate methods of disclosure will vary based on the type of presentation involved. To determine appropriate methods, presenters can discuss approaches for providing disclosure with session organizers, who may, in turn, consult with APA staff in relevant areas for assistance.

Scheduling presentations

Individuals with accepted presentations or programs must participate at the time determined by APA. Persons with time constraints for religious reasons must include this information on the original submission form.

Previous or simultaneous submissions

Except by invitation, a presentation previously published or read at any state, regional, or divisional meeting may not be presented at PSLC 2027 unless it is a substantial elaboration (additional findings, etc.) of a preliminary report. A presentation submitted to PSLC 2027 for consideration may not be submitted simultaneously for consideration at a regional, state, or divisional meeting.

Ownership and use of submitted materials and presentations

All rights, title, and interest in material submitted in connection with an approved program (“submitted material”) will remain with the author(s). As a condition of the acceptance of the approved program, all author(s) agree to grant to APA a royalty-free, nonexclusive, worldwide perpetual license to use, reproduce, publicly display, distribute, and prepare derivative works of the submitted material in any medium, including electronic, online, and/or print format.

By submitting submitted material for use by the APA, you represent and guarantee that you are either an author of the submitted material or a person authorized to act on behalf of the author(s). If you are a coauthor or acting on behalf of a coauthor, you represent and guarantee that you have received permission from all authors for your submission of material on their behalf. You also represent and guarantee that the submitted material is original work or authorship that has not been previously published and does not infringe any third party’s rights. You represent and guarantee that you have all necessary permissions to use any third-party materials incorporated into the submitted material, and you have the authority to make these representations and guarantees and grant the rights herein. Should any third party bring a claim against the APA for its use of the submitted material, you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold the APA harmless for any use of the submitted material set forth herein.

Further, as a condition of presenting or speaking at PSLC 2027, you agree to be recorded and/or videotaped and grant APA a royalty-free nonexclusive license to use, reproduce, publicly display, distribute, and prepare derivative works of the presentation in any medium, including electronic, online (including podcasts and streaming media), and/or print format.

Online access to abstracts

APA is pleased to provide presenters at PSLC 2027 with electronic services for uploading presentation abstracts and PowerPoint files to the online PSLC 2027 program. Upon acceptance of a presentation or program, APA will provide presenters with a web page address where they can update/upload abstracts and PowerPoint files through the conclusion of PSLC 2027.