Workshop, Panel, and Paper Proposals are now open and may be submitted through May 1, 2026.

W​The 2026 OCAMPR Conference will focus on the physical, psychological, and spiritual trauma of individuals and communities. The grief and pain that emerge from loss and trauma are universal human experiences. Traumatic experiences impact individuals, but also collectively entire communities. God invites us into healing, reconciliation, and wholeness through the sacramental life of the Orthodox Church. This path of sanctification redeems body, soul, and spirit, drawing us in a transformative movement away from the self and toward Christ.
Although traumas of various kinds can become opportunities for transformation, many complicated variables can turn the tide in a different direction, and this prompts a deeper examination of trauma and its impacts:

• What happens when we are moved to disperse our trauma through the passions?
• How should we talk about healing and wholeness in the context of the inescapability of death?
• What is the role of the “healer” amidst the woundedness of the people who live in this as of yet unredeemed world?
• How do we, as broken professionals, participate in the healing of the broken?
• How do professionals deal with vicarious trauma?
• What do whole communities do to heal the collective trauma that is imposed on them?
• And how might personal wholeness and communal unity enable us to heal, reconcile, and orient our past toward a redemptive future?
• How do we navigate the differences between the ways our healing professions and the Kingdom of God view even the very meaning of healing and wholeness?
• From where do we draw hope amid woundedness and division?

We welcome papers, panels and workshops that help the multi-disciplinary OCAMPR community reflect on the conference theme. OCAMPR requests that proposals for presentations reflect professional, academic discussion on critical issues regarding the helping professions and pastoral care, specifically as it relates to our Orthodox Christian faith. Although presentations reflecting the conference theme are preferred, other subjects related to the overall mission of OCAMPR will be considered. Panel discussions are prioritized.

Proposals are due May 1, 2026 and will be reviewed by members of the OCAMPR board and conference committee. Presenters will be notified by email if their proposal is accepted, accepted with revision, waitlisted, or not accepted. Please see the specific instructions below for conference workshops, panels, and papers. Note that presenters who are accepted are required to register for the conference. Presenters receive a discount on registration. Address any questions to ocamprconference@gmail.com. We look forward to receiving your submissions!