The health and safety of our ISST members and the participants of INSPIRE 2020 is our top priority, as we noted in our conference update from March 11th.

As events have unfolded during the Coronavirus crisis, it is now with sadness that we must announce that we have to cancel the in-person version of our 8th biennial conference, INSPIRE 2020, in Copenhagen.

We understand how disappointing this decision is, and also can imagine that for many of you, changing travel arrangements will be burdensome. However, due to the announcements by both the Danish Health Ministry and the World Health Organization limiting public gatherings, it will not be possible to meet in-person in Copenhagen from May 28th through 30th of this year.

First, although there will not be an onsite program over May 28th through the 30th, stay tuned for details about our INSPIRE 2020 Virtual Conference, where you can stay connected to your Schema Therapy Community.

We look forward to offering innovative ways to help keep the spirit of this year’s gathering alive online, especially during this crisis time for the world, during the same dates of May 28th through 30th. Be assured that the virtual conference will be much more than a passive event—you’ll be able to interact live with fellow participants, albeit virtually.

If you’re in a time zone that doesn’t cooperate with Central European Time, we’ll have recordings of the live event that you’ll be able to watch at your convenience, which may be especially inviting to those who were not planning to travel to Copenhagen. We will be announcing more details of the virtual program shortly. 

Second, since planning a conference for the Schema Therapy Society requires a huge financial investment long in advance of the actual conference, we kindly ask you to please wait to make your decision about your plans for the conference until after we finish our negotiations with the Tivoli venue so that we can present new options that we trust you will find inviting, in addition to cancelling your travel plans to Copenhagen for this May. 

If there was ever a time for schema therapists to connect with each other, and to hear from some of the leading voices in the field of schema therapy, it is now. “Social distancing” does not have to stop us from joining together for three days of connecting over the topic of “Reinventing the Therapeutic Relationship.” 

Stay tuned for our announcement with some exciting new options, coming shortly.

Warmly,

ISST’s Executive Board

David Edwards, Susanne Vind, Eckhard Roediger, Travis Atkinson, Susan Simpson, Jeff Conway, Alexandra Schosser and Paul Kasyanik

#INSPIRE2020CPH