CONFERENCE WILL START IN

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

PREPARE

for the best

PREPSEC International Conference

NUMBER OF SEATS

IS LIMITED

Social-Emotional Learning, Mental Health

and Family Support with PREPARE Programs

WHEN

15-16 APRIL 2027

WHERE

PRAGUE,

CZECH REPUBLIC

FEES

EARLY BIRD TICKET PRICE

3415 CZK (~140 EUR)

(until Sept 30, 2026)

Our Partners

PREPSEC International welcomes your participation in our

5th International Conference: "PREPAREfor the best".

After 7 years of limited gatherings, we see this as an opportunity to share our programs with both experienced trainers and those new to the field.


This conference will be held in Prague, April 15-17, 2027.

Our two-day program includes sessions on ART, AART, PREPARE Curriculum programs, Evidence-basedand Practice-based research, Successful Implementation methods, and ways of working with groupand/or individual training.

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT

PAST

PREPSEC

Conferences

SOCIAL PROOF

Very inspiring lectures. Great presentations. I am delighted.

Kim Parker

It was an amazing event. Thanks for such a great dose of knowledge!

Ola Hall

Shannon Burns

If the next edition of Prepsec Conference will be like in 2021

I am already registering!

Benefit No.1

Access to 2 days full of lectures and workshops.

Possibility to ask questions to our Speakers during the live event.

Benefit No.2

Possibility to join Supervision Groups with your case studies.

Benefit No.3

Check out what you can expect for the price
of PREPARE for the best!

This is the fifth PREPSEC International conference. Each one has left presenters and participants alike filled with enthusiasm to share their learning with others. With presenters from around the world, we are proud to host this event in the Prague city center.

The conference will be designed to have two streams of presentations:

  • 60 minutes, in lecture form, for those new to the programs
  • 90 minute workshop or lecture, tailored for experienced trainers.

Supervision Group - New to our previous conference formats

We will offer 2 Supervision Groups for 20 participants each.Those wishing to attend will pre-submitt case studies. In the 2.5 hour group 4 cases will be chosen todiscuss for 30 minutes each. The second group will be for 90 minutes and cover 3 cases.


If you would be interested in being part of the Supervision team, please let us know and we shall make sure you are part of the process.

What to expect during the conference?

Mentor Café

As well we shall have a Mentor Café, where registrants can drop in for an informal chat and to network.

Presentations and Workshops

Sessions will address practical, research-based, and theoretical aspects of the developing PREPARE curriculum components. The programme will also include supervision and mentoring sessions, offering space for discussion, reflection, and professional support.


The detailed programme will be published in autumn 2026.


April 15 - Day 1

7:30-9:00: Registration

9:00: opening and Keynote

10:00: coffee

10:20: 3-4 presentations offered 90 minutes long

12:00: lunch

13:00: 3-4 presentations offered 90 minutes long

14:30: coffee

14:50: 3-4 presentations offered 60 minutes long

15:50: fruit

16:15: 3-4 presentations offered 60 minutes long

17:15: end of day

17:30: General Meeting PREPSEC International

19:00: Dinner (additional fee, reservations required)


April 16 - Day 2

9:00: opening and Keynote

10:00: coffee

10:20: 3-4 presentations offered 90 minutes long

12:00: lunch

13:00: 3-4 presentations offered 90 minutes long

14:30: coffee

14:50: 3-4 presentations offered 60 minutes long

16:00: Closing gathering

The conference programme is open to participants at all levels of experience with the PREPARE curriculum - from beginners to advanced practitioners.

CALL FOR ABSTRCTS

Abstract submission

We invite all prospective presenters to submit their abstract using the form below.


Please complete and submit the abstract submission form by September 10, 2026. All presenters are required to pay the applicable registration fee and agree to being filmed during their session.


To support the preparation of bilingual conference materials, we also kindly ask all accepted presenters to submit their PowerPoint presentation by November 27, 2026. This will allow our committee to add English or Czech translation

at the bottom of each slide. The translated version will be sent to you for review and approval before mid-March 2027.

We hope you will join us in sharing your knowledge of the PREPARE Curriculum, ART, and AART as well asadaptations you have made for children and adults to support the development of Social EmotionalLearning, leaving attendees and presenters alike rejuvenated and inspired to delve deeper in theirpractices.

join us!

Robert Calame is the former Coordinator of ART® Programming for youth in Montreal and Northern Quebec communities, both in french and english. He is co-author and international trainer of Family TIES: A Family-Based Intervention to Compliment Prepare®, ART® and TIES Youth Groups, the Problem Solving Training Implementation Guide and aaART. Robert has served on the boards of ICART and PREPSEC International.

Robert Calame, Canada

Knut K Gundersen, Norway

DAY 1: KEY NOTE CONVERSATION

Welcome!

We are so excited you are with us…in whatever way we can gather, we are appreciative.

Robert Calame will open with a history of PREPSEC: who we are and where we came from.

Knut Gundersen will then will walk us through WHAT?

What are the components of the PREPARE curriculum and how this tool supports Social Emotional Competencies!

This will provide all of us a foundation from which to have a full day of learning.

Knut Gundersen is Professor Emeritus at VID Specialized University and was the leader of the center for Social Competence for 15 years. He has written many books, chapters and scientific articles, is the first author of the Scandinavian AART-book and Social Perception Training and has presented at international conferences in twenty-one different countries. Knut is the former president of PREPSEC International.

DAY 2: KEY NOTE CONVERSATION

After a full day of hands on learning the ins and outs of ART and Social Competencies, today we will talk about SO What is next? How do I know this works? Who does it work for? And how do I decide what my population of students need? Bengt Daleflod will provide a bit of research on these topics and Shannon Burns will follow up with some basic implementation guides; specific responsivity, group development, and the dosage needed based on a Tiered system.

Bengt Daleflod is a psychologist and psychotherapist, specialized in CBT. His clinical career has been in the psychiatric care of children, adolescents and their families as well as in implementing effective methods for working with young offenders. Bengt is the leader of PREPSEC Sweden, former Vice-President.and present member of the PREPSEC International

Bengt Daleflod, Sweden

Shannon Burns has worked in the Juvenile Justice field for 27 years, most of which has been devoted to providing cognitive behavioral training to struggling youth. She has been in the forefront for Washington State in authoring curriculum and implementation of ART and now i-ACT.

Shannon Burns, USA

DAY 3: KEY NOTE CONVERSATION

OK?....Day 1: WHAT? I understand the foundation of ART/PREPARE Curriculum.

Day 2: SO WHAT? I now see how important it is and the essentials of being intentional around implementation.

Day 3: NOW WHAT? This Key Note Conversation is about how to continue learning beyond the initial dose of Social Emotional Learning. Let’s talk about Generalization and Mentorship! Kelli Parcher and Cecylia Bieganowska will describe how to provide continual support to those that are delivering the information and those that have learned it.

Cecylia Bieganowska is a psychotherapist, sociotherapist, Master Trainer of PEACE-ART and practitioner of Rational Behavior Therapy. In private practice, she conducts psychotherapy of personality disorders and trauma treatment with youth and families. As well, Cecylia teaches at the University of Lower Silesia, Poland and trains teachers in Social Emotional Learning and mental health.

Kelli Parcher has 30 plus years in cognitive behavioral therapy. She has devoted her career to development and innovation in programs for struggling youth, authoring several of these. She is a mentor, consultant and author for the Center of Anti-Bullying and Non-Violence (Dr Sara Salmon). Kelli has a strong belief system that programs need to be dynamic and matched to the youth who are participating.

Kelli Parcher, USA

Cecylia Bieganowska, Poland

Old Town of prague
(Staré Město)

a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Accommodation and Conference Venue

Further details regarding the hotel offer, booking conditions, and the conference location will be provided at a later date.

PREPSEC INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE BANQUET

An evening of food
and friendship

As part of the conference, we are also planning a formal dinner for all participants. This will be an additional paid event, created as an opportunity to meet, talk, and continue the exchange of ideas in a more relaxed and informal atmosphere.

We warmly invite you to join us. We believe that this dinner will be a valuable addition to the conference programme and a meaningful opportunity to build connections with people who share a common interest in the conference topics.

Further details regarding the venue, time, and participation fee will be announced at a later date.

CONFERENCE FEES

3415 CZK

EARLY BIRD

Late

registration

3900 CZK

Regular Registration

Oct 1, 2026 - March 25, 2027

(~160 EUR)

4400 CZK

(~140 EUR)

until Sept 30, 2026

(~180 EUR)

General Meeting

General Meeting
of PREPSEC Members

During the conference, we are also planning to hold a General Meeting of PREPSEC members. This meeting will be an important opportunity to discuss current activities, future plans, and further development of the association.

We warmly encourage all PREPSEC members attending the conference to take part in the meeting. It will provide a valuable space for exchange, discussion, and strengthening cooperation within the PREPSEC community.

Further details regarding the exact date, time, and agenda of the General Meeting will be announced at a later date.

JOIN US IN PRAGUE