Professional social science conference has a major focus on promoting research in religion and spirituality and creating a supportive academic forum where professionals can discuss the latest research findings and scientific advances in the field.

(PRWEB) November 15, 2011

Loyola University Maryland’s department of pastoral counseling and spiritual care joins the American Psychological Association’s Division 36: Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality to host the 10th annual Mid-Year Conference on Religion and Spirituality on March 30-31, 2012 at the University’s Columbia Graduate Campus located at 8890 McGaw Road, Columbia, Md. 20145.

This conference is the only professional social science conference with a major focus on promoting research in religion and spirituality and creating a supportive academic forum where professionals can discuss the latest research findings and scientific advances in the field. The event attracts more than 200 attendees with diverse backgrounds from across the United States.

“We’re honored to gather a talented group of national and international scholars and researchers with truly interdisciplinary backgrounds to discuss how we can bring about a durable sense of positive change in people’s lives,” said Ralph L. Piedmont, Ph.D., professor of pastoral counseling at Loyola and founding editor of the APA journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. “Looking back on a decade of progress, I’m confident that the robust collaboration at this year’s conference will help dictate the future direction of innovation in our field.”

This year’s keynote speaker will be David G. Myers, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Hope College in Holland, Mich. Myers is the author or editor of 17 books on a wide variety of topics bridging psychology and faith. His latest book, A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists: Musings on Why God is Good and Faith Isn't Evil, was published in 2008. He has been published in more than three dozen academic journals and more than four dozen popular magazines, and his research and writing have earned him numerous awards and three honorary doctorates. He recently received the 2011 American Academy of Audiology Presidential Award in recognition of his efforts to transform the way America provides assistive listening for people with hearing loss. Myers earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Iowa.

For more information about the conference including how to register, visit http://www.loyola.edu/pastoralcounseling/myc.

About Division 36:

The American Psychological Association’s Division 36: Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality promotes the application of psychological research methods and interpretive frameworks to diverse forms of religion and spirituality; encourages the incorporation of the results of such work into clinical and other applied settings; and fosters constructive dialogue and interchange between psychological study and practice on the one hand and between religious perspectives and institutions on the other.

About Loyola University Maryland:

Established in 1852, Loyola University Maryland is a Jesuit comprehensive university comprising Loyola College, its school of arts and sciences; the Sellinger School of Business and Management; and the School of Education. Loyola enrolls 3,800 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students from across the country and around the world.

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Nick Alexopulos
Loyola University Maryland
410-617-1334
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