The PCPA Training & Conference Committee is soliciting workshop proposals for its annual conference to be held October 6 – 8 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Champion, PA. This premiere statewide event each year strives to provide participants with a variety of educational opportunities spanning clinical, administrative, operational, and regulatory realms. Information about proposal content, deadlines, and requirements of presenters are outlined below.
The association conference offers diverse educational tracks within the structure of the event. Proposal submissions are needed in every area. Tracks include adult mental health, adult and children’s drug and alcohol services, developmental/intellectual disabilities, children’s services, financial management, agency and business operations, leadership, and "achieving balance" – addressing personal growth such as stress reduction/management, relaxation therapies and techniques, non-traditional therapeutic adjunctive therapies/interventions, and maintaining balance between work and home.
Presentations are encouraged which assist community-based providers in developing and maintaining stable, quality treatments, services, and agencies in an industry where change is constant. The committee looks for presentations which:
- highlight new policy and treatment initiatives in mental health, mental retardation, drug and alcohol, and children’s services;
- provide specific skills and information related to individual and organizational leadership development and enhancement;
- address system changes that affect business practices of community-based providers; and
- offer skills and tools to operate more efficient and effective agencies.
All proposals are due in the PCPA office by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 3. Proposals must be typed/word-processed on the accompanying form and submitted electronically. No proposals will be accepted via mail or facsimile. Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered for inclusion in the program. Incomplete proposals will be returned for completion if there is time prior to the deadline. The form must be completed in its entirety, using the outlines provided. Electronic confirmation will be sent of proposal receipt.
The proposal selection process at PCPA is very competitive. Each year, more proposals are received than can be used in the available time at conference. Those proposals that are selected stand out by inclusion of solid educational objectives, information that a participant can use to enhance professional skills or methods, and are geared to a diverse and advanced audience. Guidelines for developing educational objectives are attached below. Objectives are required as part of the submission process.
Individuals must be prepared, if their proposal is accepted, to present on any day of the conference. As well, presenters may be asked to expand or reduce the proposal as presented to fit within time constraints of conference sessions.
The 2008 PCPA conference schedule is markedly different from past years. Workshops will be offered October 6 – 8, Monday – Wednesday. At the time of acceptance, presenters will be required to confirm their ability to submit workshop handouts electronically to the association six weeks prior to the conference. Handouts are printed and bound and made into an electronic reference for all conference attendees prior to the start of the conference. Individuals not willing to meet this expectation should not submit proposals for consideration.
Individuals are welcome to submit as many proposals as they would like. If your proposal is selected for inclusion in the 2008 conference, you will be notified by April 14. Questions about the submission of proposals may be directed electronically to Kris Ericson, PhD, conference coordinator. Dr. Ericson can also be reached by telephone at 717-364-3280.
Guidelines
for Developing Educational Objectives
At least three educational objectives must be submitted for all presentations.
Required by accrediting agencies, they also help PCPA maintain a high quality
educational program. Objectives are statements that communicate instructional
content in a behavioral format. They are used to emphasize the most important
outcomes of the instructional material.
Educational objectives also help the learner choose appropriate educational offerings to meet his/her individual needs. Educational objectives should describe the intended behavior to be attained by the conclusion of the program. In general, they should state:
- what the learner should be able to do at the completion of the presentation,
- under what conditions (if any) the learner should be able to do it, and
- how well it must be done (if applicable).
When formulating educational objectives, do not use verbs that are open to multiple interpretations such as learn, know, tell, understand, appreciate, believe, and perceive. Instead, use words that are observable, active, and measurable. The following list of verbs may be useful in construction of your objectives.
| adapt | analyze | apply | assess | choose | classify |
| compare | compute | construct | contrast | create | critique |
| define | describe | design | develop | discuss | distinguish |
| document | evaluate | examine | formulate | generalize | implement |
| integrate | interpret | organize | perform | plan | prepare |
| prescribe | recommend | reorganize | specify | summarize | utilize |
