Annual Conference

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September 4-5, 2026
Belle Meade United Methodist Church
121 Davidson Road
Nashville, TN 37205
Beaman Student Life Center
Fellowship Hall

Conference Parking
Free parking on site

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Conference Schedule

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Friday Evening, Sept. 4:

2 CE Hours

Unspoken: Exploring the Intergenerational Trauma of African American Men in Gibson County

Dr. Carolyn Cooper-Murriel,
TN: LMFT, LPC-MHSP
TX: LMFT-S, LPC, LCDC

Unspoken: Exploring the Intergenerational Trauma of African American Men in Gibson County, Tennessee, shines a light on how the weight of historical and family trauma shapes the daily experiences, emotional health, relationships, and coping methods of African American men in a rural faith community.

This compassionate study, built on trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches, uses a mixed-methods design that includes an engaging ninety-minute focus group, heartfelt semi-structured interviews with dedicated ministry leaders, and brief pre/post surveys such as the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire and the Intergenerational Trauma Assessment Tool. The insights gathered will be analyzed using thematic coding and descriptive statistics to uncover patterns of risk and resilience, highlighting the vital roles of spirituality, mentorship, and community support.

The hope is that these findings will foster a deeper understanding of how trauma is passed down and persists within communities, guiding practical, church-based initiatives such as psychoeducation, supportive spaces for open dialogue, and thoughtful referrals. pathways—that support healing, reduce stigma, and strengthen resilience across generations

Learning Objectives for “The Silent Crisis in Psychotherapy”

1.  Define intergenerational trauma and explain how historical oppression, systemic racism, and faith-community contexts impact its transmission and effects among African American men in rural areas.
2. Analyze qualitative and quantitative evidence (e.g., focus group narratives, interviews, ACE Survey, and an Intergenerational Trauma Assessment Tool) to identify common impacts, coping mechanisms, and protective factors related to emotional well-being, relationships, and help-seeking behaviors.
3. Develop culturally responsive, trauma-informed, spiritually integrated strategies (e.g., psychoeducation, counseling referrals, supportive dialogue, mindfulness/grounding techniques) for church-based healing and resilience.

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Saturday Morning, Sept. 6:

3 CE Hours

“Practicing At-onement: Pastoral Psychotherapy as a Salvific Practice”

Dr. Frank Woggon, PhD 

Frank Woggon is the System Director for Chaplaincy Services at UofL Health in Louisville, KY, and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the UofL School of Medicine. He is a native of Germany, where he studied theology at the German Baptist Theological Seminary and the University of Hamburg, and he holds a PhD in Psychology of Religion from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Frank is an ordained German Baptist Minister, endorsed and recognized as an ACPE Certified Educator and a board-certified chaplain by the Alliance of Baptists. Frank is the author of The Empathic God: A Clinical Theology of At-onement (Fortress Press, 2024) and is currently finishing a manuscript about practices of repentance, resistance, and resilience in an empathic church. He and his wife Kelley have two adult daughters and travel between North Carolina and Berlin to spend time with them. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss empathic practices that define psychotherapy as a salvific practice to nurture wholeness in individuals, relationships, and communities. 
2. Introduce the notion of a therapeutic theology and four aspects of clinical-theological construction.
3. Explore shame as a primary source of spiritual pain and empathy as therapeutic response and a clinical-theological construct.

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Previous Annual Conference (2025)

Previous Annual Conference (2024)

Interfaith Soul Care
Dr. David Dark
Presentation available on the TNAPT YouTube Channel.

Learning Objectives:

1. Working knowledge of the fact of Christian supremacy.
2. Insight concerning the hybridity of all religion.
3. Practice in applying Earthseed as a living concept in our pursuit of health and wholeness.

Interfaith Soul Care Panel

Imam Ossama Bahloul, PhD
Sister Mary Rachel Capets, OP
Rabbi Philip “Flip” Rice, DMin

Presentation available on the TNAPT YouTube Channel.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this conference, participants will be able to:

1) Describe and highlight the reality that, though embracing different faiths and speaking different theological languages, we all draw on a rich and everflowing stream of spirituality that is deeper than our words and conceptions. Our common ground.

2) Explain the unique psycho-social needs of families, couples, and individuals across a range of faith backgrounds. Our distinctives.

3) Discuss the breadth and depth of differences in offering therapeutic presence and assistance with people from different faith traditions. Therapy in various shapes.

4) Critique when it’s appropriate to refer, when cross-cultural work can be positive, and be able to provide assistance in determining the ethical limits of responsible practice. Learning from and helping each other.

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Previous Annual Conference (2022)

Connecting Spirituality in Pastoral Counseling: Mindfulness, Mantras, and Memories
Dr. Ryan Noel Fraser
Presentation available on the TNAPT YouTube Channel.

Learning Objectives:

Suicidology
Dr. Mark Loftis
Presentation available on the TNAPT YouTube Channel.

Presentation Description:

Suicidology is now over 60 years old as an area of study in the U.S. Beginning with the pioneering work of Dr. Edwin Shneidman, many others have contributed to research of suicide and suicidal behaviors, yet rates of suicide remain high and in certain groups have increased over the past few decades. The speaker will provide an overview of the study of suicide beginning with Shneidman’s work and look at contemporary theories and interventions.

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Previous Annual Conference (2021)

Spiritual and Racial Abuse and Healing: Clinical and Ethical Response

Spiritual Abuse and Healing – Clinical and Ethical Response
Dr. David Thornton
Presentation available on the TNAPT YouTube Channel.

Learning Objectives:

1. To focus our understanding of the nature of spiritual abuse;
2. To recognize the wide variety of forms it takes in different faith contexts; and
3. To identify therapeutic strategies and responses

Racial Abuse and Healing – Clinical and Ethical Response
J. Bernard Kynes, Jr.
Presentation available on the TNAPT YouTube Channel.

Learning Objectives:

1. To discuss concepts of Racial Abuse and its implications for individual, family, and group counseling psychotherapy.
2. To discuss the ethical issues and implications of addressing Racial Abuse concerns for therapists and their clients.
3. And, to discuss and consider practical ways to ethically and competently manage the trauma experienced from Racial Abuse dilemmas in clinical practice.