AGPA Connect 2025: An Experience Like No Other

By Danielle Nelson, MBBS, MS, DM, LPC

Ever since coming to The United States to advance my career in psychotherapy as a medical provider in Jamaica, one of my dreams was to attend an AGPA Connect. AGPA Connect is the premier annual group psychotherapy conference, hosted by the American Group Psychotherapy Association. The AGPA is one of the largest and oldest organisations committed to advancing group work in the world. The members of AGPA span a vast array of disciplines, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, professional counsellors, nurses, other physicians and more. With a robust commitment to advancing collaboration, shared learning, diversity and inclusion there is a space for everyone to peer into and become absorbed in the world of group.

Through the support of my local affiliate the Atlanta Group Psychotherapy Society I was able to attend the 2025 meeting via a generous scholarship from the AGPA. I was able to otherwise defer costs by staying with a friend and taking advantage of the readily available public transport to get me to and from the conference centre.

Entering a new space when you're travelling alone can be daunting, but you could tell that the organisers had made some effort to make the space welcoming to first time attendees. I was also able to connect with my Atlanta crew from the first day of the institute, which set my mind at ease. 

Days 1 and 2: The Institute

Entering the two-day institute, “The Cultural Mother” facilitated by Dr. Paul LePhuoc, my anxiety became palpable. While Dr. LePhuoc exuded a calm, open and secure air, my mind became busy with all the questions I imagine that clients have when they come to group…”How much will I be exposed? Will I be rejected when people find out who I really am? Are people going to try and force their beliefs on me? Will I be able to connect with anyone or will I be alone?” Throughout the institute my defences slowly fell, and I was able to find connection, personal insight and clarity and deeper understanding of group work. 

I was surprised by my oscillation through various stages of commitment to the group. I assumed my passion for group work would propel me towards continued joining, but I found my mind going through what I can only describe as successive iterations of joining and leaving, of being checked in and checked out, from feeling deeply connected to completely isolated, cycling through admiration, closeness, annoyance, apathy, dubiousness, emotional exhaustion, fear and investment. This was validated didactically in my last workshop of the conference, where Dr. Evan Perlo shared “It's important to have ongoing conversation about wanting to leave…. to join is to talk about leaving…. people need to feel empowered to say “I'm done for today”, otherwise it becomes coercion”. I gained a newfound respect for the clients who I work within groups in my own setting, their ability to stick with the process day after day, week after week if these were the range of emotions that they were going through. 

While a training or “T group” will have a very different energy and the participants be at a distinctly different stage of readiness to work, I still gained so many valuable insights that I tucked away in my mind and notebook to apply to group work back home. The didactic portion of the institute made the experience come alive with a deeper understanding of the methods and therapeutic stance of the facilitator. The idea that “we all have the same cultural mother, but she does not treat all her children equally” could not be more relevant for the time that we are living through now!

Days 3 to 5: The Conference

Throughout the three-day conference, workshops transcended the range of clinical practice. From psychodrama to modern analysis to integrated cognitive methods and somatic therapies, there was something for everyone. I was especially impacted by the plenaries of Dr. Melba Vasquez, Professor Tania Israel and Dr. Daniel José Gaztambide. We were charged by Dr. Vasquez with the question “Am I expected to change society to help my patient? YES”. We were empowered by Professor Israel that we can be part of the discourse that brings about unification rather than continued dissension. We were tooled by Dr. Gaztambide’s connection of interpersonal and sociocultural factors to create a therapeutic environment that considers the “we” of collectivist cultures and the “I” of individualist cultures. Additional favourites of mine included the very practical “This is your brain on group: Neuroplasticity in the Here and Now” by Annie Weiss, and “Joining, Bridging, and Authentic Delight: Cultivating Group Cohesion and Attachment Security” by Dr. Evan Perlo.

New members had the opportunity to attend a new members dinner early in the week. It was a lovely opportunity to meet other first-time participants, build professional connections and reflect on our experiences thus far. A host of other social experiences and special interest group meetings provided opportunities for networking, exchanging ideas, and starting new initiatives. It was enlivening to meet face to face with members of special interest and affiliation groups that feel so aligned with your experience as a human and a professional. I was able to make awesome connections with folks from the southeast who continued to be professional collaborators after Connect. 

More than six months later, I still find myself going back to my notes from that wonderful week, reflecting on the rollercoaster of emotional and cognitive experience I had and utilising what I learned in my therapeutic work. While ruptures may happen and parts of the experience may be difficult, I think on Dr. Paul Lephuoc’s statement in our institute, “perfection has very little to do with closeness”. I feel closer to my professional work and the work of AGPA having gone to Connect, and I would recommend it to anyone with any vague interest in group work. I would charge you to maintain an open mind and heart, pace yourself, communicate harm and discomfort, be honest in the ways we expect clients to be honest and be present to the moment for all the wonderful gifts that AGPA Connect has to offer. Inspired by Danielle's experience? Scholarship applications and registration is currently open for AGPA Connect 2026 in NYC! Learn more here. Learn more about counselor and psychiatrist Danielle here.