IMHPJ 30th Annual Conference – March 2026
Where: Kobe Gakuin University Port Island Campus, 1-1-3 Minatojima, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Japan
When: Saturday March 07 – Sunday March 08, 2026
This year, our 30th Annual Conference program brings an integrative focus to psychotherapy, exploring evolutionary perspectives, embodied clinical practice, and health psychology through a combination of conceptual discussion and applied training. With a keynote address, experiential somatic learning, and practical clinical interventions, the intention is to support thoughtful practice while fostering dialogue and connection among IMHPJ members. We warmly invite you to join us for a collegial and engaging gathering as we continue to learn from one another and strengthen our shared professional community.
This conference is open to IMHPJ Members as well as non-members working in mental health and related fields. We’ll be in a lovely city and venue at Kobe University Port Island Campus. The IMHPJ Board looks forward to reconnecting with members and colleagues in March, and we encourage you to share this invitation with others who may be interested.
Conference Registration
IMHPJ Member rate: ¥13,000 (catered lunch included)
Non-member rate: ¥17,000 (catered lunch included)
Day-of-event rate: ¥20,000 (cash only at the door; catered lunch not included)
Graduate student rate: Contact membershipsecretary@imhpj.org for further details regarding registration
Registration fees cover speaker honoraria, venue costs and catering. A coffee and refreshment break will be provided each afternoon. NB: Online registration closes on February 28; the Day-of-event rate / cash-at-the door will apply after this date.
Please register via this link:
https://members.imhpj.org/frm/25cgxGutK71RCWBoi
If needed, please contact webcoordinator@imhpj.org with any queries regarding registration or payment.
Conference Program
Saturday, March 07
09:00 – Registration
09:30 – Opening Remarks
10:00 – Plenary Session: Stepping into Health: A Health Psychologist’s Perspective on Assisting Clients in Living Healthy Lives
11:30 – Lunch Break
13:00 – Keynote Address: Thinking Evolutionarily About Psychotherapy: Lessons from Supernormal Stimuli
15:00 – Break
15:30 – Networking Activity
16:45 – Closing Remarks
Sunday, March 08
09:30 – Opening Remarks
10:00 – Therapy Demonstration: Inviting Bodyfulness: Practical Somatic Tools for Mental Health Professionals
12:00 – Lunch Break
13:30 – Ethics Workshop: Ethics in Relationship: Cultural Humility, Ethical Principles, and the IMHPJ Ethics Process
15:00 – Coffee Break
15:30 – IMHPJ Annual General Meeting
17:00 – Closing Remarks
Presentation Summaries
Keynote Address: Thinking Evolutionarily About Psychotherapy: Lessons from Supernormal Stimuli
Presenter: Alexander Krieg, PhD, LP
Summary:
This keynote address will examine how an evolutionary framework can be used to inform clinical formulation, therapeutic practice, and psychological change. Drawing on the concept of supernormal stimuli as an illustrative example, the presentation will explore how evolutionary perspectives can clarify why certain psychological patterns persist and how change becomes possible within psychotherapy.
Rather than focusing on specific techniques, the talk will emphasize conceptual thinking – offering clinicians a way to integrate evolutionary ideas into their understanding of therapeutic process, clinical decision-making, and the conditions that support meaningful psychological change.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Alexander Krieg is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor, and current president of IMHPJ. His work is informed by evolutionary psychology, depth psychology, and relational psychoanalysis. As both a clinician and educator, he is interested in helping mental health professionals develop conceptual frameworks that clarify contemporary psychological challenges while remaining grounded in ethical and relational clinical work.
Plenary Session: Stepping into Health: A Health Psychologist’s Perspective on Assisting Clients in Living Healthy Lives
Presenter: Carter Comrie, PhD, LP
Summary:
In this plenary session, Dr. Carter Comrie will define health from a biopsychosocial perspective and explore how mental health professionals can support clients in living healthier lives. The session will examine how psychological, behavioral, and social factors interact to influence health outcomes across the lifespan.
Dr. Comrie will introduce practical, evidence-informed interventions that clinicians can integrate into their existing practices, including approaches to goal-setting, behavior change, and health-related decision-making. Emphasis will be placed on translating health psychology concepts into clinically usable strategies that support sustainable change and client autonomy.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Carter Comrie is a health psychologist whose work centers on the relationship between psychological processes, behavior, and physical health. He specializes in applying biopsychosocial models to clinical practice and has extensive experience supporting clinicians in integrating health-focused interventions into therapeutic work.
Therapy demonstration: Inviting Bodyfulness: Practical Somatic Tools for Mental Health Professionals
Presenter: Michelle Pietrzak-Wegner, LMHC, SEP
Summary:
Michelle Pietrzak-Wegner, Somatically-trained Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner, will present, demonstrate and share practical tools for use in the therapeutic container. Michelle will discuss the key components for bringing somatic tools and interventions to the client safely. Somatic practices and interventions presented will incorporate trauma-informed components, a Polyvagal lens, and principles of Somatic Experiencing and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. This session will have experiential and practice elements for those in attendance.
Speaker Bio:
Michelle Pietrzak-Wegner is a somatically trained Licensed Mental Health Counselor in private practice in Tokyo. Her work integrates Somatic Experiencing™, trauma-informed yoga, and nervous system regulation to support individuals and couples working with trauma, grief, and chronic illness.
Ethics Workshop: Ethics in Relationship: Cultural Humility, Ethical Principles, and the IMHPJ Ethics Process
Presenter: Kiki Yokokawa, LPCC, BC-DMT, GL-CMA
Summary:
This session explores ethical practice in psychotherapy as a relational process shaped by culture, power, and context. Drawing on the IMHPJ Code of Ethics, Kiki Yokokawa will review core ethical principles common across psychotherapeutic traditions, including client-centeredness, confidentiality, professional responsibility, competence, and boundaries, with an explicit focus on cultural humility as an ethical practice.
The session will also provide a clear overview of the IMHPJ ethics consultation and complaint process, emphasizing transparency, fairness, confidentiality, and education. Participants will engage in small-group discussion and embodied reflection using realistic, fictional cross-cultural vignettes, encouraging ethical inquiry grounded in relationship, reflection, and professional accountability rather than rule-based compliance.
Speaker Bio:
Kiki Yokokawa is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, and IMHPJ Board Member serving as Ethics Representative. Her work focuses on relational ethics, cultural humility, embodiment, and supporting clinicians in navigating ethical complexity within multicultural and international practice settings.