Over the last 35 years, one of the most noteworthy aspects of the Networker Symposium has been the depth and wisdom of the keynoters who address the conference. This year’s Symposium is no exception.

Opening the conference with a morning keynote on Friday is Andrew Weil, the world’s leading proponent of integrative medicine. He’ll be discussing the meaning of integrative mental health and how therapists can enrich their knowledge and understandings to help clients—and themselves—achieve optimal health. To learn more about integrative mental health, see the recent Networker article on his work here.

Next will be Scott Miller’s luncheon address on “Charting Your Path to Clinical Excellence,” a topic that’s been much discussed in the Networker community during this past year. He’ll share what research is showing us about how to achieve excellence, and how we can apply these understandings to gain mastery in the consulting room, as well as in our personal lives.

Mary Pipher has achieved national renown as the author of Reviving Ophelia, and she will be inspiring attendees as the Saturday morning keynote speaker. Her subject—“Facing the Challenge of 21st-Century Activism” is a compelling presentation of her vision of  the many ways therapists can influence the world-at-large and why doing so can make us feel more joyous, connected, and empowered.

Pat Ogden will be Saturday’s luncheon address speaker and she’ll cover her transforming, trailblazing work that incorporating bodywork in psychotherapy.

Later that day, Jane Fonda will be speaking with Networker Editor Rich Simon about her life, career, and beliefs about how to improve your life while growing older. Yes, that’s right… Jane Fonda will be at the Networker Symposium! You really won’t want to miss this conference and especially not this particular dinner event.

Finally, Sunday holds even more opportunities for discovery, as brain science pioneer Dan Siegel will be discussing whether our growing knowledge about brain science is making us wiser. If you’ve never heard Dan Siegel speak before—or even if you have—his presentations are always a treat.

For more information about the incredible lineup of Symposium 2012 speakers, click here. Make sure to check back for more Symposium blogs soon—this blog will continue to give you a detailed view of the people and events coming up at Symposium 2012. Whether or not you decide to travel to Washington, D.C. this spring, it’s definitely worth knowing about all the exciting features this year’s conference has to offer.

Especially during this time of year, in which many of us pause to reflect on the past year and think forward to the year ahead, we tend to consider what we’d like to strive to do less of and what we’d like to do more of. Common resolutions may include cutting back on calories and hitting the gym more often; spending more time with friends and family and less working overtime hours; spending less money on cute shoes and more on…well, nothing! Today, many of us work to spend less and less money and save more of it for the future.

At the Networker, this is the time of year in which we’re really looking forward to the upcoming annual Symposium in March. We’ve sent out the Symposium program and posted details on our website—and this year, for the first time, we’ve even produced a digital edition of the Symposium program, which you can see on our Symposium 2012 page.

Nearly every day, no matter what time of the year, I find myself enthusiastically talking (more like gushing) about the Symposium in some capacity—to some poor subscriber who calls to ask a magazine-related question, to a webcast participant who emails to ask about CE credits, to friends who are social work students, to a family member who’s a health nut (“Did you know Andrew Weil is coming to our conference next year?! And Jane Fonda?!”), and more. Those poor souls who have to hear me go on and on about much they’d love the conference and how it’s worth attending….

But for those of you who’ve never been to a Symposium—or for those of you who’ve been in the past—I wanted to let you know just a few reasons I think you should consider registering for Symposium 2012:
•    There’s no substitute for real-life, human interaction—in our increasingly virtual universe, where we can easily and instantly communicate and learn online, you may think, “Why should I travel to Washington, DC when I can learn in other ways?” Trust me, there’s just nothing like face-to-face learning, in this one-of-a-kind atmosphere of energy, positivity, openness, and inspiration.
•    The extraordinary featured speakers—Andrew Weil, Dan Siegel, Scott Miller, Mary Pipher, Pat Ogden, and special guest Jane Fonda—and more than 100 incredible presenters, like Mary Jo Barrett, Lynn Grodzki, William Doherty, and Harville Hendrix.
•    The wide variety of relevant topics—no matter your clinical interest, we’ve got something that’s sure to be interesting and provide you with a new, helpful perspective. We’ve got workshops on topics such as mindfulness, clinical mastery, communities of practice, professional development, the business of therapy, and much more.
•   The energetic atmosphere and ample opportunities for dialogue, adventure, and fun available when thousands of therapists are gathered in one place. 
•    It’s the best way to survey and reflect on the field—past, present, and future—with so many likeminded colleagues.
•    Come celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the Networker Symposium with us!

If you’ve attended the Symposium in the past, it’s likely you’ve got your own list of reasons to attend this year. What do you think is the absolute best reason to join us in Washington, DC this March 22-25, 2012?