The tenth biennial conference of the North American Personal Construct Network (NAPCN 2002) will be held from July 10 to July 14 this year.  The location is at the campus of the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, BC.  The theme of the conference is “The Future of Constructivist Psychology: Changing Worlds, Inspiring New Practices."

Conference organizers, Dr. Marla Arvay of the University of British Columbia, and Dr. Marie Hoskins of the Unversity of Victoria have designed the conference for personal construct theorists and practitioners as well as constructivists at large. Scholarly events will include pre-conference workshops, plenary sessions, paper presentations, poster presentations, workshop sessions and a student paper competition.  The workshop sessions will be delivered by Dr. Michael Mahoney, who will lead on the topic of “Constructive Life Counselling”, and Dr. Robert Neimeyer, who leads on the topic of “Meaning Reconstruction and the Experience of Loss.”

Social events at the conference will include an opening reception among the beautiful gardens and ocean vistas of the Cecil Green Park House, a heritage mansion situated on the campus.  There will also be a pub night for informal discussion, as well as a banquet at the UBC Faculty Club’s Sage Bistro, overlooking the mountains and the ocean.

In Vancouver and Area…
Conference-goers may wish to visit some of the many attractions in Vancouver and area.  Popular destinations and sites in the city include an historic piece of Vancouver, Gastown, with cobblestone streets and souvenir shops.  Robson street is famous as a shopping and dining district and is often mentioned as a hot-spot by recent visitors to the city.  Vancouver also boasts the massive (1000 acre) Stanley Park, which includes an extensive trail system for walking, hiking or biking.  Stanley Park is also the location of the Vancouver Aquarium.  The aquarium is home to over 8000 aquatic animals representing over 600 species, and is also mentioned as a popular attraction by recent visitors.

Conference-goers may also want to consider spending two or more extra days to explore the Southwestern BC area that surrounds Vancouver.  To the north (about 110km) is the famous Whistler-Blackcomb ski area, which during the off-season is still a terrific getaway for hikers and campers.

To the west of the city lies Vancouver Island.  Visitors to this island must take a scenic ferry ride across the Strait of Georgia.  On Vancouver Island is BC’s historic capital city, Victoria.  Like the rest of BC, Vancouver Island boasts many natural attractions.  There are many parks, such as Pacific Rim National Park, on the island that are famous for their natural beauty.

To the east, in BC’s interior, lies the Okanagan Valley.  Famous as a fruit belt, as well as a wine producing area, the Okanagan Valley also boasts many opportunities for hiking, camping and other outdoor recreation.  Visitors are best off starting in the city of Kelowna to tour this part of BC.

Long summers with lots of sunshine and minimum precipitation are typical for Vancouver. Average daily highs for July are around 23°C or 74°F, with temperatures dropping slightly at night.