SPR-2011 Bern, Switzerland Society for Psychotherapy Research 41st International Meeting, June 29-July 2, 2011 First Newsletter, August 2010 Welcome! We are excited about hosting the 42nd SPR International Meeting in Bern, Switzerland! The local organizing committee has committed itself to organizing a conference which is affordable also for doctoral students as well as retired members in one of the most interesting areas of the world for visitors, in spite of the fact that hotel and restaurant expenses may be high unless planned carefully. The conference will take place in the old university building, right above the main railway station, which is in the middle of the city of Bern. Please make sure that you plan some extra time to enjoy not only the medieval (UNESCO world heritage) old part of the city of Bern, but also the unique mountains and lakes around Bern. If you want to be on the safe(r) side as far as weather is concerned, reserve some days before, and some after the conference. The Executive Council has decided that, following the Asilomar model, potential participants will be informed by a series of newsletters about all aspects of potential relevance. There will thus be a few more newsletters following this first issue, trying to anticipate what information is needed and useful at which point in time. Franz Caspar and the local organizing committee: Robert Richardson Bettina Gerber Hansjörg Znoj Suzanne Frischknecht and Daniel Regli.
The aim of this newsletter is obviously not to provide details about the conference, but to convince you that it is overall a good idea to come to Bern next year. Needless to say that the program will be excellent and that the possibilities of talking to expert colleagues and meeting friends makes it always rewarding to come to SPR conferences. So let's concentrate in this newsletter on what will be special. The setting will be the old university main building, which has its own atmosphere and character: The view from the terrace in front of the building is spectacular - and sometimes even without a crane! On the left, the dome of the Swiss federal capitol A big tent installed especially for SPR will allow us to have lunches together - an extremely important SPR tradition that we don't want to miss just because of a lacking hall!
The city itself offers many tourist attractions. The old medieval part is a UNESCO world heritage. As the conference site is in the city, you can easily experience the old city along with the conference. The federal parliament building Paul Klee Museum by famous architect Renzo Piano "Summer Beach" just in front of University Building
First idea for the banquet: James Bond's Schilthorn "..." 3000 meters above sea level but: too little space, too high altitude for some participants but there is an alternative... "Berner Oberland" seats 400 for banquets, additional boat tied if needed
Close by "Niesen", painter Paul Klee's favorite mountain. world's longest stairs along the cable car. The surroundings are spectacular, above all the mountains and lakes! Castle at the lake of Thun Matterhorn 2 hours train from Bern Climbing (do your first easy to master 4000'er near Zermatt!), wine tasting, stone carving classes etc. can be organized!
for those more interested in good food in great sites... or sister cities and conferences
how to get there? http://www.berninfo.com/en/ecard/ecard.cfm airports Zurich (direct flights from major cities in Europe, North America and other continents) Geneva, Basel (many low cost connections to European airports) 1-1.5 hours by train, Zurich-Bern every 30 minutes train station immediately underneath airport (Basel + 20 min. bus) where to stay in Bern? information will follow in September! can you still imagine a reason not to join us?!