2024 Family Matters Conference

10th Annual Family Matters Conference
presented by the Call to Action Philanthropies

Call to Action Foundation

This free event is available to anyone interested (students, community members, educators, therapists, etc.) in better understanding the problems facing families today and learning what they can do to address them. 

The conference theme “Family Wellness Through Early Childhood and the Lifespan” will empower individuals, couples, and families to strengthen relationships, provide professional development for those who work with families, and prepare students for real-world problems and solutions.

Light breakfast snacks and lunch will be provided on both days with pre-registration. Pre-register before October 1st to guarantee lunch.

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14 CEU credits are available for $125 with pre-registration. $100 for National Association of Social Work members. CEU credit is approved by the Utah NASW for mental health providers. Credit is also available to Child Care providers.

Thursday, October 24

  Sharwan Smith Center Ballroom

Friday, October 25

  Hunter Alumni Center

Student Research Poster Sessions:

  Sharwan Smith Center Starlight Room

  • 9:00-10:00 am
  • 10:00-11:00am
  • 1:00-1:50pm
  • 2:00-2:50pm
Dr. Kristin Neff - Family Matters Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker

We are pleased to introduce our keynote speaker, Dr. Kristen Neff.

Dr. Neff is an Insight Meditation practitioner and an associate professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Harvard Business Review, among others, and her TEDx talk has been viewed over 1.7 million times. She’s also the co-developer of an empirically supported training program called Mindful Self-Compassion, which is taught by thousands of people worldwide, and the co-author of The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook as well as Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program: A Guide for Professionals. She is also co-founder of the nonprofit Center for Mindful Self-Compassion.


Presented by:

The Department of Family Life and Human Development at Southern Utah University hosts the annual Family Matters Conference. 


Conference Themes

Empower individuals, couples and families to strengthen relationships.

Provide professional development for those who work with families.

Prepare students for real-world problems and solutions.