It is with great pleasure that we invite you to the 8th world congress of psychotherapy that will be held in Paris, France from the 24th to the 28th of July 2017, at MAISON DE L'UNESCO.

This 8th congress of the World Council for Psychotherapy, that the French Federation of Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis and its partners, the French League of Mental Health and the Minkowska Center, have the great honor of organizing, is conceived within the exceptional framework of this century of globalization. This global era questions our psychotherapeutic practices, their theoretical foundations and is also the meeting point between psychotherapy and different anthropological, sociological, epistemological, and ethical representations.

Sharing and exchanging both our hopes and our practices is the goal of this congress.

It will also aim to lay the foundations for a common ground for all future practices of listening to psychic suffering, psychological distress and psychiatric disorders of individuals.

The World Council for psychotherapy wants to take into account the rich history of the great changes that have affected mankind in his or her relation to the world, so that we may engage in a global debate, above and beyond our respective national practices.

The aims of this congress focus on several paradigmatic axis:

- Life must remain stronger than destructive violence

- Love is always the foundation of our humanity and our interpersonal, social, and familial relations

- The fight against psychological distress and psychiatric illness is both a humane and ethical duty

- The exceptional meeting of many specialists in psychotherapy, from five continents is a humanistic necessity in order to include all the different types of psychotherapy from all the modalities, so that there may be a rich exchange of experience and ideas.

Psychotherapy is recognized as an inevitable and effective way to treat mental disorders and alleviate the mental suffering of patients. However, it is also an important determinant for the evolution of the human being and the human way of thinking

Psychotherapy also contributes to the creation of social connection by releasing the individual from the fear of the other and also fear of him or herself.

Affirming our freedom, our identity, our values and the professionalism of our profession is also a powerful civic and political act in the current global context.

We are counting on your presence at this magnificent event and hope to see you at UNESCO in Paris on July 24th to the 28th, 2017!