MALVERN, Pa., Oct. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — HMP, a leading healthcare event and education company, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with the Milton H. Erickson Foundation to acquire the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference, the world’s largest independent educational event for mental health professionals. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Established in 1985 in celebration of the 100th birthday of psychotherapy, the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference covers emerging research, theory, and clinical practice. Notable keynote speakers have included a range of prominent individuals: Elliot Aronson, Herbert Benson, Betty Friedan, Robert Sapolsky, and Nobel Laureate, Gerald Edelman. More than 8,000 professionals from 50 countries participated in the last conference.

“We look forward to adding the Evolution conference to our portfolio,” said Jeff Hennessy, chairman and CEO, HMP. “This acquisition supports our strategy of building a global portfolio of best-in-class healthcare events and expands our established mental and behavioral health franchise. Above all, we were attracted to this meeting because of the critical role psychotherapy plays in treating persons struggling with mental illness. This meeting provides an additional opportunity for HMP to connect clinicians and other professionals with groundbreaking psychotherapy research and deliver clinically relevant education that will improve mental health care in the U.S. and around the world.”

The acquisition further solidifies HMP’s dominant position in mental and behavioral health. In 2018, HMP acquired the Institute for Behavioral Healthcare (IABHC), a prominent provider of education for front-line clinicians, mental health and substance use treatment center executives, public health professionals, and law enforcement officials and includes the Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit, the largest gathering of government and public health officials working to address the opioid epidemic. In 2012, the company acquired the U.S. Psychiatric & Mental Health Congress, now known as Psych Congress, the largest independent mental health meeting in the U.S. Over the past 7 years, HMP has significantly expanded the portfolio through the development and launch of relevant, complementary offerings, including Elevate by Psych Congress, an educational conference for emerging clinicians; Psych Congress Regional meetings; and the Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Learning Network, a year-round digital resource for mental health professionals. With this latest agreement, HMP will produce more than 300 international, national, regional, and local events across 10 therapeutic areas.

“We are pleased the Evolution meeting will become part of HMP’s robust educational portfolio,” said Jeffrey K. Zeig, PhD, founder and director of the Milton H. Erickson Foundation. “This opportunity allows us to capitalize on synergies within HMP’s expansive network of mental and behavioral health professionals, accelerating our ability to bring the global mental health community together to share ideas, identify commonalities, promote convergence, and highlight the unifying principles that guide effective and successful clinical work.”

About HMP
HMP is the force behind Healthcare Made Practical—and is a multichannel leader in healthcare events and education, with a mission to improve patient care. The company produces accredited medical education events and clinically relevant, evidence-based content for the global healthcare community across a range of therapeutic areas. Its brands include Consultant360, the year-round, award-winning platform relied upon by primary care providers and other specialists; Psych Congress, the largest independent mental health meeting in the U.S.; EMS World Expo, North America’s largest EMT and paramedic event; and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC), the largest wound care meeting in the world. For more information, visit hmpglobal.com.

About the Milton H. Erickson Foundation
Established in 1979, the Milton H. Erickson Foundation is a federal nonprofit corporation formed to promote and advance the contributions to the health sciences by the late Milton H. Erickson, MD. It has grown to become one of the most globally recognized and influential organizations in the field of psychotherapy and fulfills its mission through the organization of congresses, workshops, programs, and the development of clinically relevant content for mental health professionals. For more information, visit erickson-foundation.org.

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