Toward a Shared Goal: Uniting Researchers, Providers, and Community to Promote a Better Understanding of MAPs
Friday-Sunday, June 12-14, 2026
Location: A scenic, vibrant, and historic city in the southwestern U.S. – Due to the sensitive nature of the conference and our need to prevent disruption by those who may misunderstand its purpose, we’re not publicizing its exact location. Click here if you need more specific location information.
Poster proposals due: April 15, 2026
This conference will facilitate the exchange of ideas among researchers, scholars, mental health professionals, minor-attracted people, and others who have an interest in research on people who are attracted to children or adolescents (MAPs).
Conference Goals:
- Researchers will share emerging research and gain a vision for the direction of future research.
- Clinicians will learn to apply evidence-based therapeutic skills when working with MAPs.
- Both will gain an improved understanding of MAPs’ needs and lived experiences, and apply it to their professional work.
Attendees will have the opportunity to address ethical issues encountered in their work and barriers to research and accessible care, such as courtesy stigma and lack of trust. They’ll also be able to network with colleagues for mutual professional support, mentoring, or other forms of professional learning.
Keynote Speakers:
- Ian McPhail, PhD, CPsych, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
- David Ortmann, MSW, LCSW, author of Sexual Outsiders
Graduate Student Poster Session
B4U-ACT invites graduate students from a variety of disciplines—including but not limited to social work, psychology, criminology, sociology, law, public health, and gender/sexuality studies—to submit poster proposals for the 2026 conference.
This session is designed to highlight emerging scholarship that advances understanding and supports nuanced, ethical, and compassionate approaches to the subject of minor attraction and minor-attracted people, particularly in relation to stigma, public discourse, mental health, and policy.
Poster Topics May Include (but are not limited to):
- Therapeutic models or approaches for working with MAPs
- Stigma, identity, and disclosure narratives
- Media or public discourse about MAPs or minor attraction
- Ethical considerations in research and clinical work
- Cross-cultural or intersectional approaches
- Historical and theoretical analyses of deviance and sexuality
We especially encourage submissions that take critical, strengths-based, trauma-informed, or community-grounded approaches.
Eligibility:
- Must be currently enrolled in a graduate (Master’s or Doctoral) program at the time of submission
- Co-authored posters are allowed; at least one author must meet eligibility criteria
Submission Requirements:
- Author name(s), institutional affiliation(s), and institutional email address
- Title of Poster
- 200–300 word abstract describing your project or proposed project. It should be submitted as a Word or PDF file and contain the following pieces of information, to the extent that they have been determined: your project’s purpose, theoretical perspective, methodology, findings, and sample references.
- Brief statement (1–2 sentences) about how your work aligns with the mission of B4U-ACT
- Click here to submit your poster. (You will be asked to log into your Google account to upload your abstract and statement; if you cannot or do not wish to do this, use this form instead and email your document to proposals@b4uact.org.)
Submission Deadline: April 15, 2026
Notification: Applicants will be notified of acceptance within two weeks after submitting their poster proposal.
Poster Presentation Format: Posters will be presented during a dedicated session at the conference. Presenters may share findings from in-progress work, proposals, or completed research. Posters may be in traditional print form or electronic form. Further guidance will be provided upon acceptance.
If you have any questions, contact proposals@b4uact.org.
