DANGEROUS
STORIES
A THERAPY SALON
October 1–3, 2026 · Beckman Center · Irvine, California
MORE THAN A CONFERENCE.
A SALON.
Dangerous Stories is a gathering where mental health meets culture, art meets activism, and healing meets the hard questions we are afraid to ask.
This is not a typical clinical conference. It is three days of keynotes, workshops, live art, conversation, and a little dancing, all built to challenge how we think about therapy, identity, and what it means to be human right now.
Hosted by California Family Institute, 100% of proceeds support our mission to bring sliding-scale therapy to Orange County families who need it most.
KEYNOTES
Three mornings, three thinkers who challenge the status quo on mental health, culture, and society.
WORKSHOPS
Small rooms, real conversation, and a choice of two every session. Disagreement is welcome.
ART IN THE BUILDING
Two works installed for all three days, one of them hidden somewhere in the building.
SALSA
Thursday ends on the dance floor. Because dangerous ideas deserve one.
The venue
The Beckman Center of the National Academies
100 Academy Way, Irvine, CA 92617
(949) 721-2200
- Getting here
- 3 miles from SNA
- John Wayne Airport
- Parking
- Free
- On site, no permit required
- Dates
- October 1–3, 2026
- Thursday to Saturday
With support from

Residential and outpatient mental health treatment for adults and teens.

Home-based clinical care for families in Orange County.

Professional liability insurance and risk management for mental health professionals. trustinsurance.com — The Trust, opens in a new tab
Our supporters help fund the salon. They have no role in selecting content, presenters, or continuing-education material. California Family Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
KEYNOTES
Living Otherwise
marcela polanco
Trauma and Transference
Catherine Liu
Beyond Therapy
Chris Hoff
Up to 16 CE hours
PRESENTERS
Helping Couples Reclaim the Relationship They'd Meant to Create
Larry Zucker
Who Has the Right to Mandate Living?
J D'Arrigo
A Human Experience
Jonathan Miranda
I'm Not Going to Give You a Map
Courtney Olinger
Unreasonable Curiosity: The Problem is not the Problem
Heather Black-Coyne
Reclaiming the Myth
Danny Livingston
Embodied Connection - Beyond the Thinking Mind
Heather Sprague
Notes from My Suicide Reading Project
Will Sherwin
Eating Disorder Resistance and Recovery
Stacy Marsh
First Couple Session
Charley Lang
Improvisation for Therapists
Casey Tucker & Mariia Shurkhal
Narradrama
Kamran Afary & Pam Dunne
Undercover Anti-Bullying Teams
Michelle Myers
Scribbling Your Practice
Jonny Kosmo
The Library of Repair
Dea Jenkins
Classified
Finishing School
SECURE YOUR SEAT
Three days of bold conversation, up to 16 CE hours, and 100% of proceeds supporting CFI’s sliding-scale therapy mission.
CAMFT CE provider #1000083 · What counts toward CE
CE credit
Up to 16 CE hours. California Family Institute is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, and LPCCs (CAMFT provider #1000083). California Family Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Refunds, grievances, accommodations, and certificates: CE details.