PROVO — The nationally respected experts in the School of Family are among the presenters each year at two Brigham Young University conferences that coincide with LDS General Conference.

The 2004 "Families Under Fire" conference is scheduled Oct. 4 and 5 to allow out-of-state visitors to General Conference on Oct. 2 and 3 to stay over and seek help with difficult issues such as mental illness, pornography and suicide.

Heading into its fifth year, "Families Under Fire" complements the April "Family Expo," said Rob Holcombe, program administrator for BYU Conferences and Workshops.

"Where 'Family Expo' centers on a gospel-centered home and how we set that up," Holcombe said, " 'Families Under Fire' deals with the fact that problems arise and there are difficult issues and we try to provide practical concrete help to the lay person who needs to find particular people who can provide specific help and to ecclesiastical leaders who have not necessarily had much background or training in difficult areas."

One of the scheduled speakers is Elder Alexander B. Morrison, a general authority emeritus of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who will speak on "Mental Illness and Families."

Other speakers include Stephen R. Covey and Richard and Linda Eyre.

BYU family experts like Terry Warner, Robert Stahmann and Mark Butler also will speak.

The presentations will address the conference's theme, "I will not leave you comfortless," through issues like stress and children, intimacy in marriage, parenting teens and dealing with loss.

"It's not just a research conference, but a practical, how-to program for resolving particular issues," Holcombe said.

The conference annually draws 300 to 400 people. Holcombe said the numbers allow participants to ask questions and receive specific answers from presenters.

For more information, call (801) 378-8925 or visit familiesunderfire.byu.edu.

---

E-mail: twalch@desnews.com