 EFPSA new Board of Management

The mandate 2020-2021 has started a bit differently this year as the Congress, which is EFPSA’s biggest event, had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. The Congress was thus transferred in a virtual environment to ensure the transition of mandates. All the team are working hard to adapt to the circumstances, to implement their ideas and make progress, while at the same time staying connected to the rest of the EFPSA Working Community.

 Collaborating with EFPSA!

Are you interested in working with ambitious and motivated psychology students? If you would like to collaborate with our Federation in any way, please leave us your contact details and we will reach out to you whenever there is an opportunity. By sharing your contact information, you are giving us an opportunity to ask you if you would be interested in collaborating with us on a specific project (e.g. being a keynote speaker, presenting your work, delivering a workshop, being part of our webinars etc.).

If you are interested in collaborating with students at conferences, congresses or other events, please fill in this form or send an email to Ana Kraljević (academic@efpsa.org)

We are currently interested in internship offerings to provide for our members. If you are looking for an ambitious and internationally-oriented psychology student to be your intern or you know about internship spots please inform us! For internships please contact Deianara Couwet via vicepresident@efpsa.org.  

 Alumni Board & Network

EFPSA  aims to establish a great foundation of Alumni to benefit from their experience, knowledge and network. We are always looking for more EFPSA Alumni to join our Alumni Network. Have you been in EFPSA before?

 Be part of our Alumni Network by signing up here 

 CoronaCare

CoronaCare is our new, temporary initiative, created by our Social Impact Initiative (SII) team, that tackles COVID-19 and its consequences such as social distancing resulting in loneliness, higher anxiety, etc. SII has already collected both general and COVID-19 specific helplines from 23 European countries and has shared these helplines with our followers. We are also working on increasing awareness and promoting mental health posts. To increase the sense of cohesion, we are planning to create a website where we can share information and anyone can share their struggles (anonymously) in this pandemic. The idea behind this website is to encourage people to talk about their struggles and to have someone listen to them via this platform. If you have any ideas or suggestions that we can do for this campaign, please don’t hesitate to contact Deianara Couwet via vicepresident@efpsa.org!

 EFPSA’s Events

 In line with its mission, EFPSA works on bringing psychology (but not only!) students together on a European level to enrich their concept and application of psychology and encourage skill development in order to contribute to the improvement of the field; have a positive impact on society and its perception of psychology; support scientific and social interaction and cultural exchange between psychology students, academics and professionals. What better way to bring psychology students together than to organise events? EFPSA events are different from other events, always aiming for being more community and environment friendly, offering a chance to psychology students all across Europe to meet, collaborate and establish good networking. There are many different kinds of events, from Training Events (Train the Trainers Summer School, Train Advanced Trainers, EFPSA Academy), research-oriented events (Research Summer School, Conference) and the biggest EFPSA event- the annual Congress that hosts more than 400 students each year. We also organise the Joint Executive Board and Member Representatives Meeting where EFPSA’s entire Working Community meets to work together during a week-long productive time.

This year, due to the CoVid-19 pandemic outbreak and the travel restrictions induced, many events had to be postponed or moved to an online platform instead. This mandate has so far been very challenging for the Events Office, but we have risen to the occasion and chosen to adapt to the situation. Our ever first online event will be the 14th EFPSA Research Summer School, taking place on Zoom from 13th to 19th of July. 

If you feel inspired to contribute to or further improve EFPSA events, please don’t hesitate to contact our Events Officer, Bojana Vujović, at events@efpsa.org.

 EFPSA Research Summer School

EFPSA' Research Programme starts with the Research Summer School, our most scientifically inclined event. At this seven-day event, 36 students immerse themselves into a programme of intercultural research where they have the opportunity to join one of the six research projects led by a PhD supervisor in planning and implementing a 12-month study. Each year the research topics are set against a theme, chosen to reflect a field of contemporary psychology, this year's theme being Occupational and Health psychology: Fostering a Healthier Workplace in and out of the pandemic. Through the years we have established a collaboration with EFPA's Board of Educational Affairs, the Board provides the Research Programme teams with advice about research-related concerns. We are eager to establish collaborations with other EFPA Working Groups in the future and seek advice when opening calls for supervisors.

If you are interested in collaborating with EFPSA's Research Programme contact Ana Kraljević (academic@efpsa.org).  

 EFPSA Train the Trainers

The Train the Trainers is an annual, 9-day long event designed to deliver its participants foundational experiences and skills relating to non-formal education methods - commonly referred to under the umbrella term ‘training’. The programme features lectures, training and opportunities for building practical experiences. The event represents an initial platform from which students may graduate and work towards joining the ‘EFPSA Trainer’s Pool’ - a training initiative of the Training Office.

Due to the pandemic, this year’s TtT has been postponed from August 2020 to February 2021, taking place in Azerbaijan.   

 35th EFPSA Congress

The annual EFPSA Congress is a week-long event which gathers 350 to 500 psychology students, academics and researchers from across Europe. The Congress, which typically takes place between the months of April and May, is composed of a diverse scientific programme exploring a specific theme every year with contributions from students, researchers and experienced academics and a social programme which provides participants with the opportunity for cultural and social exchange. Thus, the EFPSA Congress is a unique opportunity for psychology students to broaden their scientific and personal horizons.
Additionally, Congress is an important event for the Federation as this event marks the start of the new mandate for the Member Representatives and Executive Board. The Executive Board and Board of Management are elected at the EFPSA Congress, after which they immediately assume their duties and begin to develop their projects during their week at the Congress.

Each year, the host country of the EFPSA Congress changes. There have been 33 Congresses to date, which have been organised in 24 different countries. The 34th EFPSA Congress was held virtually for the purpose of the mandates change, while the 35th EFPSA Congress will hopefully take place in the Netherlands, in April 2021, covering the topic of ‘’The Paradox of an Open Mind- Cycling Through Controversies’’.

Written by 

Vita Bogdanić 
President of EFPSA (European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations)  

EAAP – European Association for aviation psychology 

Joint Statement by leading European aviation organisations on mental well-being, impacted by COVID-19

1 July 2020

Statement of concern:

As practitioners involved and concerned in the health and well-being of those employed within the aviation industry, and in particular those who play safety critical roles in the operation (e.g. on the flight deck, cabin, ramp, engineering, maintenance, air traffic control), we would like to register our increasing concern relating to the physical and mental health impact of the ongoing job losses and employment insecurity each part of the sector is facing as a result of Covid-19.  

Some aircrew professionals may themselves have suffered from Covid-19 infection and be affected by the well-reported clinical and psychological sequelae of illness, which may persist from an as yet undetermined period, whilst it is possible that certain individuals may be rendered unfit for duty. The financial crisis facing this industry and the inevitable cost reductions add to the possible or actual effects of COVID-19 infection. Many aviation employees are now facing the loss of their jobs, reduced terms and conditions, and the prospect of ongoing employment insecurity in an uncertain and volatile future.  

These impacts on individuals' health - both physical and mental – are profound and farreaching. It is highly likely that the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis could have a direct impact on flight safety in a variety of ways, if not anticipated and managed properly. In this respect, 'Just Culture' principles, aiming to foster fairness and safety, should also be adhered to in the COVID-19 crisis.  

EAM-WELL therefore urges all stakeholders to implement the following actions:

Aviation Professionals: We recognise that you are facing challenging circumstances not of your own making and for many, beyond your control. If you have questions or need support, we would encourage you to reach out. While it may not always be obvious where and how, we would encourage you to persevere - there are various resources, avenues, and multitudes of people, volunteers and professionals who are standing ready to support you as best as they can. Many aviation professionals may be 'suffering in silence'.  

We strongly encourage you to reach out and seek support. We specifically recommend approaching peer support services, AMEs, occupational health doctors and nurses, family (GP) doctors and practice nurses, psychologists and psychiatrists who are duty-bound to provide the best care available and to work to the highest levels of clinical confidentiality.  

Outcomes for professional support for mental health are excellent.  

More information 