EFPA's Corner

News from the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations

This year's World Mental Health Day was filled with a variety of messages and statements, conferences on site and discussions on the Internet. We would like to make a great mention of events we were involved in: a major event hosted by the European Parliament, a workshop conference on mental health and digitalization and last but not least - at the invitation of the students of EFPSA, a panel on Mental Health as a Human Right.

We are eagerly awaiting the upcoming event at the United Nations in Geneva on climate change and mental health in Europe organized by our UN expert group. It is an event that will showcase the fantastic work our expert group is doing on the ground!We are also delighted when major projects come to a successful conclusion.This is particularly true of our H-Work project this time. Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who was involved in this project.

Finally, we would like to mention our European semester in Italy, which will come to an end at the turn of the year. Our Italian colleagues have organized a large number of events, demonstrating how strong psychology is in Italy and how great and impressive its impact is on Europe and the world.And we are already looking ahead to the European Semester starting in January 2024, to which our colleagues in Albania have invited us.

I hope you all enjoy reading the News Magazine!

With many thanks and best regards,

Christoph Steinebach - EFPA President

Tribute to Roger Lécuyer (1944-2023)

By former EuroPsy EAC Chair Ingrid Lunt:

Roger was one of the most constructive, insightful and helpful members of the EuroPsy team from the start of the project in 1999 to the completion of the formal project in 2004, and then, most importantly to the implementation of EuroPsy both in France and more widely. As a person, a professional, an academic and an intellectual he combined the perfect characteristics for contributing to the work of the team. He was constructive, he listened carefully, he looked for consensus, and he saw the value and importance of compromise and pragmatism when needed. Another valuable attribute was his ability to ask questions, usually the most helpful, insightful and constructive questions, which helped to move the discussion and debate forward. He believed passionately in the EuroPsy project and was convinced of its value to French psychology.

In France he was able to bring together psychologists from different professional backgrounds, values and belief systems towards a constructive dialogue. He invited me several times to participate in conferences in Paris and I saw at first hand his effective mode of working. Quiet, patient, listening to all points of view, often with a wry smile, he was able to work towards consensus in an impressive manner. In the same way in the EuroPsy team and in a wider European context, he was always there, supporting, listening, quiet yet powerful, a person of integrity and strong values.

I was privileged to be able to work with Roger and we became friends. We enjoyed many discussions together. We also enjoyed together meals and wonderful French wine. He was warm and supportive to me, a loyal and committed colleague to the EuroPsy project. I miss his wise counsel, his gentle manner, his sense of humour and his passionate belief in psychology in France. I send my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Roger.

Ingrid Lunt

Leader of EuroPsy projects and former Chair of EuroPsy EAC

The European Project Erasmus+ “Psychological Early Intervention: Clinical Training (Psych.E.In.)”

By Bessy Karagianni ( Secretary General Greek Psychological Association 
Member Standing Committee Crisis, Disaster and Trauma Psychology)

The European Psychological Early Intervention-Psych.E.In Project was officially conceived during the initial phase of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been funded, by the European Commission through the Polish National Agency for the Erasmus+ Programme, with the aim of providing psychologists, psychotherapists, and psychoanalysts as well as VET trainers with clinical competences in Psychological Early Intervention to support health and wellbeing of the victims of humanitarian emergencies. The project includes, among the project results:

• 2 MOOCs on Early Psychological Intervention in the frame of a trans-theoretical prospective, with interactive methods using videos, cases analysis, exercises, peer evaluations sheets.

• 2 Toolkits on Early Psychological Intervention aimed at taking care of the mental health of psychological staff preventing burn out and consequences of vicarious trauma.

• Collection of Case Studies on Early Psychological Intervention, presenting several cases treated with different methodological approach applied to different emergency settings.

The Polish National Agency, in charge of the assessment and the evaluation of the Psych.E.In. project, recognized it as a Good Practice at European level. To be counted among the good practices by the National Agencies means contributing to the development of the programming of future calls and being taken as a model for the quality of the results pursued.

You can register on the website and attend the online training at your own schedule.

The Project is available free of charge, in 11 languages, English, Czech, Greek, French, Italian, Slovak, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, and Bulgarian.

More information on the project website 

Each webinar serves as a confluence of expertise, featuring a member of EFPA Board of Ethics who is a specialist in the topic under discussion, alongside a convenor from the Board of Ethics. This collaborative format ensures a balanced discourse that combines specialized knowledge with ethical considerations, thereby enriching the understanding of both.

The topics selected are reflective of the Board of Ethics' ongoing commitment to ethical excellence. Some topics have been derived from work previously undertaken by the Board, while others are indicative of the ethical subjects that are currently under consideration for future exploration.

The EFPA Board of Ethics Webinar Series is an invitation to participate in a broader ethical discourse that has far-reaching implications for the practice of psychology in Europe. By fostering a space for open dialogue and critical reflection, the Board aims to contribute to the ethical fortification of the profession, thereby ensuring its integrity and social responsibility.

The EFPA Board of Ethics Webinar Series comprises five webinars, the topics of which are listed below:

• Webinar 1: Conscientious objection in psychology - Can psychologists say no to the clients because of their values?
• Webinar 2: Teaching ethics-Ethics: More than just a process. How to make ethics come alive for your students.
• Webinar 3: Privacy and informed consent (in parents' conflicts)
• Webinar 4: Ethical issues in conducting research involving minors - an analysis of the ethical guidelines.
• Webinar 5: Stigma in psychologists' work.

Resources and recordings of the webinars can be found here on the EFPA website as they happen 

The conference was hosted within the School of Psychology venue, Padova as part of the European Semester programme - scheduled in dual modality for free and open access to EFPA members.

The programme comprised of interactive round tables, illuminating symposia, thought provoking paper sessions, and groundbreaking video posters. It served as an intellectual nexus, uniting experts, scholars, and practitioners in the field of psychological assessment from across the globe. “We thank Silvia Salcuni and her INPA colleagues for organising such an enriching event” stated Nigel Evans, Board of Assessment Chair. “Conference contributors not only presented discoveries, but also posed new questions, challenging the boundaries of psychological assessment across work, education and health contexts.

The conference content is accessible through published abstracts, and recorded sessions on YouTube 