College of Fellows

What is the College of Fellows?

The College of Fellows was formally established in July 2004 following consultation with all Fellows of the Society. A steering group has been set up by the Board of Trustees and Sean Cameron was appointed as its first Chair.

Under its terms of reference the aims of the College are to:

• act as a forum for all Society Fellows (and with this end in mind, the members of the steering group would like to rename this group ‘The College of Fellows Forum’ (CoFF).
• organise events that will focus on big issues of the day, drawing on expertise from across the Society and its sub-systems, following consultation with the Trustees and appropriate Boards to ensure co-ordination
• organise events jointly with external bodies on issues that cut across interdisciplinary boundaries, following consultation with the Trustees and appropriate Boards to ensure co-ordination
• be available to the Society as a resource to provide feedback to the Society on the views of Fellows on current issues
• help the Society identify emergent issues that will need to be addressed

The steering group has a membership eight practitioners and researchers who broadly represent the diverse spectrum of the Society and includes a representative from the Fellowships Committee and the Board of Trustees.

Launch

Following an initial survey of all Fellows, a modest, but highly successful launch ( Psychology and Issues for the Citizen ) of the College took place at the Society’s annual conference. A poster presentation was also given by Laurie Highbed, joint author of the initial Fellows survey analysis.

The responses to this earlier survey of Fellows of the Society were analysed by Louise Earle and Laurie Higbed, Big Issues which Challenge Applied Psychology , and six broad themes were identified - World Issues’, ‘Society’, ‘Image of Psychology’, Health’, ‘Technology’ and ‘Ageing Population’ and, whilst the ‘Image of Psychology’ was perceived as important, the most dominant broad ranging themes were found to be ‘World Issues’ and ‘Society’. The identification of these broad themes will help the College of Fellows to generate research, debate and discussion throughout the BPS, and provide the opportunity for psychological theory relating to a wide range of subjects to feed into the public domain; as many of the issues highlighted are of considerable and immediate interest not only to psychologists, but to every UK citizen.

Early Discussions

have focussed on exploring ways in which the College can contribute to the activities of the Society by:

• drawing upon the expertise of members who have achieved Fellowship status and who, having already achieved many career ambitions, may feel less constrained in speaking either expansively or in a constructively critical manner about contemporary research and practice in Psychology. providing a wider perspective of the applications of psychological research and practice that spans the different branches of psychology and which involves the society membership as a whole
• identifying common themes and issues which connect the different divisions and sections of the Society.
• enabling members of the Society, the public and government recognise how psychology might act as a major, positive force for change at a local, national and international level.

Early suggestions for working towards these objectives have included multi-divisional and multi-disciplinary forums and symposia and the collation and review or research papers.

Promoting Mental Health and Well-being in Communities: Psychological Perspectives

A one-day event open to all members of the Society organised by the College of Fellows

Friday 2 February 2007

The Society's London Office
Tabernacle Street
London EC2A

For more details, including a registration form, please go to www.bps.org.uk/collegeoffellows