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European Semester of Psychology

The British Psychological Society is extremely proud that the UK has been chosen as a host for the European Semester of Psychology in 2018.

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The European Semester of Psychology is aimed at creating a common space in which European psychologists can interact and communicate so as to foster the sharing and transmission of knowledge and expertise between members and, in turn, to stimulate the ongoing development of a truly European identity among psychologists across Europe.

During the six month period in which they play host to the European Semester, member countries are expected to organise numerous events and meetings, welcome visiting delegates and colleagues from other associations, and promote materials and information on both current and historical developments within psychology, both at home and abroad.

Europe is also set to host the following events, the ECP of EFPA and the ICP of the International Union for Psychological Science:

European Congress of Psychology 2019 logoThe European Congress of Psychology 2019

International Congress of Psychology 2020 logoThe International Congress of Psychology 2020

For more information on the the UK's period hosting the European Semester of Psychology please consult the tabs below.
 

Between January and July 2018 the BPS held a number of events for the various divisions which make up the Society, considering how best to promote increased cooperation and collaboration with other associations across Europe.

In addition to our regular events we also hosted the following events for EFPA:

Image of EFPA Director Sabine SteyaertThe following information was provided to us by Sabine Steyaert, Director of the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations

The European Federation of Psychologists' Associations has 37 member associations from 37 countries, including all 28 EU countries.

The largest associations are those from Italy (approx. 98,000), Spain (approx. 68.500), and the UK (approx. 70,000), and the smallest are Malta (130), San Marino (46), and Liechtenstein (40).

Collectively the number of psychologists represented by these associations is over 300,000, and include both practitioners and academic/research psychologists.

The member organisations of EFPA are concerned with promoting and improving psychology as a profession and as a discipline, particularly (though not exclusively) in applied settings, with an emphasis on the training and research associated with such practice.

Mission

The mission of EFPA is to promote the development, dissemination and application of psychology in Europe in all its forms, and to contribute to shaping a humane society, in Europe and beyond, on the basis of psychology’s expertise.

One of the federation's major goals is to further the integration of practice with research as part of a continued effort to promote the further inegration of psychology as a discipline.

What EFPA Does

As an organisation EFPA fills a number of roles and provides a variety of services, resources, and facilities to both member associations and to the general public, including:

  • representation, advocacy and lobbying at European level
  • the promotion of psychology education, research and profession
  • EuroPsy Certification
  • Test User Accreditation
  • support for Member Associations
  • European projects
  • advice on professional affairs, work areas, new developments
  • publicity and information sharing
  • the European Congress of Psychology
  • European awards
  • The European Psychologist (journal)
  • the EFPA News Magazine

Structure of the Organisation

The highest body in the federation is the General Assembly, with the central position held by the Executive Council, and all administrative matters handled by the Head Office.

The federation also incorporates a number of committees, of which the major ones are its Boards, Standing Committees, Task Forces, and those related to EuroPsy and Test User Certification.

Executive Council and EFPA Groups

The Executive Council is comprised of 7 members, all of whom are a volunteers kind enough to give some of their limited time over to EFPA matters. The current members are from Portugal (President), Lithuania (Secretary-General), Germany (Treasurer), Cyprus, Italy, Croatia, and Norway.

The number of Committee Members, who are also all volunteers, is 375, hailing from 33 different countries.

As you can see, EFPA is a largely volunteer-run organisation where most of the work is done by psychologists whose main responsibilities lie with other organisations/institutions.

Staff

The EFPA Head Office has a staff of 2.75 FTE (4 persons), which is similar to that of the smaller Member Associations.

For comparison, the BPS (UK) has almost 100 staff, the NIP (NL) around 60, and the NPF (NO) approximately 45.

Where Can You Find EFPA?

Website

Facebook: www.facebook.com/europeanpsychology

Twitter: @EFPA_EuroPsy

LinkedIn

NewsMagazine

EFPA logoThe European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (EFPA) exists to provide a forum for comunication and cooperation in a wide range of fields, including academic training, professional practice, and scientific research.

As an organisation EFPA currently represents over 300,000 psychologists, from 37 different member nations.
 

The British Psychological Society is one of 37 current members of EFPA, and the third largest in total.

As the representative body for psychologists in the UK we are responsible for the development, promotion, and application of psychology for the public good. 
 

European Certificate of Psychology logoEuroPsy is a European standard of education and professional training in psychology set by EFPA, the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations.

For more information about EuroPsy, including how to obtain a Certificate, please click here.

The thoughts and opinions found here, including those by BPS members as well as those provided by our European colleagues, are those of the author(s), and should not be taken to represent an official policy statement or position of the Society.

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The videos below showcase the highlights from our keynote speakers at the 2018 BPS Annual Conference.

International Psychology at the BPS Conference

Telmo Mourinho Baptista - EFPA President's Address

To view the full version of this video please click here.

Ulrika de Ponte - European Semester

To view the full version of this video please click here.

Joint BPS / Psychological Society of Ireland Lecture

To view the full version of this video please click here.

International Round Table

To view the full version of this video please click here.

Quentin Abraham – New Zealand

Conny Antoni – Germany

Telmo Mourinho Baptista - Portugal

Amanda Clinton – USA

Teresa Espassandium – Portugal

Anna Leybina – Russia

Lyn Littlefield – Australia

Robertas Povilaitis – Lithuania

Sofia Ramalho – Portugal

Koen Ringoot – Belgium

Francisco Rodrigues – Portugal

Marko Vrtovec – Slovenia

In recognition of our time as host of the European Semester of Psychology the Wiley Online Library has collated a number of freely-available British Psychological Society journals on the theme of 'Psychology Moving Humanity Forward'.

These papers will be freely available online until the 31st of May 2019.

Visit the Wiley site to access the collection

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