For peace



The European Union is an ideal of peace. I think we have forgotten too many times about this.


Burkineau, Poland
The European Union is an ideal of peace. I think we've forgotten too many times about this. Europe has lived a historic period of peace since 1945, with some regional exceptions. When we complain about the European directives, the limits to deficit and indebtedness, the mobility or the rules of competition and the market, we may be right or wrong, but we must not forget the fortune that is peace.

Without peace we question the civilizational developments achieved, the economic development, the health, the education, the culture, etc. This, in addition to the suffering costs for the populations, with greater focus, for the poorest and most vulnerable.

Peacekeeping requires dialogue and sharing. Negotiation and respect for the other and for the differences. And we are all responsible! We are responsible when we let them decide for us, when we do not participate continuously in the social and political life of our communities, when we do not inform ourselves about the reasoning of the decisions that involve or affect us, when we only look at our individual and immediate interest without considering the collective and what is sustainable over time.

That is why when I look at recent "developments" in several countries, with very little europeism on the left and on the right, based on the exploitation of fears and / or dissatisfactions, I am not afraid for prosperity or for having to share with those who have nothing and are looking for a safer world to live in (far from wars and conflicts), or I am not afraid for the standardization of some rules ... I fear for freedom and for peace.

European construction it's a welfare, present in our lives. So present that we forget him as we forget the air we breathe, even when we lack it. However, the European Union is a human construction, imperfect, and needs to be improved. More participated and genuinely more inclusive and promoter of the rights and duties of its member states and its citizens. But that depends on whom? It depends on us all.

With different responsibilities, depending on the roles we play. But it concerns all of us. And we have no excuses to say, as a solution, when we do not like something that we see around us and that affects us: stop all this (European Union) because it does not serve us.

We Psychologists, as well as citizens, as professionals, try to contribute to the European construction effort. One of the ways is through EFPA (European Federation of Psychologists Associations), representing more than 300,000 psychologists in the European space (36 countries), for 2 years presided over by a Portuguese, Telmo Mourinho Baptista.

We create partnerships, try to gather synergies, learn from each other's experiences, promoting good professional practices at European level for all consumers of psychology services in this region of the world. EFPA has created EUROPSY, a diploma that recognizes professionals' competences to facilitate mobility in the European space, and that the OPP will soon make available to Portuguese psychologists.

It is a small contribution to networking, to dialogue and the consolidation of relationships between people, professionals and different countries, of a common geographic space with common interests. It is also a very small contribution, for a greater good, peace.

Published in portuguese language in the Sábado online magazine 28/04/2017. 

Talking with Nicola Gale from British Psychological Society...


What do you think will be the main challenge to psychologists in the near future?
As psychologists we need to show how we can make a real difference to the societies in which we live and work, in our own countries, regions (for us Europe) and internationally.  We need to demonstrate what the breadth and richness of our discipline can contribute to solving some of the intractable problems that societies face.  These range from sustainability and climate change, through to the impacts of inequality, exclusion, and poverty.

The European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA) uses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a strategic framework, especially those related to poverty and hunger/ nutrition, education, gender equality, and SDG3 on health and wellbeing for people of all ages, to highlight the contribution that Psychology can make to achieving these strategic goals. The challenge for us, as a global community of professionals, is how we can forge strategic alliances and partnerships that help us to demonstrate the role and value of Psychology. 
Now more than ever, we therefore need to be talking to policy makers about what psychology offers, about prevention and early intervention, and cost effectiveness, to the benefit of the citizens. We need to be talking with our partners about how we can do this together and use our collective strength through EFPA and through the International Union for Psychological Science (IUPsyS) to reach the European and global bodies including EU and UN, presenting our evidence and showing them how psychology can help.

Another challenge for Psychologists comes from within.  Silo working in the sub disciplines of our profession can be deeply ingrained and often a consequence of training, but we need to reach out across the discipline.  We have the opportunity to present a single, unified voice of psychology and, perhaps more importantly, the issues we address are complex and involve key stakeholders from a broad range of disciplines.  We need to forge partnerships and dialogue not just within but also outside the profession. 

Can you talk a little bit about some of the big issues that you have been advocating in your country? 
Making a real difference is at the heart of the British Psychological Society's (BPS) objectives as set out in our impact statement:
"People are equipped with the everyday psychological skills and knowledge to navigate a complex world, knowing themselves and others better. Everyone can access evidence-based psychology to enhance their lives, communities and wider society."
To achieve this, BPS has significantly developed our policy influencing capability across the UK and in the devolved nations (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales).  We use external professional policy consultants to add expertise, leverage contacts and relationships, and provide capacity for our work.  Over the next few months we will be investing significantly in the capacity of our in-house policy team too, to drive our influencing agenda further forward. 
We have set up an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Psychology (APPG) at the UK Westminster Parliament, the purpose of which is to raise awareness amongst parliamentarians and policymakers of the importance and relevance of psychology, with the goal of maximising the impact of psychology on public policy.  The APPG has so far considered topics including work, children and young people, criminal justice, and internet trolling.  Coming up are obesity, and autism. 
We also have a policy presence each year at the main political party conferences (the Conservative and Labour parties).  We go to them in order to progress our policy influencing, build relationships with policy makers and other stakeholders, and ensure visibility for the Society.  The set up facilitates meetings with members of parliament and their staff.  There are ‘fringe events’ too which involve for example politicians, professional organisations, journalists, think tanks, and leaders from public and third sector organisations which address key challenges.  They are good opportunities to make and renew connections with others to contribute to making a difference.   
One of the challenges Psychologists can face is the apparent fragmentation of our message to policymakers, talking about such a wide range of topics (to cite just a few:  work, children and young people, education, mental health, physical health such as obesity, criminal justice, environment … ) that it is not clear what we stand for.  A single-issue body does not have that problem.  Consequently, another important development for BPS has been the development of the Core Policy Framework, which sets out cross cutting themes for our policy asks across practice, research, education and training and public policy, such as prevention and early intervention; that policy should be informed by the psychological evidence base; that human wellbeing should be enhanced. One of our main policy priorities is prevention, with the objective being ‘Governments should commit to prevention and this should be reflected in legislation, policy priorities, budget allocations and departmental targets’. Prevention is particularly relevant when seeking to influence the longer-term policy making of the kind that gets discussed at the party conferences. 
By repeating and re-emphasising the same core policy objectives across all areas of Psychology, we aim to gain traction and build our reputation with policy makers.  It is evident (although it is difficult especially in times of austerity and crisis in public services to get governments to fund prevention and early intervention, and difficult too to get the public to rate prevention as a priority) that these cross-cutting messages are getting some traction. 
In relation to specific campaigns, BPS policy team has driven a long-running campaign in relation to end-to-end reform of the UK Employment Support assessment system for benefits. Other key priority areas include Psychology at Work (focused on the psychological impact of insecure and unstable employment and enabling strength-based employment for those with neurodiverse conditions), children and young people’s mental health, Dementia, Pre-tertiary Education, and the UK Research Excellence Framework which drives much of research and HE funding and academic career progression in the UK. 

What’s the role of psychology for peace worldwide and what do you think that must be improved for that purpose?
Recent political events and shifting social trends have demonstrated the need for what psychology can offer.  Sustaining increasingly-stretched public services is a major challenge.  Services continue to deal with increasing demand as a result of persistent health challenges including mental health, dementia, and obesity; and face the consequent service design and delivery issues, including workforce, funding and investment.
Wider psychological concerns need a wise and reflective response.  Levels of social trust are low, inequality is rising, societies seem divided, and in the current context for the UK and Europe we face the huge political upheavals of Brexit.  This is compounded in the UK by the current domestic political uncertainties both for the UK as a whole and, in different ways, the Devolved Nations.
As the examples of our policy influencing work above illustrate, one of the themes that underlies much of our endeavour is social justice and inclusion.  Social justice is an area many psychologists are passionate about so the emphasis perhaps is not surprising.

We cannot however achieve our aims alone.  Psychology is a global discipline, and advances have been possible due to the fostering of strong multidisciplinary and multinational research networks, grants, and collaboration between and movement of people with expertise.  In the UK, for Psychology, BPS has invested over the last 2-3 years in building and cementing our European and international connections.  These connections and relationships allow us to draw upon a global community of professionals in championing the contribution that Psychology can make.


An important example for us was in the first six months of 2018 hosting the European Semester of EFPA.  The stated aim of the Semester programme is to create a common space in which European psychologists can interact and communicate to foster the sharing and transmission of knowledge and expertise between members and, in turn, to stimulate the ongoing development of a European identity among psychologists across Europe. Our theme for the Semester was Psychology Moving Humanity Forward, which encompassed much of our agenda including equality, diversity and inclusion, policy influencing in particular prevention, good science, and psychology education and training to be proud of in inspiring our next generation. 
What book would you recommend? 
As a keen gardener and beginner allotment holder, I like to get all the knowledge I can from both Alan Titchmarsh and Monty Don, the UK’s ‘head gardeners’ from the BBC programme Gardeners’ World.  As an English Literature graduate probably one book that would never leave my shelves is my Complete Works of William Shakespeare and much is due for a re-read.  For anyone starting out in Psychology with an interest in human wellbeing, Carl Rogers’ On Becoming a Person remains an inspiring doorway.

What music do you enjoy? 
I love the sound of the organ.  I’m a regular attender at the concerts of the London Symphony Orchestra too. 

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Nicola Gale CPsychol FBPsS, HCPC Registered Psychologist, is the Vice President of the British Psychological Society and was President in 2017-2018.
Nicola is a practitioner and academic psychologist, her current post is in the Department of Psychology at City, University of London.  Her professional interests include the provision of psychology services in the workplace (encompassing mental health, wellbeing, support for access and inclusion, working relationships, and support for teams), while her teaching focuses on leadership, professional standards of practice in psychology, diversity, equality and inclusion, and clinical practice and supervision.
Nicola has worked in the National Health Service and was clinical lead and head of service for an occupational health psychology service, with both a clinical mental health and organisational focus, and also has a background in HR development and organisational development and training, as a management consultant and as an accountant. She has consulted to organisations in different industries and sectors, and worked on projects across Europe and internationally.