A day of workshops exploring psychology short courses @ Birkbeck
When:
—
Venue:
Birkbeck Clore Management Centre
Curious about human psychology and behaviour? Interested in psychology but not sure whether you have the qualifications to study psychology? Work with children and would like more understanding of the application of psychology to education? Wonder whether psychology could enhance your everyday and professional life? If yes to any of these questions, this free event is for you.
The event is open to anyone interested in psychology regardless of educational qualifications or career. The taster event will give you an experience of what’s it like to study psychology at Birkbeck by attending three workshops/talks on various topics related to development and learning, mental & physical wellbeing, and personal/professional development and communication. Each area will have four workshops to choose between, covering child and adult psychology. You will also have the chance to learn about the various ways you can study psychology at Birkbeck.
After you have registered, we will send you a link to indicate your choice of sessions. Please ensure you complete this as soon as you receive it as places are limited. If you have not received the link within a week or signed up by Thursday 15th September, please email psychologycert@bbk.ac.uk. Although we hope to accommodate everyone's first choice, please note that workshops are on a first come first served basis and some workshops may be fully booked.
Development & Learning (10:30 – 11:20)
1. b. Attachment: learning about love, relationships and the self.
What is a good relationship, is love automatic or learnt, and what is the relationship between how children and adults form attachments with others and how they think about and evaluate themselves? During this session Dr Mallaghan will draw on attachment theory to attempt to answer some of these questions and consider why secure attachments and autonomy may increase positive life outcomes and reduce the risks of negative life outcomes.
1.c. Inside the epic high: a glimpse of how the brain responds to pleasure, and the links to the development of addiction.
Chocolate, drug, sex, and exercise are just some of the substances and behaviours that can make us feel happy. Have you ever wondered what they do to our brain? Why have some people developed an irresistible urge to one (or more of these) substance and behaviour? This session will bring answers to these questions; you will explore the basic of the brain as well as discuss how our brain reacts to pleasure from the advance in the field of neurosciences.
1.d. Child development in contexts of migration
Does being an economic migrant, refugee, or asylum seeker have an impact on child development? In this talk, Guilherme Fiorini will present the main theories and research on the effects of migration on child and adolescent development, discussing numerous sociodemographic factors that are associated with different life outcomes.
Mental & Physical Wellbeing (11:30 – 12:20)
2.a. Depression: myths and reality
What is depression, how is it diagnosed and what are the most common forms of treatment? During this session Dr Mallaghan will examine and question some of the common myths about depression. The session will explain what Major Depression is, how it's diagnosed, and what epidemiology data may tell us about who is at risk. An overview of the most common forms of treatment (i.e., CBT, antidepressants) will be provided and consideration given to what works best.
2.b. Caring for Yourself (So You can Better Care for Others)
We often focus on the needs of others both professionally and personally, sometimes forgetting the importance of self-care. This workshop, led by Chartered Psychologist Ana da Cunha Lewin, will discuss what research has revealed about the importance of caring for our own needs so that we can care for others more effectively. We will also discuss some strategies that we can implement to achieve this.
2.c. The psychology of stress adaption.
As we move into a post pandemic world and return to ‘normal’, what are the psychological impact of stress related to lockdowns and the pandemic? Can psychology help us adapt and transition back to normal? Drawing on the Cox adaptive model of stress, Dr Liersch will examine these questions and set out to demonstrate what is needed to reduce the impact of stress and aid our return to a new normal.
2.d. Reimagining Mental Illness: What we know about personality disorders
What are personality disorders? How are they diagnosed and how does a diagnosis impact care? In this session, Dr Wilson will explore the links to childhood disorders such as conduct disorder and will question the idea of psychological “disorders” as discrete illnesses and consider whether this model of categorisation is useful in practice.
Personal development and communication (1pm – 1:50pm)
3.a. How important is intelligence for success?
IQ (intelligence Quotient) scores are associated with various health and social outcomes, but are these the result of intelligence or something else. In this session Dr Mallaghan will briefly outline how psychology defines intelligence, and summarise some of the associations with IQ score, and consider what may explain them and examine the significance of other factors such as motivation and curiosity on both IQ scores and positive life outcomes . The session will be rounded off with consideration of what can be done to level the playing field?
3.b. The impact of social media on happiness, ideas of perfection and choice.
Social media has an increasingly powerful impact on our life, and there is mixed evidence regarding its potential harm. How does social media impact our understanding of happiness, ideas of perfection and the making the right choices for our wellbeing. In this session Dr Liersch will examine these social media constructs and ask whether they fit a psychological understanding of happiness and why can be done to mitigate any negative impact on our psychological and physical wellbeing.
3.c. Supporting children’s positive mental health
What are the factors associated with positive mental health outcomes and wellbeing among children? In this session, Guilherme Fiorini will introduce some key theoretical contributions about this topic and offer some practical tools to identify what children are in need for support.
3.d. The Power of Reflection to Enhance Personal Development and Professional Practice
This workshop, led by Chartered Psychologist Ana da Cunha Lewin, will discuss what research has revealed about the impact of reflective practice on professional and personal development. We will also discuss some effective strategies that we can employ even when time is short.
Contact name:
Katie Mcavelia