Workshop: How to survive anxiety and fear? 

A lot of adults and youngsters suffer from unwanted emotions such as anxiety and/or fear, which are often presented as stress related complaints.

In this workshop (1) a neurobiological framework is presented to understand the mechanism underneath these emotions and (2) a variety of body exercises will be explored to enhance coping and to restore balance.  The participants are invited to explore their own anxiety/fear issues and to engage in movement exercises.  The final aim is that participants are able to handle anxiety and fear issues in the clients they work with. (Easy clothing is a must).

An ethnographic reading of the (r)evolution of mental health care in Flanders

Workshop 1: Charming and self-sufficient, goal-oriented and mendacious, dominant and shameless: Donald Trump has already lost his image in his country. Does Donald Trump carry narcissistic, psychopathic or sociopathic features? The American psychologist James Hill explores this question empirically in his lecture 

Workshop 2: Interviewing and interrogation best practices in forensic psychology 

Interactive workshops for participation in community and well-being and recilience as a personality and resource. 

Work related stress is common in professions aiming to help others and among students in related professional fields. By introducing some of the ingredients of resilience and by doing individual and group-level exercises, personal sources of resilience are identified and the participants are equipped with new ideas to continue to enhance their resilience in the future.

The quality of our intimate relationships: about intimacy, desire and infidelity

During this workshop we will explore some important themes in long-term intimate relationships. Through the analysis of case material, we will look at the meaning of different needs and desires in couple relationships. We will reflect on the role of the psychological consultant in addressing couples’ relationship and sexual problems.

If we talk about parents, several legal concepts can be used, which can have different legal consequences. As a social worker it is important to have some knowledge about these (legal) concepts because they help to construct possibilities, but also formulate limits in your work with parents.

  In this workshop we discuss European and international legal concepts on parents and we focus on what this means for your work as a social worker and how to use these concepts. 

Be the change that you want to see in the world (Mahatma Gandhi)

In a constantly changing world, people are challenged to generate new and different opportunities, to enter new paths, to use other perspectives. That is also a reality for future social professionals.  In this workshop we will (re)discover our own creativity during different out-of-the-box-exercises. In this way we will make connection between our potential creativity and essential values in working with people.

 Prevention of sexual aggression with the Flag system

The Flag System is used for the prevention of sexual aggression and in supporting healthy sexual development: making sexuality, desires, boundaries, criteria and gradations of sexual behaviour insightful and a subject of discussion, since it makes talking about sexual behaviour easier. It is a necessary tool, taking into account that in the Netherlands and in Belgium approximately one in  five young people have experienced non-physical or physical sexual aggression.

Psychodrama is an action method, often used as a psychotherapy, in which clients use spontaneous dramatization, role playing, and dramatic self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives. Psychodrama offers a creative way for an individual or group to explore and solve personal problems. It may be used in a variety of clinical and community-based settings; in which, other group members (audience) are invited to become therapeutic agents (stand-ins) to populate the scene of one client.

Building on research at the intersection of personality, community and positive psychology, this interactive workshop will demonstrate the many applications of personal project analysis (Little, 1983) in educational, workplace, and peer support contexts with diverse groups, including marginalized individuals. Personal projects are idiosyncratic goals that are individually defined, personally meaningful and relevant; the sustainable pursuit of these projects -whether they are related to personal, social, or professional development - has been linked to enhanced wellbeing (Little, 2014; Little & Coulombe, 2015). A focus on personal projects provides important implications on the various environments in which people live, work, and receive health/social services, and the role that institutions (e.g., workplaces) can have in hindering and/or supporting the pursuit of projects.

The Personal Project Analysis (PPA) methodology guides individuals in identifying their personal projects and assessing them across a number of social ecological dimensions; the outcome of this process is an individualized wellbeing inventory. The results of this tool can be analysed individually or as aggregated data from multiple members of a same setting, providing actionable results for individual and policy-level interventions and supports.

The participants in this workshop will learn about personal projects and will be guided through a series of exercises to identify and reflect on their own personal project. We will also exemplify the use of this tool and findings from use of PPA in educational (secondary and post-secondary), workplace, and peer support contexts, based on the work conducted in the Flourishing Communities Research Group in Ontario, Canada.

Personality psychologists' have found five factors that describe the unique personality of an indidivual. You are probably already tested on the five factors, without knowing it, for instance when you applied for your last job? Personality is a promising area in the field of positive psychology, since it relates to well-being and happiness. During the workshop John Magnus Roos will present a non-verbal personality scale that is developed in collaboration with the design and innovation agency - Veryday McKinsey. The scale has been presented at international scientific conferances around the world. During the workshop, you will have the opportunity to test the assessment in the field of consumer behaviour.

Workshop organizer: John Magnus Roos, PhD Psychology, MBA Marketing, is a teacher in Social Psychology at University of Skövde in Sweden and a researcher at the Centre for Consumer Research at the School of Business, Economics and Law at University of Gothenburg. 

Healthy Minds, Healthy Schools is a universal, curriculum-based program for elementary school children aimed at improving children's social, emotional, behavioural, and academic functioning. Dr. Tina C. Montreuil and Micah A. Tilley's unique program integrates components of emotion regulation, mindfulness, and metacognition, providing children with practical strategies the can use in everyday life. 

During this workshop you'll be able to participate  in some interactive exercices that are included in the program 'Healthy Minds, Healthy Schools.'

Peer Support – an effective method to prevent bullying in schools and to improve wellbeing of all students. Young people often answer their questions and problems with age or lifestyle peers (‘peers’). Peer support is a preventive method whereby young people support each other to promote a positive school climate. Peer supporters receive a training in which their competencies are strengthened to help others. Heleen Becuwe and Oona Wyns illustrate the benefits associated with peer support both for young people and for educators (e.g. youth workers, teachers, student counselors) and organizations (eg youth work, schools).

Concept Health System’s UnaVoz Troupe is a Holistic, Bilingual, Youth Driven, Peer Education Program aimed at supporting, and empowering youth through performance art, and various forms of creative expression. The program strives to develop an affirming, supportive, drug, and alcohol free environment for Middle & High School students throughout Miami-Dade County.

The A List /UNAVOZ create and perform original plays on topics of interest to teens such as substance abuse, sexual health, dating violence and depression for area youth, professionals, and parents. Trained members’/peer educators provide performances that consist of three parts 1) a short play; 2) a question/answer session where the actors stay in-character; and 3) an open-forum discussion of the play themes led by performers (out-of-character) and Troupe staff.

In Sweden, as well as in other countries, young people today suffer from strong unhealthy behaviour, social pressure, low self-estame and inaccurate body perception. This, of course, causes growing concern in their families and friends – but it is also recognized as a serious problem in society. Public health, School health service and Social workers are initiating MI - motivational interviewing - as a method to help young people to a deeper insight in their situation and to provide them tools for a positive change of life style behaviour.

In this workshop we will use the theory and methodology of Motivational interviewing as a foundation for some laboratory work on the "Stages of change process" and how to incorporate a motivational immunization against backlash.

Anna-Karin Waldemarson is lecturer at the Unviersity of Skövde, School of Health and Education, Social Psychology team. Her teaching focus is on organization, leadership and communication. She teaches at the Social Psyhology Student Program and at the Health Coach Student Program. Her research interest focus on Culture – Health – and Social wellbeing.