Join the National Conference on Mental Health

Psychological Research Club 'Experior' of the University of Gdańsk, the Independent Students' Association and the National Representation of PhD Students invite you to a nationwide conference on mental health 'Health in your head'. - 'With the participation of the most eminent experts we will talk about the deteriorating condition of the mental health of Poles, with particular emphasis on the group of students and doctoral students and the role of education in these problems and psychological support at universities,' - says dr Paweł Atroszko from WNS UG.

The national mental health conference 'Health in your head' will be held online, on October 23-24, 2021.

- 'The state of our mental health is deteriorating. This is a fact. This is unfortunately also evident among young people. We have been facing a crisis in child psychiatry for many years, there is a shortage of doctors and patients are not getting the help they should. The structure of mental problems is also changing. In the past, they were more externalised and manifested themselves through, for example, vandalism or the use and abuse of alcohol by young people. Today children and young people suffer silently, sitting at home, self-harming, facing anxiety and depression, and especially problems in their relationships with their peers. This conference will be an excellent opportunity to talk about mental health problems with the greatest specialists in this field and to think together about solutions,' - says dr Paweł Atroszko from WNZ UG, the supervisor of the scientific club 'Experior', co-organiser of the conference.

On the first day, the conference will be held on the MS Teams platform, and on the second via Youtube. Both on 23 and 24 October it will be streamed to social media - anyone interested will be able to follow it on FB.

- 'We strongly encourage all people interested in the topic of mental health to take part in this initiative, which can help in a broader dialogue and development of cooperation between experts from different areas of knowledge and experience, as well as representatives of different generations - from students, through PhD students, researchers and practitioners at the beginning of their careers to outstanding experts in their fields,' - adds dr Paweł Atroszko.

The conference will culminate in a social debate with the participation of specialists in psychology, psychiatry and psychotherapy, representatives of non-governmental organisations dealing with mental health issues, as well as representatives of state authorities, including the Ministry of Health.

Among the speakers will be prof. Marta Bogdanowicz - clinical child psychologist, former director of the Institute of Psychology of the University of Gdańsk. The founder and long-standing president of the Polish Dyslexia Association and vice-president of the European Dyslexia Association, dr Jacek Moskalewicz - sociologist. Since 1988 member of the Panel of Experts of the World Health Organization. Winner of the prestigious Jellinek Memorial Award, prof. Dominika Dudek - psychiatrist. Head of the Department of Psychiatry and the Adult Psychiatry Clinic of Collegium Medicum of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, dr Piotr Toczyski - assistant professor at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the M. Grzegorzewska Academy of Special Education in Warsaw, head of the Media and Social Communication Sociology Unit of the APS, and a three-year researcher in action for public health in Poland, dr Katarzyna Julia Kowalska - PhD in legal sciences, legal counsel, Chairman of the Council of Young Experts at the Patient Ombudsman, Member of the Bioethics Committee at the Institute of Mother and Child, Vice-Rector for Teaching at the Pedagogium School of Social Sciences in Warsaw, dr Tomasz Rowiński - Assistant Professor at the Department of Personality Psychology of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. He is also the Director of the Psychology Institute at this University, dr Paweł Atroszko - an assistant professor at the Department of Psychometrics and Statistics of the Institute of Psychology at the University of Gdańsk. Author of over 90 scientific works, manager of international and national research projects in the field of behavioural addictions, prof. Bogusław Śliwerski - pedagogue, professor at the University of Łódź and the M. Grzegorzewska Academy of Special Education in Warsaw and chairman of the Committee on Pedagogical Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences from 2011 to 2019, prof. Dorota Klus-Stańska - head of the Childhood and Schooling Research Unit operating at the Institute of Pedagogy, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Gdańsk and the Psychological Research Club 'Experior', which has been operating at the Institute of Psychology University of Gdańsk since 2014 and focuses on preparing students for scientific research, as well as intervention and social projects.

More information about the conference

Elżbieta Michalak-Witkowska/Press Office of University of Gdańsk