Psychological Society annual conference

August 22, 2019

Media Release

The New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPS) annual conference, Rotorua, August 27-30.

Why do prejudices persist in NZ’s ‘fair’ society?

Understanding how people form prejudices and how we can overcome them as a society is the subject of a keynote presentation by leading psychology and public affairs professor, Susan T. Fiske from Princeton University, United States, next week.

Professor Fiske’s presentation will be one of the highlights of The New Zealand Psychological Society’s (NZPsS) annual conference at the Millennium Hotel in Rotorua being held from August 27-30.

More than 300 New Zealand psychologists are expected to attend the conference to gain new insights into mental health and wellbeing treatment from world-leading experts.

NZPsS is the largest professional association for psychologists in New Zealand with around 2000 members, including students. The theme of this year’s conference is “Tuia te o whānau whānai kia puāwai - Our relational world – psychology contributing to human flourishing”.

NZPsS Director of Professional Training and Development, Fiona Howard, says the conference will be covering subjects which have direct relevance to recent national events such as our recent Mental Health and Addictions (MH&A) inquiry and report; how the MH & A system works for minority groups such as Māori or Pasifika; the Christchurch terror attack on Muslims in March; the rights of minority groups and developments in understandings within the trans/non-binary community; resilience in the face of natural disasters (e.g. earthquakes) as well as man-made (e.g. terrorist); building resilience in communities and will be holding dozens of informative workshops on a wide range of topics.

“The NZPsS annual conference goes from strength to strength and it’s heartening to see how many psychologists in NZ are keen to undertake this form of professional development for the betterment of the profession and the mental health and wellbeing of New Zealanders,” comments NZPsS president, Dr John Fitzgerald.

Conference highlights include:

How Humans Evaluate Each Other—and How We Can Be Better, Together. Susan T. Fiske, Princeton University, USA. Wednesday August 28, 2pm Mokoia

Conceptual alternatives to psychiatric diagnosis and the ‘disease model’: The Power Threat Meaning Framework and other perspectives. Peter Kinderman, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool, England. Thursday, August 29, 9.30 am Mokoia

Towards human flourishing-under-stress. What can psychologists learn from innovations in resilience theory and practice? Linda Theron, Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Thursday, August 29, 2pm Mokoia

The Assessment of Risk for Stalking: From Risk Factors to Validated Assessment Procedures. Prof James Ogloff, Foundation Professor and Director of the Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science at Swinburne University, Victoria, Australia. August 28, 12.05pm Millennium Four

Transformation of Trauma through Love and land: Indigenous movements towards healing and thrivance. Dr Michelle Johnson-Jennings (Choctaw Nation Enrolled Tribal Member), Canada. Friday, August 30, 9.30am Mokoia

Counselling Psychological Approaches to Gender and Sexuality. Professor Christina Richards, London, England. Friday, August 30, 2pm Mokoia

How great can we be? Understanding the relationship between Māori identity and perceptions of well-being. Carla Houkamau, Associate Professor, University of Auckland Business School. August 28, 11.00am Mokoia

Democratising psychology for Pasifika and beyond. Dr Monique Faleafa, Clinical Psychologist, Auckland. August 28, 4.30pm Mokoia.

ends

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