This week’s activities (25th April – 29th April, 2016)

This Monday (the 25^th), I’ll be dealing with university business (including analysis of an undergraduate colleague’s research into the fundamental attributional error in our understanding of mental health problems and other people’s response to emotional stress), before heading off to Nottingham for the British Psychological Society’s annual conference, which opens on Tuesday. 

On the Wednesday, I hope – unless something dramatic and unexpected occurs – I’ll take up the reins as President of the Society at the A.G.M on Wednesday afternoon. Before then, I hope I’m going to be able to discuss our plans for policy and public engagement over the next year with our new Director of Policy and Communications at an open meeting (which we’ll have to slip into the programme somehow).

On Thursday 28^th, in my first day as President, I’ll be in London, at a meeting to discuss formulation as a core skill for workers in mental health care – perfectly timed, as Skills for Health are currently looking into exactly this issue. In the evening, I’m a panellist in a discussion about mental health… which I’d love to share in more detail, but unfortunately the Arts Club restricts such information to members.

On Friday 29^th, I’ll be representing the BPS at the launch of the ‘National Guideline Alliance’ led by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and coordinating the production of clinical guidelines on behalf of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). I’ll probably also be trying to catch up with lots of emails !