Global Psychology Alliance - Summit
In mid- March over 60 Psychologists from 35+ countries convened in Kingston Jamaica, to explore how we can collectively work together on (some of) the UN Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs).
As per my previous blog post here The Global Psychology Alliance (GPA) facilitates Psychologists from all over the world, to work together, to share resources and support each other, in our collective drive to help others, specifically with the UN SDGs in mind.
The GPA largely works remotely, but every 18 months or so, we come together in one shared location, to re-evaluate our work to date, and to co-create a shared roadmap for the next 18 months. This was GPA’s third summit, and my first! I was blown away.
At the outset, Summit heard from early career Psychologists who have been mentored by later career Psychologists. Their contribution, presence, and talent, were quite literally jaw dropping. Next, we heard from two panels of AI experts and we explored the opportunities and risks that AI can bring to our profession and our clients. Exciting times and a clear need for psychologists to use our voices in this arena!
We heard from Dr. Lilliana Mason about “The American Divide Over Social Pluralism,” and she took us through the evolving political patterns in the US, and their symmetry with past regimes. We heard from Dr. Cynthia de las Fuentes and Dr Alfonso Mercado about their critical work with Migrants, and especially border town residents and separated families. We heard from local Jamaican Senator and Psychiatrist Dr Saphire Longmore about the promising work of psilocybin medicine in the treatment of mental health, and how our host country Jamaica is at the forefront of this important work.
And we heard from the international team at the American Psychological Association, about the upcoming opportunities and challenges that GPA faces in our work, and in particular in our interface with the UN.
For the rest of the time, I was privileged to be one of four facilitators who helped the group co-create a road map for the next 18 months. While we all recognise huge needs, across a diverse range of global issues, we also recognise that as Volunteers, we need to be realistic about what we can achieve. It is tempting to spread our net wide, to try to help everyone, but we know if we do that, with the best of intentions, we will run into too many blockers and the work will stagnate. As such, we worked to identify a core group of priorities, and as a group there was agreement to work on the following four key areas:
- Climate change - from previous summits there has already been a group active in this space, and it was agreed to keep this group operational and to expand its remit
- Mental health - from previous summits too, there has been a mental health group in existence, and it was agreed to keep this group going, and to redefine its terms and scope
- Digitisation - A new group was formed to look at technology, including media/ social media and AI, and it’s impacts on our field and work
- Marginalised and Vulnerable - another new group, formed in response to ongoing worrying trends in human migration, trafficking and sexual violence, and how we as a profession can provide support.
As we all begin to settle back into our respective home countries, families and jobs, our post-Summit work will begin. We are all volunteers to this work, and it is essential that we only bite off what we can chew and that we all work together in an efficient way, that furthers our collective goals. We plan to meet regularly as a wider GPA group, including all those who could not travel but who work tirelessly on these critical issues also. And then the working groups, with their own terms of reference will meet as they see fit, to conduct the work within their remit.
In 18 months’, time we will reconvene, this time in Albania, and who knows what our world will look like then? What I do know for sure however, is that there will be a stellar group of psychologists putting their minds together, to solving whatever it is we face.
And in these times of fear and uncertainty, I have hope. Hope and positive action. And I couldn’t be more grateful or inspired by that!
Huge thanks to our host team in JamPsych Jamaica, all at APA, but especially the international team, and my team of fellow Facilitators. Unending thanks to all the psychologists at GPA who work together, behind the scenes and in front of them, in the hopes of a better world.