Panti Bliss to get award at big psychology conference in Portlaoise

Following two years of virtual flagship events due to the pandemic, this week sees the return of an in-person annual conference for the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI). 

Taking place over two and a half days at the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise, the PSI annual conference commences at 2pm on Wednesday, November 9 culminating with a gala dinner on Friday night.

The event features a world famous psychologists, sports stars and an award for Rory O’Neill (aka Panti Bliss).

 The event presents:

• Professor Steven Pinker as Thursday’s keynote speaker presenting ‘Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters’.
• Professor David Canter as Friday’s keynote speaker presenting ‘Psychology That Counts’.
• A sport and mental health panel discussion with Olympian David Gillick, Irish rugby star Brittany Hogan, and former Laois GAA player Colm Begley of the Gaelic Players Association.
• PSI President’s Citation awarding to Rory O’Neill (aka Panti Bliss).
• PSI President’s citation awarding to Adam Harris of AsIAm.
• Screening of a documentary commissioned in 2020 by the PSI to mark 50 years of the Society.
   

The Society says that over the two-and-a-half-day conference around 180 psychology presentations will take place ranging from individual and poster presentations, as well as workshops and symposia.

Olympian, Rugby star and Laois GAA great speak at Laois event on sports and mental health

It says a wide variety of areas where psychology is applicable will be explored including mental health, social psychology, social justice, sexual and reproductive health, forensic psychology, social media, adoption, autism, child psychology, and education. Among the range of topics in this year’s Conference programme, speakers will be addressing items such as:

• YouTube vlogs and borderline personality disorder.
• Climate change and the psychology of inaction.
• Psychology service supports and intervention in long COVID.
• Relationship between selfie behaviour and self-esteem, body checking, and anxiety in social media users.
• Transgender individuals accessing healthcare.
• Perinatal health during the pandemic.
• Factors that influence recurrent miscarriage care experiences.
   

Dr Vincent McDarby PSI president.

“This is the first in-person PSI annual conference since 2019. One of the key features of the PSI conference has always been to provide psychologists, and often non-psychologists, with a forum to present their research, clinical observations, and general musings on psychology to an audience of peers and we are delighted to once again be able to offer this as an in-person event.

"There is something special about being able to interact with speakers and delegates at an in-person event that cannot be replicated online. However, during the pandemic we all became aware of the importance of being able to access conferences, events, and meetings remotely, so we are making our keynote speaker sessions available to watch live online this year to registered delegates,” he said.

 Click here to view further information on selected presentations being promoted.