CEFTUS Public Forum in the House of Commons

16 October 2017,
House of Commons
The Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS) put on a public forum in the House of Commons on the issue of suicide among the Turkish, Kurdish and Turkish Cypriot diasporas of Europe. The event was hosted and chaired by Heidi Alexander MP and featured keynote speakers Ozlem Eylem of the Centre for Psychiatry Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine; Dr Aradhana Perry of East London NHS Foundation Trust, City & Hackney Directorate Department of Psychology, The Raybould Centre, Homerton Hospital; Dr Esra Caglar, Consultant Child Psychiatrist and Adolescent Psychiatrist of the Tavistock Clinic; Nursel Tas, Chief Executive Officer of DERMAN; Ertanc Hidayettin, Educationalist and Columnist; Dr Cemal Kavasogullari, General Practitioner at Woodstock Medical Center; and Dr Erminia Colucci, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, School of Science and Technology at Department of Psychology of Middlesex University.

Dr Erminia Colucci presented her research regarding the cultural impact of suicide rates around the world. She contrasted the experiences of Italy and India, where suicide rates are low and high respectively. Dr Colucci spoke about how suicide is gendered, giving the examples of India again, where abuse against women is prominent, and Australia where a harmful culture of “macho” masculinity is prominent. She detailed how there is a higher risk of suicide among second generation immigrants and gave examples of gendered reasons for suicide among the Turkish diaspora, with one-quarter of female Turkish migrants in Switzerland saying that violence in the family was the main problem. Dr Colucci explained how migrant women are trapped by economic and cultural barriers, with less access to healthcare services and greater levels of social marginalisation. She concluded by calling for suicide prevention to go beyond simply clinical measures, with multi-sectoral, multi-component approaches needed.

You can view the debate here: http://ceftus.org/2017/10/17/westminster-debate-suicide-in-turkish-kurdish-cypriot-diasporas-in-europe/

Alex Jones and Jon Silas: Live Science at the Science Museum

In the latest Live Science experiment at the Science museum, Alex Jones and Jon Silas are investigating the relationship between awareness of our own actions and empathy with others.

They are leading the ongoing research taking place in the Who Am I gallery as part of Live Science. The research they are conducting as part of the project is in collaboration with Prof. Tina Forster & Dr Beatriz Calvo-Merino from City University.

Check out their latest blog post, 'Is there a link between you and me?' here:
https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/is-there-a-link-between-you-and-me/  

Alex and Jon are at the Science Museum every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until November 18 2017 in the Who Am I? gallery, during museum opening times. It's well worth a visit! 

Research Seminar: Visiting Speaker Dr Jennifer Mayer (University of Roehampton)

*** Everyone Welcome! No need to book in advance*** 

Date: Thursday 2nd November
Time: 12:00-13:00 
Room: College Building C138

Dr Jennifer Mayer (University of Roehampton)

Sensory atypicalities in high-functioning adults with ASD and the broader autism phenotype

Abstract: 

Sensory functioning atypicalities are a common feature in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and are now included within the ASD diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5. Dr Mayer’s research talk will explore sensory processing behaviours within auditory, olfactory and visual modalities in high functioning adults with ASD as well as the extent to which sensory atypicalities within these modalities are associated with autistic traits in the typically developing population. Current research, in collaboration with her PhD student, examining the impact of background noise on visual processing of complex and dynamic social scenes in high functioning adults with ASD will be also be discussed.

Biography: 

Dr Jennifer Mayer received her PhD in 2013 from Goldsmiths College, University of London. In 2012, she joined the Psychology Department at the University of Roehampton where she is now a Principal Teaching Fellow and convenes the BSc Psychology programme. Jen’s main research interests are Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), sensory atypicalities, the broader autism phenotype, self-developed coping mechanisms in adults with ASD and experiences of receiving an ASD diagnosis

Podcast with Dr Erminia Colucci

A quarter of the world’s population will be affected by a mental disorder at some point in their lives (WHO), and in low and middle income countries up to 85% of people with severe mental disorders receive no treatment. In this podcast Dr Erminia Colucci, who was recently appointed Senior Lecturer at Middlesex University Department of Psychology, discusses global mental health and her work in suicide prevention and human rights issues in low and middle income countries.
https://soundcloud.com/soasradio/development-matters-global-mental-health 

Promoting Psychology Students’ Critical Thinking Skills: Challenges and Opportunities Conference

Promoting Psychology Students’ Critical Thinking Skills: Challenges and Opportunities

Richmond, The American International University in London is pleased to announce a one-day conference to be held at its Kensington Campus on 10^th November 2017

(Lecture Theatre, 17 Young Street, London, UK, W8 5EH).

This conference brings together psychologists and Higher Education practitioners, all united by a mutual concern for the development of strategies that can improve shared understandings of critical thinking in the teaching of Psychology. The conference will focus on current debates in the field and will explore whether critical thinking can be incorporated in a more explicit way in the curriculum; the role of technology and innovative teaching methods in promoting such skills in Psychology students will also be discussed. 

 How to register:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/promoting-psychology-students-critical-thinking-skills-challenges-and-opportunities-tickets-38891528609

The link includes detailed information on the event.

Delegate registration fee: £4.00

The delegate registration fee includes access to conference

sessions, lunch, all-day refreshments and afternoon wine reception.

Dr Lucy Irving from our department will be taking part as follows:

13:00 – 13:45: SESSION 3

Enhancing Critical Thinking in Psychology Students: The Dancing Statistics Project