Sustainable and Greener EFPT

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As you may know, we need to face one of the largest challenge of humanity, global warming. Global warming will have a large impact on public health and psychiatry in particular. Public health scientist expect more migration, more stress, more post-traumatic stress disorder and we can also expect anxiety and depression issues connected with this large problem. All this can seem hopeless if there is not a major shift in the history of our civilization. Does it make sense to take a plane to meet for few days and then come back to your life as nothing happened?

It seems legitimate to be interested in this topic since we, European psychiatrist, will have an impact on the environment, we will face patients concerned about it and we can have particular interest about how we can inspire other people, drive change and fight against helplessness.

 

Source: https://www.psychologyforasafeclimate.org/

 

That’s why, with colleagues last year, we suggested to create an eco-friendly EFPT temporary working group to try to make EFPT as much sustainable as possible. Here are some facts and advice, even though I don’t want to induce reactance on you!

 

By the way, that’s an advice: don’t give advice to people, train rather motivational interviewing. Yes, you’re right, you fall in a paradox 🙂

 

– How long do you have to travel to Prague? Prague is a very nice city. If you need to travel to the forum and then to another destination for your holidays, you double your impact: try to use your trip to do both. Environment and your purse will be happier about that. Check the environmental impact of your trip here.

– Consider to use the train instead of the plane or consider multimodality. There are some night buses from Munich, Germany. Consider sharing some travel costs with another European colleague and take the opportunity to chat and discover another culture. The forum is short, you will see! Share the taxi fees and be inclusive when you need to move. Let’s check on the WhatsApp group before.

– What will you bring to the EFPT international night? Avoid Industrially processed food that contains high levels of saturated fats, trans-fats, free sugars and salt/sodium. Consider your meat consumption and avoid food waste. Nature would love that!

 

– Think about your consumption: is it possible to avoid non-reusable tableware?

– Think about new technologies: can you replace a meeting or even a lecture with new technologies? I was invited to a congress in Poland and suggested to record the talk and to chat with participants if there were questions. It was accepted and it is a wonderful opportunity to share the video again after, like this!

– The most important thing is to take as many as possible opportunities from this meeting and to share it to others. You will represent your country during EFPT and try to share what are the best ideas from it. The psychotherapy guidebook came from the idea of a small presentation of psychotherapies in our National Trainee Association in France and then this idea turned to a very large book written by dozens of trainees and much more accessible to everyone. Then, when you will be back in your country, you will represent EFPT and, please, share the opportunities that you get to increase the impact of your experience.

 

I am sorry. There is no easy solution to this large issue and denial could be easier. I hope it will inspire you to consider this issue. Definitely, I hope that’s not a spoil, winter is not coming.

 

“Psychology cannot tell people how they ought to live their lives. It can, however, provide them with the means for effecting personal and social change.”

Albert Bandura, Social Learning Theory, 1977

 

Don’t hesitate to join Anna Szczegielniak, who prepared this material with me, and take the leadership on this matter. To go further, I think we need to think about how to to make general recommendation applicable in practice with and for the future LOC in Romania and beyond.

 

Link to the first draft of the

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE AND CLIMATE-FRIENDLY EFPT’s MEETINGS

 

I wish you a nice forum in Prague!

 

Thomas Gargot former IT and former chair of Psychotherapy working group (these positions were already recycled)

 

 

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