Thames Students Partake in International Conference of Indian Academy of Health Psychology

International Conference of Indian Academy of Health Psychology (ICIAHP) is a yearly held event organized by the Indian Academy of Health Psychology (IAHP) - a prestigious and well-known organization dedicated to the advancement of health psychology's professional facets while pursuing the best possible understanding of the field for a high-quality existence. The sole aim of ICIAHP is to examine the global perspective on the rise in the prevalence rate of mental disorders. It also serves as a forum for a number of researchers, health psychologists, and medical health care professionals to share their knowledge and experiences on the conference's theme through academic practices.

The 7th ICIAHP took place at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, from December 22 to December 24, 2022. The conference's focal theme, “Mental Health and Well-Being in Post-Covid Scenario: Global Perspective,” gave academics and aspiring social science students the opportunity to understand the fragility of mental health and to broaden their horizons in order to accept the virtue/s offered in and by the conference. Among the large crowd of people in attendance were the students of Thames International College. The attendees had the opportunity to choose among various sessions and partake in workshops that promoted brain therapy. Topics included were Clinical Health Psychology, Digitized Mental Health Services, Psychiatry and its Application, Cyber Bullying in Digital Era and Psychological Well-being, Trauma Release Mechanism and Exercise, Digital Cognitive Remediation Therapy, Social Responsibility and Health, and many more symposiums/scientific sessions, that lasted for 90 minutes.

Keynote speaker N. K. Saksena, Ph. D., a past sectional president of the Indian Science Congress, spoke during the main session, which covered the topic of mental health and well-being in the post-covid scenario. The discussion focused on the uncertainty and unpredictability brought on by covid confinement, forced isolation, and the widespread effects it still has on everyone's physical, emotional, and social well-being. Additionally, students of Thames participated in an original set of physical exercises as part of the Trauma Release Exercise (TRE), which was guided by Wael Mustafa Abuhassan, Ph. D., faculty at Arab American University of Palestine. The goal of this session was to release persistent physical patterns of stress and trauma.

The 7th ICIAHP also housed many national and international advisories including Dr. Debdulal Dutta Roy (Kolkata Psychology Research Unit), Dr. Waheeda Khan (SGT University, Vladimir Trajkovski (Macedonian SSA), Dr. Narendra Thagunna (Founder TSOP Nepal), Prof. Adela Barcia (Psychotherapist USA), etc. ICIAHP successfully incorporated multi-disciplinary perspectives on mental health, psychosocial well-being, and health psychology through its collaboration with the Association of Clinical Psychologists (ACP), Bharatiya Counselling Psychology Association (BCPA), Association of Psychologists in Nepal (APN), and World Without Anger Nepal (WWA), to name a few.