3457 - THE GLOBAL PSYCHOLOGY ALLIANCE WORKING GROUPS

Session: 3453 - THE GLOBAL PSYCHOLOGY ALLIANCE: INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO MAXIMIZE IMPACT AND DRIVE SOCIETAL CHANGE
AUTHORS:
Kocmanová Veronika ( Charles University and General University Hospital ~ Prague ~ Czech Republic) , Gupta Anita (Nova Scotia Health Authority ~ Halifax ~ Canada) , Humphrey Maria Elena (La Unión Centroamericana de Colegios y Asociaciones de Psicología ~ Tegucigalpa ~ Honduras) , Leader John Francis (European Federation of Psychologists' Associations ~ Brussels ~ Belgium) , Reyes Marc Eric (University of Santo Tomas ~ Manila ~ Philippines) , Ritter Sára Anna (Peace Practice for Intercultural Couple Therapy and Mediation ~ Budapest ~ Hungary) , Silva Adriana Sofia (Colombian College of Psychology ~ Bogotá ~ Colombia)
Abstract text:
The Global Psychology Alliance has four working groups:


Global Mental Health: The Global Mental Health Working Group aims to scale up mental health care globally. Two elements stand out as decisive: (1) the importance of clear guidelines for training primary care providers; and (2) the development of basic helping skills through a cross-cultural lens, including early training in psychological first aid, openness to socio-cultural diversity, and advocating for strengthening support systems.


Climate Change: The Climate Working Group aims to increase climate-positive action of individuals, communities, industry stakeholders and policymakers, with two primary focuses: (1) addressing the effects of climate change on mental health; and (2) utilizing behavioral science to motivate climate action (including national, institutional, community and individual levels). The GPA works closely with other NGOs and experts at the UN and regularly sends its representatives to high-level climate conferences such as COP and Bonn.


Marginalized and Vulnerable Communities: The Marginalized and Vulnerable Communities Working Group's vision is to strive for inclusive societies in which everyone matters. The group includes participation from over 30 individuals, over 20 countries, and 6 continents. The working group has distributed a survey across our global psychology community to learn about initiatives and needs related to marginalization and vulnerability and formed subgroups to identify projects. Knowledge and results of projects will be shared at the 2026 GPA summit.


Digitalization: The Digitalisation Working Group is developing guidance on the use of digital technologies in psychology, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence, aiming to safeguard human rights, promote trust, and ensure that technological innovation benefits individuals and communities worldwide. Drawing on psychological science and professional ethics, the group has identified ten core principles to shape digitalisation in practice, training, and research, organised into three clusters: Ethics, Transparency and Rights; Professional Competence and Quality; and Bias, Access and Inclusion.