The North-West University (NWU), in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg, will host the first-ever Africa Positive Psychology Conference at the NWU’s campus in Potchefstroom.
The three-day conference will take place from 5 to 7 April 2018 and will be preceded by pre-conference workshops and opening ceremony on 4 April. The conference will be accredited by the Health Professions Council of South Africa for CPD points.
The event will bring together a host of role-players including researchers, students, practitioners and other stakeholders who are involved in well-being promotion and quality of life enhancement.
The conference will showcase international and national scholarship and advances in research and practice in this specialist field.
“Positive Psychology is a scientific discipline seeking to understand and promote well-being and quality of life, despite life’s inevitable difficulties, in diverse domains of functioning, such as work, education, community, leisure and interpersonal relationships,” explains Dr Lusilda Schutte. Dr Schutte is a senior lecturer and clinical psychologist at the NWU’s Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR).
The conference theme is “Embracing well-being in diverse contexts”. Topics and areas of study that will be featured include resilience, positive relationships, positive education, positive organisations, positive communities and societies, the role of well-being promotion in medical contexts, constructive journalism and sustainable peace development, among others.
Invited speakers from various countries such as Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Brazil, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Iceland and the Czech Republic will share their knowledge and experiences. Delegates will come from all over the world.
African and global delegates from all walks of life are expected to attend this conference. This will include healthcare professionals such as psychologists, medical doctors, occupational therapists, teachers, nurses and social workers; people working in organisational settings; people working in community development; journalists; parents and individuals with a personal interest in the field.
The conference promises to be a vibrant and engaging space for both academics and practitioners. “We hope that this initiative will be a catalyst for networking and building sustainable collaborations towards growth of positive psychology research and application,” concludes Dr Schutte.
More information and registration details can be obtained from the conference website, www.appc2018.org. Interested parties can also contact Claries Roelofsz at claries@londocor.co.za or 011 954 5753.
