People can learn why young people join terrorist organisations, what causes sleep paralysis, and how to recognise when children are in pain, at a series of free public psychology talks being held at NUI Galway on Saturday.
The events, which will take place from 2pm to 5pm at the Arts Millennium Building, are being organised, by the Psychological Society of Ireland to mark Psychology Matters Day.
The aim of the initiative is to promote psychology by making it accessible at a public level. It is supported by the university’s Department of Psychology.
Psychology plays an important part in various aspects of our lives so the talks will focus on a range of topics such as mindfulness, eating behaviours, and sleep paralysis. They will include:-
Just two more bites – Hazel Wolstenholme;
Call to arms – why do young people join terrorist groups and is there a way of stopping them?– Sarah Carthy;
Children in pain – Why don’t their parents know about it – Siobhán O’ Higgins;
We need to be mindful about mindfulness – Chris Noone
What to do when the shadow-man comes to you in the middle of the night and sits on your chest –Jonathan Egan;
The universal phenomenon of intrusive thoughts: “But I don’t have OCD?” - Soraya Matthews.
All members of the public are welcome to attend. As this is a drop-in event, no booking is required. Four other centres, in Dublin, Cork and Limerick will offer additional talks on the same day.
Terri Morrissey, the chief executive of the Psychological Society of Ireland, considers Psychology Matters Day to be an important initiative for the society as well as for the public:
“One of our key objectives for the society is to bring the vast amount of psychological knowledge into the public awareness so that people can learn more about themselves, their everyday lives and wellbeing, and challenges facing them, their families and society. We are very excited about this initiative and look forward to welcoming people to the events in Galway and around the country.”
For the full range of talks at each venue visit www.psychologicalsociety.ie
