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Psychological well being of society to be improved: Punjab Governor
Psychological well being of society to be improved: Punjab Governor


LAHORE: (Wednesday, February 6, 2019): Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar has said that the government will improve psychological well being of society and is working on providing solutions to psychological problems. He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of 3-day international conference of Applied Psychology: Practices and Interventions at Pearl Continental Hotel Lahore. The conference was organized by Punjab University Institute of Applied Psychology (IAP) in collaboration with Higher Education Commission Pakistan, Punjab Higher Education Commission and Pakistan Psychological Association. Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, Member National Assembly Riaz Fatyana, Prof Dr Najma Najam, Prof Dr Nick Hopkins, Chief Organizer and IAP Director Prof Dr Farah Malik, foreign delegates comprising on psychologist, presenters and researchers from UK, USA, Australia, Spain, Greece, Ireland and other countries, senior faculty members and a large number of students were present on the occasion.
Addressing the conference, Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said that terrorism, socio-economic issues, violence against women and mental health issues were badly affecting our society. He said that trained psychologists must come forward to resolve such issues. He said that the recommendations of psychologists would be included in the policies. The governor said that it was good omen that women were coming forward in all the fields. He said that it seems that the future of the country will be in the hands of women in the next ten years. PU VC Prof Niaz Ahmad said that there were sports psychology, industrial psychology, engineering psychology etc and psychologists should resolve all issues in all the fields. He said that PU would give guidelines to the government to introduce reforms in this sector. He said that psychologists could help reduce many problems in our society. Mr Riaz Fatyana said that psychologists should work to provide leadership in order to bring our society out of problems. Chief Organizer and IAP Director Prof Dr Farah Malik has said that it was need of the time to improve the common man’s life in Pakistan by understanding their psychological needs through scientific research findings; which ultimately helps policymakers to bring better policies for the welfare of the society. She said that the conference will focus on key issues of our society such as mental health of the issues, impact of interpersonal and intrapersonal problems, increasing extremism and intolerance, child abuse and sexual abuse and its impact on personality and society, organizational behavior, indigenously developed diagnostic and assessment measures, and impact of socio-political instability on the mental health of people etc.
She emphasized that ICAP-2019 would help participants from international and national universities develop a better understanding of how psychologists could contribute to generate change in contemporary practices and interventions in the field of Psychology. She believed that these academic activities will enhance the research and academic vision of undergraduate, postgraduate, MPhil, and PhD students, and other participants including academicians, faculty members from other universities and early career professionals. She said that ICAP 2019 comprises 6 preconference workshops delivered by national and international experts in different field of psychology, three during conference workshops, two post-conference workshops along with seven keynote addresses, two keynote addresses through video link and five symposia in which eminent psychologists and mental health professionals of international repute are participating. She said that more than 200 papers will be presented in 20 parallel sessions and 62 for the E-posters will be presented. She said that e-posters have been introduced for the first time in any conference in Pakistan that would be presented using hi-tech equipment only using LEDS.