CONFERENCE 28 & 29 OCTOBER
 

 

OPENING CONFERENCE: Psychotherapy for people with limited resources.

Prof. HÉCTOR FERNÁNDEZ-ALVAREZ., PhD. Full Professor. AIGLÉ Foundation. University of Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 

Prof. Héctor Fernández-Álvarez, PhD in Psychology, is a clinical psychologist specialized in psychotherapy. Founder and currently honorary president of the AIGLÉ Foundation, Professor at the Universities of Buenos Aires and Belgrano, Director of the Master in Cognitive Psychological Clinic (University of Belgrano) and Director of the Specialization in Integrative Psychotherapy with Cognitive Orientation (National University of Mar del Plata). Author of Fundamentos de un Modelo Integrativo en Psicoterapia; Desarrollos en Psicoterapia; El bienestar que buscamos; Trastornos de Personalidad; La Integración en Psicoterapia; Fear of Others, among other scientific publications. Professor of several Argentine and Spanish universities in Psychotherapy and Group Psychotherapy. He has received several awards in recognition of his research and clinical work, such as the Interamerican Award of Psychology, the International "Sigmund Freud" in 2002, in Vienna, being one of the few Latin American non-psychoanalysts who have received it. Outgoing President of the Interamerican Society of Psychology (SIP), and member of the Society of Psychotherapy Research, at present, Director of its Latin American chapter, he is an authority in Psychotherapy research at an international level. He has recently been named Dr. Honoris Causa by the University of San Luis, in Argentina, and has received the 2022 award from the American Psychological Association in recognition of excellence.

 

PLENARY CONFERENCE: Metacognitive Treatment (MCT) for Psychosis. New findings

Prof. Dr. STEFFEN MORITZ. PhD. Full Professor. University of Hamburg, Germany

 

Since 1997, Prof. Moritz has held various positions as a researcher and lecturer in Psychology and Neuropsychology at the University of Hamburg (Germany) and, since 2008, he is Full Professor of Neuropsychology at the University of Hamburg. He is working in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (Klinik und Poloklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, UKE).  He has participated in or directed over 50 publicly funded research projects, mostly on the spectrum of psychosis, a subject in which he has a broad and internationally recognized reputation. The following three of his current projects are of particular note: "Evaluation of Internet-based cognitive behavioral self-help treatments for persecutory ideation and auditory verbal hallucinations" (together with Stefan Westermann and Thomas Berger), "Computer-assisted therapy of schizophrenia for the reduction of cognitive biases", and "Clinical Study" trial: Immediate and delayed effects of individualized Metacognitive Training for Psychosis (MCT+)". He is a member of various scientific societies and publications of international prestige. He has published more than 500 papers, mostly related to psychosis, which have received more than 24,000 citations. Together with Lena Jelinek, he directs the Clinical Neuropsychology Unit of the University of Hamburg which, through its web page (https://clinical-neuropsychology.de/metacognitive_training-psychosis/), makes freely available to the entire scientific-professional community structured metacognitive treatment and e-learning programs for various disorders (Schizophrenia, OCD, Depression, PTSD), most of them in various languages (including Spanish). One of his latest contributions is the development of a self-help App for metacognitive training (COGITO), also free and freely available.

 

 

CLOSSING CONFERENCE:  Covid and mental health: which lessons for the future?

Prof. CLAUDIO SICA, PHD. Full Professor. University of Firenze, Italy.

 

Prof. Claudio Sica, PhD, is a psychologist and psychotherapist. From 2005 to date, Associate and then Full Professor of Clinical Psychology at University of Firenze, Italy. He studied and worked at St Andrews University, Scotland, (supervisors Prof. Derek and Mary Johnston) in Health Psychology; at University of Washington (Seattle), with Alan Marlatt and Marsha Linehan, on substance abuse and personality disorders; at Medical College of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) with Edna Foa, M. Kozak, N. Amir on social phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder; at Florida State University with Christopher Patrick, on Personality Disorders and psychopathy. Visiting professor in Dpt. of Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamientos Psicológicos, Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia, Spain (under the supervision of Prof. Amparo Belloch). Member of the international Obsessive Compulsive Cognition Working Group (leader Randy Frost). Member of the international Research Consortium on Intrusive Fear (leader Dave Clark). He routinely collaborates with international scholar in Spain, USA, and Europe in general. Referee for many international journals, is a member of editorial board of the International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, the Journal Of Obsessive-Compulsive and related Disorders. Reviewer of the Italian Ministry of University and Scientific Research for the evaluation of national and international grant proposals in the Clinical Psychology field; official reviewer of the Italian National Agency for the evaluation of University and Research (ANVUR) for psychology area. Expert of European Community, “to assist with research and innovation assignments including the evaluation of proposals, monitoring of projects, and evaluation of programs, and design of policy”. Former member of the American Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). Teacher and supervisor of several Italian institutes in Cognitive-Behavioral psychotherapy. Director of Master course in “Meditation, compassion and emotional regulation for helping professions”.

 

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