News

  

EACLIPT statement Covid-19 Pandemic - JULY 2021 

  • The Covid-19 pandemic has provided a challenging time for everyone. It has impacted the mental health of many, and will continue to have an impact on mental health for years to come. Some evidence suggests that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted young people, women and those who have previously suffered from mental health problems (Yarington et al 2021; Iob et al., 2020; Rens et al 2021). 
  • EACLIPT has been monitoring the situation in Europe since the start of the pandemic. Since EACLIPT members come from all over Europe, the organization aims to provide a synthesis of different approaches to the pandemic used in Europe, and reflect on how national policies adopted by different countries may have impacted differentially on mental health of citizens and provision of treatments.
  • EACLIPT will report to the European Parliament, with the aim of influencing their stance on the impact of psychological interventions.
  • The current situation also offers the opportunity to ensure that evidence-based psychological interventions are on the agenda of policy makers, who are in a position to ensure that psychological therapy is available to those who need it. 
  •  We need to implement established interventions for mental health problems and mental health conditions, conduct high quality research investigating efficacy of adapted interventions (e.g., blended therapy – online and in person) and develop new interventions to ensure clients receive effective treatments. 
  • A lot of research focuses on covid-related incidence, however new research needs to identify effective interventions; tailor existing evidence-based interventions to new situations (i.e., online; blended therapy), adapting treatment to the current needs of those suffering from mental health problems, and developing novel evidenced based interventions. 
  • Online therapy, though with its challenges (e.g. setting up certain behavioral experiments), offers an opportunity to engage potential clients who may have been reluctant or unable to do face to face therapy in a classic setting in high income countries, as well as those in low and middle income countries (Aminoff et al., 2021; Fu et al., 2020). 
  • There have been clear implications of the pandemic for clinicians - for many that they provided therapy online, working from home, or in clinic with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19 related changes have caused challenges in implementation of interventions. There has been an impact on psychologist’s roles within teams, their ability to engage in peer support and need for creative ways to ensure they continue professional development. 
  • With adaptations to treatment in mind, we need to hear the voices of recipients of this therapy and identify what they want and need going forward (e.g. choice in face to face and video based sessions).

 

Please find links to several national psychologist organisations’ Covid-related statements and information from European Countries below:

 

United Nations policy brief: https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/UN-Policy-Brief-COVID-19-and-mental-health.pdf

Literature

eg Aminoff, V., Sellén, M., Sörliden, E., Ludvigsson, M., Berg, M., & Andersson, G. (2021). Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for psychological distress associated with the Covid-19 pandemic: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 684540.

Fu, Z., Burger, H., Arjad, I. R., Bockting, C. L. H. (2020). Effectiveness of digital psychological interventions for mental health problems in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry, 7(10), 851-864. 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30256-X.

Iob, E., Frank, P., Steptoe, A., & Fancourt, D. (2020). Levels of severity of depressive symptoms among at-risk groups in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA network open, 3(10). https://doi.org/0.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.26064

Rens, E., Smith, P., Nicaise, P., Lorant, V., & Van den Broeck, K. (2021). Mental distress and its contributing factors among young people during the first wave of COVID-19: a Belgian survey study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 35. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.575553

Yarrington, J. S., Lasser, J., Garcia, D., Vargas, J. H., Couto, D. D., Marafon, T., ... & Niles, A. N. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among 157,213 Americans. Journal of Affective Disorders, 286, 64-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.02.056

 

Newsletter

EACLIPT NEWSLETTER MAY 2021

 Dear members,

We are delighted to share our progress so far with you on EACLIPT and update you on some exciting events.

The European Association of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment (EACLIPT) was founded in 2017 and represents clinical psychology’s academic and scientific interest at a European level. For more information please see www.eaclipt.org or follow us on twitter @eaclipt.

 UPDATES

  • ARGUMENTS FOR THE USE OF E-MENTAL HEALTH

The EACLIPT Board supports /encourages the use of e-mental health in regular helath care in European countries. Kindly see the below statement with regards to our position on e-mental health - 

  • In addition to traditional psychological face-to-face treatments, e-mental health interventions are proven effective measures, as a large number of efficacy and effectiveness studies have shown.
  • In some European countries, e.g., the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, Denmark, e-mental health interventions are already part of the regular health care services and do not have to be paid individually.
  • For this purpose, carefully elaborated quality standards have been established in various European countries, which regulate the requirements for the evidence-based use of e-mental health (e.g., in Switzerland, Germany).
  • Particularly in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe, e-mental health interventions are an important means of care and prevention of mental health problems in the population.

 

  • CONFERENCE BELGIUM OCTOBER 2021 LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE

The EACLIPT Board looks forward to welcoming you at its third conference the 15th and 16th of October 2021 at the University of Louvain-la-neuve. Due to the uncertainty of the situation in the world concerning the Covid-19 pandemic, we are working hard on an online program for this meeting so everyone will be able to join.

 

  • COVID-19 EACLIPT CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST SURVEY

EACLIPT conducted a survey about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first overall conclusions are that was a challenging time of adjustment but that the forced changes in work were surprisingly more positive than expected. We have recently launched another wave of the survey so changes over time can be investigated. The results of all surveys will be published as soon as feasible.

 

  • HONORARY TITLE AARON T. BECK

This July, Aaron Beck will celebrate his 100th birthday. In light of this occasion and in celebration of his lifelong and groundbreaking contributions to psychology, EACLIPT wants to honor him with an honorary title that fits his achievements for the field of psychotherapy. Therefore, EACLIPT is proud to name him Diamond Distinguished Pioneer of Psychological Interventions.

 

Thank you for reading our newsletter, please spread our work and get in touch with ideas and suggestions!

 Very best, The EACLIPT Board

  

Arguments for the use of e-mental health in regular health care in European countries

supported by the EACLIPT (version 07.12.2020)

  • In addition to traditional psychological face-to-face treatments, e-mental health interventions are proven effective measures, as a large number of efficacy and effectiveness studies have shown.
  • In some European countries, e.g., the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, Denmark, e-mental health interventions are already part of the regular health care services and do not have to be paid individually.
  • For this purpose, carefully elaborated quality standards have been established in various European countries, which regulate the requirements for the evidence-based use of e-mental health (e.g., in Switzerland, Germany).
  • Particularly in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe, e-mental health interventions are an important means of care and prevention of mental health problems in the population.

  

EACLIPT NEWSLETTER MARCH 2020

You may download the full newsletter on this link: 5th Newsletter.

Dear members,

We are delighted to share our progress so far with you on EACLIPT and update you on some exciting events. The European Association of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment (EACLIPT) was founded in 2017 and represents clinical psychology’s academic and scientific interest at a European level. For more information please see www.eaclipt.org or follow us on twitter @eaclipt.

UPDATES

  • YOUNG CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS’ REPRESENTATIVE

The EACLIPT Board is keen to bring more clinical psychologists together to collaborate, exchange views and improve psychological research and practice in the long term. We recognise the importance of representing clinical psychologists at all stages of their career and are particularly interested in engaging young clinical psychologists with the organisation to help shape its future.

To spearhead this initiative, we are seeking to recruit eligible candidates for the position of ‘Young Clinical Psychologists’ Representative’, who will be people under age 35 or those who qualified in the last 5 years, either in the clinical or research field. The successful candidate will be involved in a range of activities undertaken by the EACLIPT Board. To apply for this position please contact Dr Jenny Guidi (jenny.guidi2@unibo.it).

Young clinical psychologists are also most welcome to become EACLIPT members, attend EACLIPT congresses, participate in poster presentations as well as symposia, submit research papers to Clinical Psychology in Europe (CPE), the official academic journal of the European Association of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment.

  • CALL TO ACTION - CONTACT YOUR EUROPEAN MEP FOR A EU MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGY

Together with other mental health organisations (i.e. GAMIAN) we are initiating a joined effort to request MEPs for their support for an EU level mental health strategy. As part of this, we would like to ask you, as an EACLIPT member, to contact your local MEP to prioritise this issue. You can use the included template letter at the end of this newsletter. If you contact your local MEP please could you let us know so we can keep a record of our efforts. You can find your local MEP here. The results will be discussed in the European Journal of Clinical Psychology.

 

  • EACLIPT SYMPOSIUM AT THE 32ND INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PSYCHOLOGY IN PRAGUE 2020 -

 The EACLIPT will be represented with a joint symposium at the top event of international psychology, which takes place every four years. Its title is: Clinical Psychology in Europe. It will include presentations from our members Agnieszka Popiel (Poland) on the status of psychological treatments of mental disorders; Omer Van den Bergh (Belgium) on bodily symptoms in psychopathology; Winfried Rief (Germany) on open science, open publication in clinical psychology; and Andreas Maercker (Switzerland) on European network research in the area of traumatic stress. All EACLIPT members attending the 32nd ICP Congress are invited to use this EACLIPT event as a networking opportunity. For more information, please see: www.icp2020.com

Thank you for reading our newsletter, please spread our work and get in touch with ideas and suggestions!

 Very best, The EACLIPT Board

 MEP LETTER TEMPLATE - ADD LOGO OF ORGANISATION HERE

 Brussels, X November 2019

Dear X MEP,

 Re: support for an EU-level Mental Health Strategy

On behalf of (ADD NAME OF ORGANISATION), I write to ask you for your support to re-launch specific and dedicated EU-level action on mental health, with the aim to prevent mental ill health and ensure the best possible and appropriate treatment, care and support for those affected and their loved ones.

As an organisation (ADD MISSION OF ORGANISATION), we were extremely pleased with the previous Commissions’ explicit attention to mental health, as demonstrated by the 2005 Mental Health Green Paper, the 2008 European Mental Health Pact and the 2013 Joint Action on Mental Health. These initiatives added credibility to the Commission’s own motto, i.e. ‘no health without mental health’, recognising the  inextricable link between physical and mental health. 

However, since the 2016 adoption of the European Framework for action on Mental Health and Well-being, resulting from the Joint Action on Mental Health, and since the work of the Mental Health Compass - monitoring progress on the Framework’s implementation - came to a halt, no specific action has been taken on mental health. Instead, the Commission has opted to address mental health as part of its overall activities in the field of chronic disease.

This clearly does not suffice.

This is why we were delighted to note the recent Council Conclusions which specifically invite the Commission to come forward with a comprehensive Mental Health Strategy; this should include specific initiatives on mental health as well as to take account of the impact on mental health in other (health) policy areas.

Our organisation, in cooperation with many others, is keen to see a positive and swift response  on the part of the Commission. There are precedents for this type action:  the EU Mental Health Strategy could take the existing Action Plans on cancer, rare diseases and disability as a model.

We hope to be able to count on the support of the European Parliament in these efforts. Therefore, the MEP Alliance for Mental Health, currently supported by 26 MEPs, has developed a short statement, calling on the Commission to take action as a matter of urgency, which can be found here. 

We sincerely hope that you will feel able to endorse this statement; your support is crucial if progress on this issue is to be made. At the bottom of the statement, you can find a link to endorse it.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Yours sincerely,

  

EACLIPT NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2019

You may download the full newsletter on this link: 4th Newsletter.

Follow us on @eaclipt!

Dear members of EACLIPT,
We are delighted to share our progress so far with you on EACLIPT and update you on some exciting events. For instance, we provided further representation at the EU parliament.
The European Association of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment (EACLIPT) was founded in 2017 and represents clinical psychology’s academic and scientific interest at a European level.

UPDATES:

  • EACLIPT 2019

The first official European congress on clinical psychology and psychological treatment of EACLIPT was held on 31 Oct - 02 Nov 2019 in Dresden, Germany. We would like to thank prof. dr. Philipp Kanske and his team for organising this high-quality conference. For more information and reports of the conference please check the website or follow the hashtag #EACLIPT2019. 

  • NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT

During EACLIPT 2019 the members present elected the new president of EACLIPT, prof. dr. Claudi Bockting. We are excited about the time to come under her leadership and would like to thank prof. dr. Andersson for his strong commitment and leadership over the last 2 years. 

  • NEW JUNIOR BOARD MEMBERS

We have three new junior board members who were elected during the EACLIPT members meeting this October. Please warmly welcome prof. dr. Jenny Guidi, dr. Colette Hirsch, assoc. prof. dr. Martin Debbanné. 

  • EACLIPT AT THE EU PARLIAMENT

EACLIPT was represented by prof. dr. Claudi Bockting at the special interest group on Advocating for a comprehensive EU level action programme on mental health at the EU parliament 16/10/2019.  The meeting was chaired by T. Zdechovsky (MEP), Member of the group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) and vice chair Committee on Employment and Social Affairs. Our statement and a meeting report are provided below.

  • EACLIPT Statement at EU Parliament:

Psychological interventions are not only effective treatments and cost effective for most mental health problems and conditions, they are self-empowering interventions.

Even more so psychological interventions have sustainable effects. That is, research increasingly showed not only short-term effects but also long-term effect of brief psychological interventions.

This is of high importance because most mental health conditions have a recurrent/chronic course. Even more so, sustainable health care systems should include a mental health focus. Given that there is no health without mental health. Emphasize was given on the effect and sustainability of psychological interventions for mental health conditions, but also the empowering effect. Therefore, scale up of these interventions is crucial.

Therefore, there are two two priorities:

  • European dissemination of evidence-based cost-effective psychological interventions is of importance.
  • Research: invest substantially on research on innovative psychological interventions for partial response, non-response and relapse prevention for common mental health conditions.

 Unfortunately, as described in a nature paper, the research on psychological intervention is largely under-supported and underreported. So, facilitating substantial research funding on psychological interventions is crucial.

  • Concluding remarks 

Thank you for reading our newsletter and please spread our work.
As you know, we are keen to bring more researchers together to collaborate, exchange views and improve psychological research in the long term.
We would also be thrilled to hear from you with any views you have on this organisation and how you think it should develop. Feel free to get in touch.

Very best,
The EACLIPT Board

 

October 2018 - The first EACLIPT newsletter

You may download the full newsletter on this link: 1st Newsletter.

We are delighted to send on our first EACLIPT newsletter. The European Association of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment (EACLIPT) was founded in 2017 and represents clinical psychology's academic and scientific interest at a European level.

Thus far, we have represented clinical psychology at senior policy level at various fora across Europe and we are now affiliated with international organisations such as the World Health Organisation. EACLIPT was also mentioned in a final report by the EU parliament.

We are sharing the following exciting updates for this year:

  • *Save the date* the first EACLIPT conference will be held 2-3 November 2018 in Linköping, Sweden.
  • A FREE open access journal'Clinical Psychology in Europe: The Official Journal of the European Association of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment'.  The journal offers open access without any article processing charges. Please see here for more information: CPE.PsychOpen.eu. Other prominent clinical psychologist already became member of the EACLIPT and confirmed a contribution to our journal (e.g. David Clark, Stefan Hofmann, Anke Ehlers, Pim Cuijpers, Paul Emmelkamp etc.). You are able to submit manuscripts already!

Kind regard, on behalf of all board members EACLIPT,
Gerhard Andersson (SWE; President), Winfried Rief (GER), Céline Douillez (FRA), Thomas Ehring (GER), Andreas Maercker (CH), Claudi Bockting (NL), Roman Cieslak (POL)