EAP Board Meetings Rome – October 14-15, 2011
October 15, 2011
The last EAP Board meetings were held from October 14th to 15th, 2011 in Rome, Italy. The venue of the meetings in the city centre was in comfortable walking distance to the famous St. Peter´s Dome and the Vatican City State. Thank to the collaboration of both Italian National Awarding Organisations, the Federazione Italiana delle Associazioni di Psicoterapia (FIAP) and the Federatione delle Associazione Italiana de Psicoterapia (FAIP), the EAP Board members were invited to a most interesting guided tour through the Vatican Museum followed by a delicious dinner in a traditional Italian restaurant. This very attractive social event on Friday night gave the Board members the opportunity to both get involved in Rome´s cultural life and at the same time enjoy themselves after a long day of intensive meetings.
Apart from many interesting discussions amongst psychotherapists from all over Europe, the EAP Board meetings in Rome were also dedicated to saying good-bye to some Board members. Isabelle Crespelle who was not only the EAP representative of the European Association for Transactional Analysis for many years, but fundamentally influenced the procedures for accepting European Accredited Psychotherapy Training Institutes (EAPTIs), sat in the TAC and worked as co-chair at the EWOC and GAP Meeting. The EAP will very much miss her both on a professional and a personal level. Renée Oudijk from the Dutch NAO NAP and Theodor Itten from the Swiss NAO ASP participated at the Board meetings in Rome for the last time in their function as NAO delegates. As both are very much involved in other EAP activities, we are happy to meet them again at future meetings. The Board also said good-bye to Derval Ryan who will no longer represent the Irish NAO ICP in the EAP.
Willy Szafran resigned as External Relations Officer. With Peter Schulthess there was a very competent and enthusiastic candidate standing for election as his successor. The EAP unanimously accepted Peter as new EAP External Relations Officer and confirmed Michel Meignant as External Relations Officer representing the EAP in the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
The Board continues to think about successor planning, balancing experience with fresh perspectives. This is currently focused on the role of a deputy to the General Secretary, as the Board felt that this balance was not achieved in the recent election process.
The new representative from the Spanish NAO FEAP, María Munoz-Grandes invited everyone to the next EAP Congress „Psychotherapy: „Improving Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing in Europe“ from July 4th to 7th, 2012 in Valencia. Please find detailed information about this event at www.congresoeuropeopsicoterapia2012.eu/eng/
Annik Lambert, a lawyer from Brussels, and Mony Elkaim who are both involved in the ongoing negotiations with the European Commission, Department for the Recognition of Professional Qualifications, gave a report on the latest developments. The European Commission is now at a stage of evaluating the Directive regulating professions in Europe. The EAP is invited to comment on the Commission´s evaluation report.
The EAP President Adrian Rhodes who chaired the Board meetings for the first time in this function with great overview and engagement, thanked all Board members for the fruitful working atmosphere. The EAP is at an exciting, if sometimes uncomfortable point, where it is looking to reviewits aims and objectives and keen to engage the energies and enthusiasm of newer (and younger!) people.
