Free Public Forum On ‘Teenagers In Trouble’

Psychologists Host Free Public Forum On ‘Teenagers In Trouble’

An announcement was made today in Hamilton by Dr Ray Nairn, National President of the New Zealand Psychological Society/Te Ropu Matai Hinengaro o Aotearoa (NZPS), that the Annual Conference of the Society will be held this year at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, from the 23 rd to 26 th August, 2007. The theme of the Conference is “Partnership, Protection, Participation.”

Dr Nairn said as well as the usual professional and scientific presentations and workshops, the Conference programme will include an open forum entitled Teens in Trouble. This will involve “A panel of leading New Zealand experts who will look at why so many teens get into trouble and what parents can do to help them become more settled and constructive members of their family and of society”.

Dr Nairn added “The Society and its members are very aware of the challenging issues facing New Zealand families as they strive to get their teenage children safely through the teen years, and this Forum will provide free advice from a range of experts that many parents, and those who advise families, will find helpful.”

The Forum will be held in Room S 1.04, S block, University of Waikato on Saturday 25 th August 2007, from 2pm to 3.30pm.

Mr Peter Coleman, an educational psychologist, who is Director of the Social Issues for the Society and a member of the Institute of Educational Psychology, will chair the meeting.

Panel members are:

1) Professor David Fergusson Principal Investigator and Executive Director of the Christchurch Health and Development Study. This is an internationally renowned longitudinal study of a group of 1,265 New Zealand children, which has been ongoing since 1977.

2) Professor Russell Bishop Associate Dean of M a ori Education at the University of Waikato, of Tainui/Ngati Awa descent, who is researching improving the educational achievement of Maori children in mainstream education.

3) Judge Denise Clark, of NgaPuhi descent, a Judge at the Youth Court in Hamilton and one of a small number of Maori judges in New Zealand. She worked as a lawyer involved in criminal and youth work in Rotorua and was the first Maori woman to be appointed to the District Court General Jurisdiction. The New Zealand Psychological Society/Te Ropu Matai Hinengaro o Aotearoa is the major scientific and professional association for New Zealand psychologists, with over 1000 members throughout New Zealand.

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