In early July, SWPS University’s Faculty of Psychology and Law in Poznań hosted students of law, psychology, and related programs from five member universities of the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA). Our guests participated in a Summer School “The Human Right to Mental Health: Legal Perspectives and Practical Implications”. The School was organized as part of the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program.
Mental health as a human right — Interdisciplinary perspective
During the Summer School we applied an interdisciplinary approach to address the matters of mental health in the context of international, European, and Polish law. The lecturers from Poland, Bulgaria, Germany, France, and Lithuania included experts specializing in medical law, personal data protection, professional ethics, forensic psychology, and digital technologies in the context of mental health, included experts.
During a busy week, students participated in workshops focused on many topics, such as regulations concerning the use of artificial intelligence in digital therapy, protection of medical records related to mental health, patient rights, professional responsibility of psychologists and lawyers, and strategies for mental health advocacy.
Lecture during Summer School on Human Right to Mental Health at USWPS
Practical approach and international collaboration
We opted for workshops in English as a teaching format. Students, organized in teams, analyzed case studies, carried out simulations, and developed proposals of legislation changes. At the end of the course, students underwent an evaluation process and were handed certificates of completion.
Participants of the course came from five universities — members of ERUA:
- University Paris 8, France
- New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria
- Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania
- European University Viadrina, Germany
- SWPS University, Poland.
Blended Intensive Program (BIP) courses
Our course was organized as an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program — a short-term international study program that combines online learning with a physical mobility component. The online component took part in May and consisted of four interactive meetings focused on the mental health legal framework, international protection mechanisms, and links between law and clinical psychology. The onsite, in-class component included 22 teaching hours as well as cultural and social events conducive to student integration.
Students admiring a mural symbolizing mental health, in Poznań, Poland
BIP programs at SWPS University
The “Human Right to Mental Health” course was not the first BIP program at SWPS University. In June, our Faculty of Humanities in Warsaw organized an international course “When Japan Meets Europe”. Read more about this BIP
Coordinator of the Summer School
Tomasz Lewandowski
Ph.D. / Assistant Profesor, Faculty of Psychology and Law in Poznań, SWPS University
Dr. Tomasz Lewandowski form SWPS University was the initiator of the Summer School. He was also responsible for the content of the program and led some of the workshops. Together with a team of lecturers, he provided a space for reflection on the role of law in the protection of the right to mental health, from both the theoretical and practical perspectives. Read more
ERUA Member Universities
Funding