On the 15th of October 2012, the first Regional Board Elections of the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses (OPP) were held. The Elections were carried out as normal, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Funchal and Ponta Delgada. Yet another fundamental stage since the creation of the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses (OPP) was concluded.

The Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses (OPP) was present at the International Seminar of Education Psychology: We made it here, which way?..., which took place in S. Miguel, in the Azores, on the 12th of October. The meeting was the result of an initiative from the group of colleagues that develop their work at the Ribeira Grande and Rabo de Peixe Schools.

In light of the celebrations of the Mental Health Day, the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses (OPP) set-up a round table at the I Mental Health Guide of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, which took place in S. Miguel, from the 8th to the 12th of October.

The Ordem dos Psicólogos (OPP), presented, on the 17th of October, in São Paulo, Brazil, the organisation of the IX Iberoamerican Congress of Psychology.

In the current situation of economic crisis, the containment of costs and the establishing of priorities based on cost-effectiveness criteria and based on evidence gain special relevance. The Psychological Intervention allows for a reduction in direct and indirect costs from health and disease and, in this sense, contributes to an improvement in the efficiency of health services. On the other hand, it allows for a substantial improvement in the health and quality of life of citizens which is reflected in an increase in productivity and a reduction in absenteeism from work.

The Order was invited by the President of Autoridade Nacional da Protecção Civil (National Authority for Civil Protection), Major-General Arnaldo Cruz, to attend this initiative which brings together specialists and intervention agents of this area. This seminar allowed for the sharing of experiences and the discussion of aspects related to Civil Protection, namely interventions in situations of emergency and catastrophe.