EHPS National Delegate

Health Psychology is still a young scientific discipline in Luxembourg and to date no specific Health Psychology Association exists. Psychology training is delivered by the University of Luxembourg. The multilingual University of Luxembourg (English, French and German) was founded in 2003 and has a strong focus on research. The University offers a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, as well as a Master of Science on Evaluation and Assessment, a Master on Psychological Intervention, a Master in Psychotherapy, and a Master in Gerontology.
The research field of Health Psychology is rapidly developing and more research is dedicated to health behaviour and health promotion & disease prevention, not only at the University of Luxembourg but also at national research institutes and non-profit associations.

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The Luxembourgish Psychological Society
The Luxembourgish Psychological Society (SLP) represents the plurality of graduate psychologists and psychological psychotherapists in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. The SLP was founded in 1985 and currently counts more than 300 active members. Since 2001 the SLP is an official member of the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA). The objectives of the SLP are to promote the psychological discipline in its various sectors, to defend the professional interests of psychologists, and to promote scientific research in the field of psychology. Over and above that, SLP edits the Luxembourg Directory of Certified Psychologists (PSYLUX, http://www.slp.lu/psylux/index.php), updates psychology related information on the SLP’s webpage (http://www.slp.lu), and reviews the current status of psychotherapy practice in Luxembourg. The primary aims of the Luxembourg Directory of Certified Psychologists (PSYLUX) are to set national quality standards for professional basic and continuing training, to protect clients seeking psychological services and consulting a psychologist, and to inform potential employers on the proficiency level of psychologists. The PSYLUX directory provides the guarantee to find a psychologist who is adequately trained, highly qualified and answerable to an ethical committee for his/her professional actions.
The SLP supports task forces, standing committees and national representatives who undertake specified activities, considered of priority and importance to the promotion of psychology as a discipline. On the national level, active members of the SLP coordinate the standing committee on Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, the network of Neuropsychologists, and the piloting committee of the Bachelor programme in Psychology at the University of Luxembourg. Beyond that, national delegates represent Luxembourg in the following international networks: the EuroPsy Task Force, the European standing committee on Disaster and Crisis Psychology, the European standing committee on Traffic Psychology, the task force on Geropsychology, the network of European psychologists in the Educational System and finally, the European Health Psychology Society.

University of Luxembourg – Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences
The Behavioural and Social Sciences develop and advance scientific knowledge about the brain, human cognition, social behaviour, and culture, including research on the interplay between individuals and their physical, economic and social environments as well as their development across the life span. They are crucial for the understanding of the interactions between health, individual behaviour, cognition, personality, social environment, and contextual factors.
Research in the Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences spans a wide spectrum of current areas of investigation, ranging from neurophysiology, neurocognition and behaviour, the economics of health and well-being, to clinical and health psychology, educational, social and media psychology, and developmental and cultural psychology. The Department’s focus also includes psychological methodology, psychometrics, assessment and user-experience. It involves numerous research groups working in three institutes (Cognitive Science and Assessment, Health and Behaviour, and Lifespan Development, Family, and Culture), in close collaboration with national partners in Luxembourg from research institutions, industry, social organizations, as well as international research institutions. Research in the Department takes an interdisciplinary approach and is fully committed to the research priorities of the University, which include the digital world, education, and health, and the societal and scientific challenges that they entail (https://wwwen.uni.lu/research/fhse/dbcs).

National Directorate of Health
The National Health Directorate has, defined by laws and regulations, the mission to protect and promote health of the Luxembourg society as a general physical, psychological and social well-being. Therefore, amongst others, the Health Directorate studies, monitors and evaluates the health status of the population and carries out public health measures, including measures necessary for the protection of health. Furthermore, the National Health Directorate evaluates and promotes quality in the field of health, contributes nationally and internationally to the implementation of the health policy, and promotes scientific research work in the field of health (http://sante.public.lu/fr/politique-sante/ministere-sante/direction-sante/index.html). The Division of Preventive Medicine of the National Health Directorate is responsible for the development and implementation of national prevention and health promotion programs, whereas the Division of Social Medicine, Addiction and Mental Health is responsible for all matters relating to planning, organization, orientation and medical and social supervision in the case of addiction diseases as well as in the case of mental illnesses and medical-psycho-social problems.

The Master of Science in Psychology: Psychological Intervention (MSc) as offered by the University of Luxembourg is a two-year taught master's course. The course provides a broad-based training programme in psychology, covering theory and methods in core domains of psychology reflecting particular research strengths within the department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences.
In addition to the national accreditation by the Ministry for Higher Education and Research, the Master's course is also internationally accredited by the Accreditation, Certification and Quality Assurance Institute ACQUIN.
The broad-based training programme covers also health psychology, focusing on theoretical aspects of health promotion, health risks as well as methods to assess psychological and biological indicators relevant for health (https://wwwen.uni.lu/studies/fhse/master_of_science_in_psychology_psychological_intervention).

The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) is the main funder of research activities in Luxembourg. FNR invests public funds and private donations into research projects in various branches of science and the humanities, with an emphasis on selected core strategic areas. Furthermore, FNR supports and coordinates activities to strengthen the link between science and society and to raise awareness for research. FNR also have an advisory role for the Luxembourg government on research policy and strategy (https://www.fnr.lu).

The "Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte" also provides funding for punctual national research activities and projects (https://www.oeuvre.lu/trouver-un-financement/demande-financement/).

There are ongoing discussions on the reimbursement of psychological acts by trained psychotherapists between the PSYLUX association and the national health insurance, however, to date no convention agreement has been found. Therefore, a mediation procedure has been launched that aims to find a compromise between the two parties.

https://practicalhealthpsychology.com