Beyond Performance: Understanding and Managing Anxiety in Academic and Professional Paths

On Wednesday, 16 September 2026, from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m., in the Aula del ’400 at the University of Pavia, the inaugural event of Beyond Performance will take place. This new initiative is dedicated to psychological well-being and to understanding and managing anxiety and stress in university life.

The event is open to the entire academic community – students, PhD students, academic staff, technical and administrative staff, and language instructors (CEL) – and can be attended either in person or online.

Promoted by the Prorectorate for People and the Right to Education, Beyond Performance builds on the experience gained through the Health Mode On – PRO-BEN project and on the belief that caring for psychological well-being contributes to the quality of study, research, work and relationships within the University.

An afternoon dedicated to anxiety, stress and psychological well-being

High expectations, deadlines, responsibilities, pressure, fear of failure and uncertainty about the future can all be part of university life, at different times and in different ways.

The event on 16 September aims to provide a space in which to talk openly about these issues, understand them from a scientific and multidisciplinary perspective, and reflect on the tools that can help us recognise and manage anxiety and stress.

With contributions from academics and experts, the event will explore the psychological, relational and social dimensions of anxiety, with particular attention to performance demands and the pressures that can characterise study, research and work.

Programme

The afternoon will begin with a welcome coffee in the Cortile delle Magnolie.

This will be followed, in the Aula del ’400, by institutional greetings and an introduction by Cesare Zizza, Prorector for People and the Right to Education, and Paolo Renon, Director of the School of Advanced Doctoral Training.

Speakers will include:

• Anna Odone, PRO-BEN Project Lead;
• Diego Liccione, Psychologist, Psychotherapist and Coordinator of the Clinical Area of the University Psychological Counselling Service;
• Luca Capone, Psychologist and Psychotherapist;
• Francesca Lionetti, Professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology;
• Stefano Damiani, Psychiatrist.

The event will be moderated by Serena Lecce, Rector’s Delegate for Psychological Well-being.

During the afternoon, the Beyond Performance Workshops on Anxiety and Stress Management (see below) will also be presented by psychologists and psychotherapists Luca Ronchi and Marta Colombo, and there will be time for questions and discussion.

The event will conclude with a screening of Notte in prestito (10'16") – 2026 –, a short film directed by Claudia Palermiti, starring Sabrina Lo Giudice and Pietro De Nova, and produced as part of the seminar Girare un corto con lo Smartphone (Making a Short Film with a Smartphone) with cinematographer Luca Bigazzi, organised by Videoslam / Liberi Saperi in collaboration with Auditorium San Tommaso. Luca Bigazzi was responsible for camera work, cinematography and colour correction; the screenplay was written by Claudia Palermiti and Pia La Sala.

A One-to-One Space throughout the event

From the welcome coffee onwards and throughout the afternoon, a dedicated One-to-One Space will be available in the Cortile delle Magnolie, where professionals from the University Psychological Counselling Service will be available to everyone for brief information sessions and individual conversations.

This will be an opportunity to learn more about the Service, ask questions, receive information, or simply have an initial conversation with a professional, in a dedicated and accessible space available throughout the event.

How to take part on 16 September

Participation is free and open to the entire academic community. To help us organise the event, participants are encouraged to register via Eventbrite:

Register for Beyond Performance free of charge

The event will take place on:

Wednesday, 16 September 2026
2:30–6:30 p.m.
Aula del ’400 – University of Pavia

The event will also be available online.

Those wishing to attend remotely should register free of charge and request the online access link by emailing ufficio.propersona@unipv.it, using the following subject line:

Remote participation in Beyond Performance (16 September 2026) – link request

Beyond Performance Workshops for PhD Students

The event on 16 September will also mark the launch of the Beyond Performance Workshops on Emotional Well-being and Stress Management, designed to provide practical tools to help PhD students approach the challenges that can accompany their doctoral journey with greater awareness and balance. This first edition of the workshops is reserved for PhD students at the University of Pavia and represents the first step in a project that will gradually be extended to other members of the University community.

Two workshop programmes will be offered, one in Italian and one in English, each consisting of five sessions and limited to a maximum of 15 participants.

PhD students interested in taking part are invited to consult the attached PDF for the programme, schedule and registration details, and to express their interest preferably by 10 September and, in any case, no later than 16 September 2026, by emailing serviziopsicologia@unipv.it. Requests will be accepted in the order in which they are received, subject to availability.

Beyond Performance is an invitation to look beyond performance: because studying, doing research and working well also means learning to take care of our well-being.

[Versione dell'articolo in italiano nell'articolo correlato]