Written by Alicia Rando, TDN Cross-cultural Youth Exchange Fellow

New York, NY (September 2021) – Is it necessary to implement psychological services in educational centers? According to the participants of a Zoom event that I organized to obtain data in relation to educational quality and gender equality, the implementation of these services in educational centers is very necessary. Apart from these opinions, from inhabitants of different countries and continents of the world, there is ample evidence about the effectiveness of integrating psychological services in educational centers.

According to the American Psychological Association, integrated health care, often referred to as interprofessional health care, is an approach characterized by a high degree of collaboration and communication among health professionals. What makes integrated health care unique is the sharing of information among team members related to youth care and the establishment of a comprehensive treatment plan to address the biological, psychological and social needs of young people. The interprofessional health care team includes a diverse group of members (e.g. physicians, nurses, psychologists and other health professionals), depending on the needs of the adolescent.

It is in adolescence when emotions are perceived intensely and many times they do not know how to handle them properly, and this leads them to make bad or impulsive decisions, which is why they need the accompaniment and support from the family and school, which it is, as it has already been said, where they spend the most time. A classroom program should be created, coordinated by specialists who interact with youth, to analyze, reason and make them understand that these types of events are natural and unpredictable, instructing them on how to act when they occur, transmitting safety and protection, taking into account the precautions and recommendations from health authorities.

The experiences that take place during childhood and youth can have a significant and lasting impact, and in this sense, the fact that one in three young people present symptoms of anxiety, and that only 25% of those receive early intervention is worrying. Taking into account these data and knowing that the educational center is a place in which young people spend a large part of their time daily, the integration of psychological services in educational centers, in order to intervene as early as possible, is a very good idea to promote resilience and well-being by developing a psychologically healthy school environment.

Educational centers should have the support of the Education Administrations, in order to develop resources that aim to improve social cohesion and prevent bullying. The development of a wide range of extracurricular activities, including sports, creative and volunteer activities, should also be supported, as these can help mitigate some of the effects of poverty and social exclusion, fostering self-confidence. These activities could also be complemented with workshops, discussions, conferences and conventions, given with the support of non-governmental organizations, civil associations and specialists, addressing topics such as stress and emotion management, toxic
relationships, among others.

The importance of the implementation of this type of activities and psychological support takes on more importance than ever now, with the return to total presence in schools and educational centers after being in complete or partly isolation for all these months since it has had a great impact for everyone, but most notably among youth. This stoppage of routines, schedules and activities that work in a stable and systematic way, have led to a destructuring of the scaffolding that makes up the lives of all people and therefore, their well-being.