Luis Joaquín García, the network’s PI, held a working meeting with Nuria Manzano, CNIIE director, to discuss issues including the promotion of adolescent mental health
13/03/2019.- Luis Joaquín García, PI of the Network for the PROmotion of EMotional health and well-being in Adolescents (Red PROEMA) and lecturer with the Department of Psychology at the University of Jaén, held a working meeting with Nuria Manzano, director of the National Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CNIIE), an agency attached to the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.
During the meeting, they discussed different topics related to the promotion of adolescent mental health. Luis Joaquín García outlined the key aspects of the report and roadmap recently drawn up by the PROEM network surrounding the emotional health and well-being of young people. This document analyses the state of the art, needs and recommendations for improving psychological assessment and promoting mental health and emotional well-being in young people led by experts from across different fields. The PI went into detail about several measures addressed in the report, including the possibility of implementing a screening protocol for the detection of emotional problems, paying particular attention to vulnerable groups, and the need to allocate resources to psychologist-led training for teachers and counselors to improve literacy in this field.
Meanwhile, Nuria Manzano explained the work undertaken by the CNIIE through its programmes and projects. She also described the main objectives underpinning the National School Health Plan, which revolve around promoting and supporting an educational model aimed at developing the overall health of the entire education community; providing appropriate training to all members of the education community; and fostering healthy life development from a physical, psychological, social and environmental perspective.
The meeting followed in the same vein as previous meetings held by the PROEM network with institutions such as the Institute for Youth (INJUVE); the Spanish Children’s Rights Coalition; the Directorate-General for Public Health, Quality and Innovation; the Directorate-General for Family and Childhood Services; and the General Sub-Directorate of Health Promotion and Epidemiology, plus meetings with different parliamentary groups with a presence in the Congress of Deputies.
The PROEM network report is the result of work carried out by researchers specialising in mental health and other areas belonging to the University of Jaén (institution heading the network), the University of Córdoba, the University of the Basque Country, the Complutense University of Madrid, the Miguel Hernández University, the University of Deusto, and the Rovira i Virgili University. They are joined by the network’s associate partners, including the Autonomous University of Madrid, the University of Almería, the National Distance Education University (UNED), and the University of Coimbra (Portugal); professionals from clinical and community health institutions such as the Les Corts Mental Health Centre and the Malaga Biomedical Research Institute; counseling groups including the Confederation of Psychopedagogy and Counseling Organizations in Spain (COPOE) and the Provincial Technical Team for Vocational and Educational Guidance of the Government of Andalusia’s Department of Education; and user groups such as the Spanish Association for Mutual Assistance against Social Phobia and Anxiety Disorders (AMTAES), the Spanish Society for the Study of Anxiety and Stress (SEAS), and the State Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Transsexual and Bisexual Individuals (FELGTB).
