Strategies and Challenges on University Psychosocial Disability Attention

Abstract

Among all types of disabilities, psychosocial disability is one of the least studied and addressed due to its low visibility and difficulty in characterization. Being closely linked to mental health, it is considered a domain for intervention specific to professionals in this area. This work shares an experience in support and intervention with students with psychosocial disabilities in the context of higher education. The proposal consisted of conducting several experiential workshops for the management of depression and anxiety aimed at undergraduate students at the Universidad Rosario Castellanos in Mexico City, with the intention of teaching techniques and improving skills for managing their symptoms and effects, as depression and anxiety are two of the disorders most frequently associated with psychosocial disability. The workshops are introductory at a theoretical and conceptual level, focusing more on the practice of cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness techniques for emotional control. The proposal involved building multidisciplinary teams for a rich contribution of diverse, horizontal, and innovative knowledge and methodologies that rescue subjectivist perspectives, aiming to address the immediate and important issues for the students: their daily problems, pain, sadness, and confusion. The interest generated by these workshops has highlighted a significant need for attention in this area, and their implementation has been beneficial and perceived very positively by the participants.