Date: 16 October 2026
Time: 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Venue: Carvalho Guerra Auditorium | Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Foz Campus (Porto)
Organised by: ENCONTRAR+SE Association
Institutional support: Faculty of Education and Psychology of Universidade Católica Portuguesa (FEP-UCP)
Free admission, subject to mandatory registration.
About the Congress
The congress “It is possible to do things differently: 20 years of advancing mental health”, organised by the ENCONTRAR+SE Association, will take place on 16 October 2026 at the Carvalho Guerra Auditorium of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, in Porto.
The event marks two decades of ENCONTRAR+SE's work, bringing together specialists, professionals, individuals with lived experience, family members and representatives from different sectors of society to reflect on the progress achieved in the field of mental health and the challenges that remain.
The initiative aims to promote an open discussion on topics such as the stigma associated with mental illness, the role of families in recovery processes, mental health in the workplace, and the need to develop increasingly inclusive responses that are informed by scientific evidence and centred on the individual.
Through personal testimonies, shared experiences and discussions with guests from diverse fields, the congress will also seek to challenge prejudice and raise awareness of the importance of mental health across all areas of everyday life.
Among the invited speakers are professionals from psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, management, culture, communication and research, creating an interdisciplinary forum for dialogue on the challenges and opportunities involved in promoting mental health.
Under the motto “It Is Possible to Do Things Differently”, the congress will also serve as a moment of celebration and recognition of the work carried out by the ENCONTRAR+SE Association over the past two decades, highlighting the contribution of individuals, teams, partners and specialists to the promotion of mental health interventions that are both evidence-based and person-centred.
