The Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (FEP-UCP) provided institutional support for the congress marking the 20th anniversary of the ENCONTRAR+SE Association, held at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Porto.
The congress, “It is possible to do things differently! 20 years of advancing mental health”, organised by the ENCONTRAR+SE Association, brought together specialists, professionals, people with lived experience and family members for a day dedicated to reflecting on what has changed in mental health and what still needs to change. Rather than speaking about the people, the organisation sought to give them a voice: first-person testimonies were at the centre of every discussion.
Conversations without taboos
Following the opening session, led by Joana Morais e Castro, President of ENCONTRAR+SE, the first session began with an expression many people have heard: “Are you crazy? Let’s talk about stigma and mental illness.” Moderated by the doctor Frederico Magalhães, the session brought together Cecilia Cruz Villares, occupational therapist and trainer in Open Dialogue, clinical psychologist Carmina Rei, Nuno Malheiro Sarmento, essayist and curator, and Pedro Ribeiro, from the “Vozes de Esperança” group, who reflected on the burden of stigma and self-stigma in recovery and on the importance of relationships, hope and community.
The tone remained close to reality with “Shh, don’t tell anyone... My son has a mental illness.”, a session on the role of the family, from the impact of diagnosis to everyday challenges. Moderated by Vânia Sousa Lima, lecturer at FEP-UCP, it featured psychiatrist João Palha, Vera Castro, a family member of a person with mental illness, artist Maísa Champalimaud, and Mário Barbosa, Emeritus Professor at ICBAS, University of Porto, and founder of the “Projeto SER”.
From the workplace to society
In the afternoon, the debate moved on to companies. In “I have no strength left, but I can’t stop now.”, moderated by Leonor Abreu, Conceição Zagalo, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Fundação LIGA, Joana Pinto Machado, People Business Partner at Deloitte, Sónia Marianinho, Head of the NOS Office at Fidelidade, and Ana Leite, Municipal Director of People Management and Organisation at Porto City Council, discussed the challenges of promoting mental health in the workplace and the need for shared responsibility.
The closing session left a question in the air: “Is mental illness a bogeyman?”. Moderated by Filipa Palha, lecturer at FEP-UCP, the session brought together Pedro Morgado, Regional Mental Health Coordinator at ARS-Norte, and journalist and author Richard Zimler.
More than a review of the past, the congress was a way of thanking all the people, teams and partners who, over the course of two decades, helped ENCONTRAR+SE build an intervention based on scientific evidence and centred on the person, respecting each individual’s history and pace.
In addition to providing institutional support, FEP-UCP was represented in the programme through the participation of its lecturers, reaffirming the Faculty’s commitment to promoting mental health and fostering dialogue between academia, professionals and the community. The event was also sponsored by the Coordenação Nacional das Políticas de Saúde Mental.
