{"id":29755,"date":"2026-03-27T16:56:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T23:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=29755"},"modified":"2026-03-27T16:56:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T23:56:11","slug":"psychologists-and-educators-take-part-in-salesian-webinar-on-young-peoples-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2026\/03\/27\/psychologists-and-educators-take-part-in-salesian-webinar-on-young-peoples-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychologists and Educators Take Part in Salesian Webinar on Young People\u2019s Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

(ANS \u2013 Lisbon<\/strong>) \u2013 Around 700 educators registered for the webinar on young people\u2019s mental health, organized by the publisher\u00a0\u201cSalesianos Editora\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0y\u00a0\u201cFunda\u00e7\u00e3o Salesianos\u201d<\/strong>\u2014two different Salesian bodies in Portugal. Hundreds followed the live presentation on\u00a0March 9<\/strong>\u00a0of the Portuguese edition of the book\u00a0\u201cMental Health of Young People: Recognizing to Accompany,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0published in 2025 by the\u00a0Salesian Youth Ministry Sector<\/strong>, along with the webinar featuring two guest psychologists,\u00a0Ant\u00f3nio Rodrigues<\/strong>\u00a0y\u00a0Ros\u00e1rio Costa<\/strong>, both with extensive experience supporting young people in Salesian educational settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The presentation was aimed at educators, parents, guardians, teachers, catechists, scout leaders\u2026 who logged on in large numbers from Viana do Castelo<\/strong>, Loul\u00e9<\/strong>, Braga<\/strong>, Funchal<\/strong>, Cerveira<\/strong>, Moura<\/strong>, Portim\u00e3o<\/strong>, Figueira da Foz<\/strong>, Porto<\/strong>, Lisbon<\/strong>y Mirandela<\/strong>, confirming the strong interest the topic generates in schools, youth groups, and society in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Various national and international studies have shown a statistical increase in anxiety and depression among young people. At the same time, there is also greater awareness of the problem. Psychologist Ros\u00e1rio Costa<\/strong> explained that, although anxiety is also present in younger age groups\u2014even among elementary school children\u2014it is more common in older groups, when the ability to rationalize and self-awareness become more developed. \u201cThis greater awareness has also led more people to seek medical help,\u201d the psychologist noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acknowledging that it is sometimes difficult to \u201cdescribe and identify the boundaries between the various types\u201d of problems, Ros\u00e1rio Costa<\/strong> sought to identify genetic, psychological, environmental, and social factors, and to dispel certain myths and false beliefs on the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The psychologist also presented tools for addressing anxiety in an educational setting, including various self-awareness and reflection techniques, breathing and relaxation exercises, role-playing, body scanning, positive visualization, group activities, and trust-building exercises, offering resources that educators can study and use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Strong Social Support Network Is Essential<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One condition that has increased among young people in recent years is depression. Ant\u00f3nio Rodrigues<\/strong> identified the early \u201cnegative and persistent\u201d warning signs of depression in young people as \u201ca loss of pleasure, a lack of energy and hope,\u201d \u201cas if the future could only be the same or worse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, the prevalence of the condition ranges from 8 to 16 percent of the global population,\u201d he stated. \u201cDepression is currently the second leading cause of disability worldwide and is expected to become the leading cause by 2030.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ant\u00f3nio Rodrigues<\/strong> explained that a multifactorial framework underlies this increase. Greater awareness, an aging population, and increased exposure to stressors\u2014where social media also plays a role\u2014are some of the contributing factors. \u201cDepression is highly debilitating. The person is unable to envision the future. It is not a mood swing; it lacks the same volatility; in depression, that is not possible. Depression is a serious illness,\u201d he continued. \u201cThere are various causes\u2014genetic, hormonal, life events\u2014that can trigger depression. It should not be confused with weakness of character or limitation,\u201d the psychologist reiterated, noting that this stigma is often held even by those experiencing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Ant\u00f3nio Rodrigues<\/strong>, there is a \u201cdistortion of reality with overstimulation of the ideal and understimulation of self-perception.\u201d He emphasized that in these cases pharmacological therapy is necessary and that \u201cthere are no quick fixes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social Media and the Mental Health of Children and Young People<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The importance of having a strong social support network and focusing on primary prevention was emphasized by both specialists. The audience, watching from home, had the opportunity to ask questions, and the speakers offered additional guidance by suggesting useful resources and warning signs to watch for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The influence of social media on the mental health of children and young people was also addressed by several participants.\u00a0Ros\u00e1rio Costa<\/strong>\u00a0noted that in recent years, schools have been implementing certain rules. According to her, the changes introduced \u201chave been well received\u201d by schools. In this context,\u00a0Ant\u00f3nio Rodrigues<\/strong>\u00a0added that \u201cwe are also trying to ensure that young people become aware of what is positive and what is negative.\u201d \u201cThey themselves, at times, lack a critical perspective,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd young people find it very difficult to regulate themselves and have great difficulty managing frustration,\u201d added\u00a0Ros\u00e1rio Costa<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the Editorial Director of \u201cSalesianos Editora,\u201d Fr. Rui Alberto<\/strong>, noted that the interest generated by \u201cMental Health of Young People: Recognizing to Accompany\u201d<\/strong> and the webinar is a sign that people are \u201cattentive\u201d to the issue. \u201cThat is already a step forward,\u201d he said. The Salesian priest also emphasized that the book is intended as an aid for educators, is easy to read, and should not replace \u201cseeking specialist help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Salesians of Portugal<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(ANS \u2013 Lisbon) \u2013 Around 700 educators registered for the webinar on young people\u2019s mental health, organized by the publisher\u00a0\u201cSalesianos Editora\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cFunda\u00e7\u00e3o Salesianos\u201d\u2014two different Salesian bodies in Portugal. Hundreds followed the live presentation on\u00a0March 9\u00a0of the Portuguese edition of the book\u00a0\u201cMental Health of Young People: Recognizing to Accompany,\u201d\u00a0published in 2025 by the\u00a0Salesian Youth Ministry Sector, along with the webinar featuring two guest psychologists,\u00a0Ant\u00f3nio Rodrigues\u00a0and\u00a0Ros\u00e1rio Costa, both … Continuar leyendo Psychologists and Educators Take Part in Salesian Webinar on Young People\u2019s Mental Health<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":10336596,"featured_media":29758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[529149631,516714022,782003440],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salesian-education","category-salesian-world-news","category-youth-ministry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/salesianbulletin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026-03-27-Salud-Mental-feature.jpg?fit=1600%2C875&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p59ePG-7JV","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10336596"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29755"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29759,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29755\/revisions\/29759"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}