desESTIGMAtizaT: a pioneering project to address stigma towards adolescent mental health problems in the classroom

desESTIGMAtizaT is a pioneering proposal in Navarra in the field of Educational and Psychopedagogical Guidance. The project, developed by the School of Education and Psychology of the University of Navarra, aims to involve both teachers and students of SecondaryEducation to transform schools in a safe, empathetic and free of prejudice towards people with mental health problems.

The project has been developed for ten months, during the 24-25 school year, in the high school Escolapios de Tafalla, in the 4th year of ESO. Throughout this time, nine sessions were developed combining awareness and literacy workshops on mental health with the realization of activities and the creation of awareness campaigns developed by the student body itself for their peers. 

One of the most outstanding features is its preventive, participatory and emotionally meaningful approach . "Beyond offering information, desESTIGMAtizaT seeks to generate a change of outlook and promote adolescents themselves to become active agents of social transformation in issues related to mental health," explains Belén Ochoa, a professor at the School of Education and Psychology.

She and Carla Elizalde, predoctoral researcher at the School of Education and Psychology of the University of Navarra, have been in charge of designing, developing and implementing this educational intervention. The initiative was born from her work in the field of Hospital Pedagogy at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra and Educational Guidance. "There we observed that, when adolescents were admitted to the psychiatric unit, it was very difficult for them to return to their educational centers," explains Belén Ochoa. "There was fear, discomfort and lack of preparation on the part of the school environment, which often did not know how to accompany them on their return," she adds.

^{Teacher Belén Ochoa and researcher Carla Elizalde together with members of the Escolapios de Tafalla high school}

Raising awareness, opening up spaces for dialogue and transforming attitudes

With this project, they have taken to the internship a line of research that unites science, classroom and social commitment to transform the way in which mental health problems are talked about and acted upon in schools. Carla explains: "The aim is to better understand how rejection, misunderstanding or distance are generated, and what educational factors could intervene to change that look and to facilitate the request for financial aid and the end of silence".

"Mental health can no longer be a taboo topic in the classroom. That is why we believed that desESTIGMAtizaT was necessary. It is not only about informing, but also about raising awareness, opening real spaces for dialogue and transforming attitudes," says Belén.

According to the teachers, the experience has been very enriching at the Escolapios high school in Tafalla and the welcome from the management team, the tutors, the faculty and the families has been exceptional. "We have seen that when we offer rigorous information, close and adapted to their language, attitudes change," says Carla. "Students not only learn, but also transform their environment. They become active spokespersons for a more humane approach to mental health problems," she adds.