Mexico City, May 13, 2024.- The Clinical Psychology Unit (UPC) of the Universidad Panamericana celebrates its 7th anniversary this year. Founded in 2017, this space was born with the support of our experts from the School of Psychology, in order to address mental health needs in the university community.
"We are very happy to celebrate that the years continue to pass and to see that we can help, that we can be a grain of sand in changing someone's life," says Tania Eugenia Martínez Lizárraga, director of the UPC.
She explains that the UPC provides psychological, couple and family therapy, as well as psychiatric care. It currently has 22 therapists, two psychiatrists, two couple and family therapists and two neuropsychologists who assess concentration, impulsivity and memory issues.
"We have individual therapists who have different approaches. Cognitive-behavioral therapies, integrative therapy, contextual therapies of acceptance and commitment and systemic therapies, which are the ones that cover the couple and family issues," says the director.
Proximity to UP students
Tania indicates that the existence of the Psychology Unit at Universidad Panamericana offers our university a significant advantage over other institutions, since it allows a more direct approach to the emotional needs of the university community.
This is due to the fact that, since it is not a separate center from the university, it facilitates the prevention and attention of various care situations in students, such as family problems, thoughts related to death and academic difficulties.
"(...) having a Clinical Psychology Unit and being able to accompany students who need it, can helpthem to prevent academic decline or performance that is affected by psychological issues".
A space for everyone
However, the UPC also serves the general public outside of Panamericana, offering services ranging from evaluations to emotional therapy for children and adults. In addition, Tania says that since she became director of the UPC, her focus has been to give people a safe space where they feel accompanied by health professionals.
That is why he has carefully chosen his team, and has managed to add the right people so that there is a multidisciplinary care and thus be able to meet all the demands that come to the clinic. The above, in order to provide the most immediate attention possible to the community. When a person seeks help, it is usually because he or she already needs it ," she says.
Likewise, he adds: "(...) there is no type of judgment with our patients, we accompany them in the way they need, always with professional ethics behind everything. We keep a lot of respect and confidentiality of everything that is treated in session (...)".
New awareness of mental health
The Pan American Health Organizationnotes that the COVID-19 pandemic caused a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide.
"We saw this reflected in our population, many things were kept because of all this confinement and when the clinic was reopened and these spaces were provided, people began to seek us out because they needed to talk about what they had experienced and everything that had arisen during the pandemic," Tania confirms.
He also suggests that the increase is also related to the fact that, in this era, there is a new awareness of the importance of having mental health: "(...) it is no longer being seen as a stigma or as something bad, but as self-care. People are eager to feel better and to be well".
Tania also shares a key message: "If your physical and mental health is not good, it is difficult to achieve the goals you have.
Are you interested in approaching the Clinical Psychology Unit? You can write to mx_psicologiaclinica@up.edu.mx and find more information at: https://www.up.edu.mx/vida-panamericana-unidad-de-psicologia-clinica/
