Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa) has created a Psychological First Aid Manual as part of its Mental Health and Wellbeing project. This guide provides essential skills for identifying and offering initial support to people experiencing emotional crisis, anxiety, or intense stress.
It includes a summarised version and a warning: ‘Psychological First Aid is a first level of care and is not intended to replace professional intervention’.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing project is part of the Programme for the Promotion of Mental Health in Higher Education and aims ‘to equip the academic community with tools and support actions’, as outlined on the initiative’s website. In March, ULisboa also launched the ULisboa Psychological Crisis Line, “Aqui e Agora”, a free service that ensures immediate psychological support.
Gonçalo Moura, psychologist and coordinator of the Academic Development Unit (NDA) at Instituto Superior Técnico, explains that the manual provides ‘simple and practical guidelines so that anyone can know how to act, support, refer and also regulate themselves in emotionally challenging situation’. ‘It’s also a way of promoting mental health in a closer and more real way, improving our responses to such situations’, he adds. ‘Since the guidelines are structured, they can be shared with the entire academic community (students and staff), serving as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, mental health care.’
At Técnico, the Academic Development Unit (NDA) offers several programmes aimed at ‘early detection of difficulties and promoting well-being’, such as Tutoring, which provides personalised, ongoing, and formal support to students during their first two years of study, and also pedagogical coaching and individual meetings, where students can clarify doubts about their academic performance and receive assistance in developing essential time and stress management skills. The Health Services at Técnico also serve as an excellent complement, especially when issues are identified early on.
“The availability of a Psychological First Aid manual aligns with Técnico’s guiding values and helps translate these principles into concrete daily actions”. Furthermore, the presence of ambassadors for these values across different services can play a strategic role in supporting the initiative, he concludes.
“Aqui e Agora” – ULisboa Psychological Crisis Line: +351 210 493 499
“Linha SNS 24” – Free Psychological Counselling Line, 24 hours a day: 808 24 24 24 (press “4”)
