Commission on University Coexistence and Mental Health
Four years after its creation, the University Coexistence and Mental Health Commission seeks to update the needs of universities and strengthen collaboration to improve support for their communities.
The work of the subcommittees on Clinical Fields, Neurodivergences and Collaborative Conflict Resolution Mechanisms made it possible to establish the priority issues and the actions to be taken.
The updating of the diagnosis on the needs of university communities, the exchange of good practices and the development of common guidelines were the main topics addressed in the plenary session of the Commission on University Coexistence and Mental Health of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), which took place on October 27 at the Extension Center of the University of Talca in Santiago.
The commission was created in July 2022 in response to the concern of CRUCH rectors about the increase in the number of students requiring mental health support and the deterioration of coexistence observed after the pandemic.
In this regard, Valeska Grau, co-chair of the commission and professor at the School of Psychology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, explained that “while some issues remain relevant, others have changed.” Therefore, she added, “we need to take stock of where we stand now, what the challenges are, what the needs are, what our common ground is, and above all, how we can support each other.”.
For her part, Patricia Astroza, also co-chair of the commission and coordinator of the Student Welfare Department at the University of La Serena, emphasized the value of sharing best practices as a way to improve the services that institutions provide to their communities, as well as "generating agreements that allow us to provide guidance to university communities on coexistence and mental health.".
Meanwhile, Osvaldo Corrales, the rector in charge of the commission and executive vice president of CRUCH, who participated remotely, warned that the growing demand for mental health support also extends to staff and academics. He therefore called for a review of the situation in the various institutions and an analysis of their lessons learned. “We need to know, first of all, what the situation is, the reality, and update the assessment we have in the different universities,” he stated.
On behalf of the University of Talca, the Director of Student Health, Daniel Jiménez, received the members of the commission.
Towards a new diagnosis
To move forward with the update, participants worked in groups around the six critical issues identified in the report. University Wellbeing: Keys to coexistence and mental health, of March 2025, with the purpose of contrasting that diagnosis with the situation they observe today in their institutions.
The analysis addressed the insufficient articulation of regulatory frameworks; the insufficient adaptation of academic pathways to student diversity; the difficulties in the positive and preventive management of conflicts; the decline in student participation and organization; the high demand for mental health care; and the scarce evidence on the effectiveness of interventions.
Based on these topics, proposals were gathered to move forward. These contributions will be systematized as a basis for updating the diagnosis, defining priorities, and developing a work agenda to guide the commission's actions and collaboration among the institutions.
Working subcommittees
During the afternoon session, the participants met in the subcommittees of Clinical Fields, Neurodivergences and Collaborative Conflict Resolution Mechanisms to delve deeper into their respective lines of work.
The Clinical Fields subcommittee addressed the application of General Standard No. 4 of the Superintendency of Higher Education, one year after its implementation, with the purpose of examining what common standard CRUCH can promote to guide its application in universities.
In Neurodivergences, the work focused on gathering information on identifying minimum conditions that serve as a basis for establishing general recommendations for the Council's institutions, along with the exchange of good practices that support their development.
Meanwhile, the Subcommittee on Collaborative Conflict Resolution Mechanisms reviewed a guidance document to strengthen universities' capacity to prevent and address conflicts, which is expected to be published soon. The document will offer criteria for understanding different situations and defining appropriate responses through dialogue, institutional coordination, and the protection of human rights.
Text: CRUCH Communications
Photographs: UTalca Communications
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