The meeting, in which the Rector of the ULS, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, was present, sought to contribute to satisfying the regional and national demand regarding the updating of knowledge and clinical intervention strategies relevant to the needs that arise in the field of emergencies and psychosocial crises, situations that are already recurring in Chilean society.

Prominent exhibitors participated in the Second Elqui Clinical Psychology Conference, organized by the Department of Psychology of the University of La Serena and dedicated on this occasion to “Emergencies and Crises: Interventions, Experiences and Research”. The meeting, attended by professionals and students from the health field, allowed for the dissemination of knowledge and sharing of experiences in Clinical Psychology, in a modality of both theoretical and experiential work, including conferences by specialists and academics, presentations by various exhibitors and practical workshops. and experiential.

As explained by the coordinator of the Organizing Committee, Mg. Mauricio Cerda, academic at the ULS Department of Psychology, some of the main purposes of this activity were to contribute to meeting regional and national demand related to updating knowledge and clinical intervention strategies relevant to the needs that arise in the field of emergencies. and psychosocial crises, situations that are already recurrent in Chilean society; and support the training of professionals and students in the field of psychological, psychosocial and socio-natural emergencies and crises. “These days are dedicated to improving our knowledge and professional skills to help those who suffer acutely,” commented the professional.

The Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, who was present at the inauguration of this meeting, highlighted the holding of these Conferences and the topic addressed, even more so taking into consideration that in recent years a large part of The population has been affected by earthquakes, tsunamis, river floods and megafires. The highest university authority added that, considering that the classic perspective of addressing individual psychopathological crises has been expanded to include notions such as psychosocial vulnerability that affects families, groups and communities and also the notion of socio-natural disasters, “Clinical Psychology then it must establish a dialogue with medicine, with sociology, with public health policies and even with housing policies,” he pointed out. 

Among the speakers at these Conferences were Sergio Bernales, psychiatrist and family therapist, founding member of the Chilean Institute of Family Therapy, a pioneer institution in the area in our country with extensive experience in working with vulnerable families; Rodrigo Figueroa, psychiatrist and researcher at the National Research Center for the Integrated Management of Natural Disasters, specialized in trauma and disaster medicine; and Irma Rojas, nurse advisor to the Department of Mental Health of the Ministry of Health, with experience, among others, in mental health in emergencies and disasters. 

The Second Elqui Clinical Psychology Conference took place on October 3 and 4 at the Coquimbo Campus of the state campus.