In this 3rd episode of MindCast, Cátia Branquinho, professor at Universidade Católica (UCP), talks to student Sofia Torneiro about the upcoming exam season.

Cátia Branquinho, a Clinical and Health Psychologist and professor at UCP's Faculty of Human Sciences, emphasises that the exam period is undoubtedly a challenging and stressful time. She stresses that organising time is crucial, as it allows you to maximise your study time by implementing an effective study plan, helping you to retain information and concentration and avoiding procrastination.

For the professor, these are skills that develop and improve with practice.

With regard to organising time effectively in this exam phase, the main strategies highlighted in this episode are maintaining good sleep patterns - sleeping the recommended number of hours, maintaining regularity, and eating an adequate and healthy diet, ensuring hydration throughout the day, but also taking care of mental health and well-being, through self-care routines - having time for yourself, doing pleasurable activities, connecting with others (family and friends), doing physical exercise.

Creating a study plan and sticking to it, using diaries/calendars/task lists, setting smart goals and prioritising tasks are equally important. But in this episode, it is also recommended to take breaks that suit each individual and use study techniques that are adapted to each individual, such as notes, flash cards, apps, study groups with colleagues, among others.

It is also important to avoid sources of distraction, to use apps as positive reinforcement, increasing motivation, and of course, to celebrate individual achievements.

Finally, it is stressed that students should be alert to signs of stress (fatigue, insomnia, difficulty concentrating, among others) and seek specialised support if necessary. Stress can be positive, increasing attention, focus, motivation and performance, if it does not occur excessively.

The 4th episode of this season will be released on 13 June, with the theme ‘The importance of self-esteem for academic success’.

Listen to all the episodes from the first season here, and learn more about mental health consultations for the entire academic community here.

MindCast, a podcast about mental health, was launched in May and was born out of a partnership between the Social Responsibility Office and the Marketing Club of the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics.

With the aim of raising awareness and offering tools to deal with the challenges that students face, Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) is launching MindCast, a podcast dedicated to promoting mental health. The result of a collaboration between the Social Responsibility Office and the Católica Lisbon Marketing Club, Mindcast debuts today, 2 May, on the Spotify and Anchor platforms.

Aiming to raise awareness and offer tools to deal with the challenges that students face, Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) is launching MindCast, a podcast dedicated to promoting mental health. The result of a collaboration between the Social Responsibility Office and the Marketing Club for students at UCP's headquarters, Mindcast debuts today, 2 May, on the Spotify and Anchor platforms.

To help university students lead a mentally healthy academic life, the podcast will share the knowledge of psychologists and other experts in the field. Inês Camacho, a specialist in the field of clinical and educational psychology, is the guest on the first episode, moderated by Sofia Torneiro, a psychology student at the Faculty of Human Sciences at UCP.

To launch this project, the professor from the same faculty discusses the mental health of young people in higher education institutions and the main problems they face. In the episode, the expert also points out some warning signs to look out for and discusses the relationship between university culture and its impact on mental health. The aim is to clarify how different university environments influence students' psychological well-being.

The aim of this podcast is to help disseminate specialised knowledge and practical advice on mental health to the entire academic community. As such, Mindcast invites all students, teachers, researchers and collaborators to join this journey to promote and protect mental health at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, with the next episodes to be released on 16 and 30 May and 13 and 27 June.

Alongside this initiative, the UCP has been offering mental health appointments to the entire academic community, an outreach service that accompanies situations related to emotional problems, in Lisbon, since October 2022.

Join us for this important conversation about mental health

The 2nd episode of MindCast, entitled "Depression and Anxiety among young people: warning signs and how to seek help", was released on May 16th.

This episode's special guest is Frederico Simões do Couto, a specialist in the field of psychiatry and lecturer at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Through his experience and knowledge, Frederico Simões do Couto highlights five key lessons about depression and anxiety among young people, which you can listen to on Spotify and Anchor.

First, he stressed that sadness and anxiety are normal experiences and are part of life. However, he noted that it is essential to be aware when these feelings begin to interfere with the ability to live in an adaptive and functional way. Promoting self-knowledge was the second key point, since understanding our own emotions helps us to deal effectively with the factors that can trigger sadness and anxiety.

The third point addressed is the growing tendency among younger generations to seek psychological help with less fear, indicating a positive change in perceptions about mental health. Frederico Simões do Couto also emphasized the importance of promoting well-being on a daily basis and throughout the week, setting aside time for self-care practices that make us feel good. Last but not least, he concluded that mental health should be a priority for everyone and that no one is alone on this journey. Asking for help is fundamental to continuing to take care of ourselves and those around us, she warned.

Launched on May 2nd, MindCast is an initiative of the Social Responsibility Office and the Marketing Club of the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics. This project actively involved students in identifying and preparing relevant topics for the university community.

The Universidade Católica Portuguesa offers consultations to the entire academic community, through an outreach service.

MindCast continues its mission to promote and protect mental health. You can listen to all the episodes here. On May 30, episode number 3 will be available, with the theme "Organizing time and managing stress during exams".

In the 4th episode of MindCast, launched on 13 June, guest Bárbara Nazaré, a professor at the Faculty of Human Sciences (FCH) at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP), discussed the importance of self-esteem for academic success.  

Bárbara Nazaré, a clinical and health psychologist and collaborator with the UCP Mental Health Service, spoke to host Sofia Torneiro, a student at the FCH, and began by explaining that there are various factors that influence self-esteem and that they start very early in life: genetic influences, aspects related to life experiences as a child, but also current experiences as an adult. 

The professor emphasises that there is a clear relationship between self-esteem and academic success, proven by science. She also emphasises that people with high self-esteem tend to have a more positive view of themselves, show greater persistence in the face of adversity and cope more healthily with failure. 

Bárbara Nazaré emphasises that professors and family members can help students improve their self-esteem, and makes three important suggestions. Firstly, she encourages the definition of individual academic growth, evolution and progression objectives, since comparing oneself with others is not beneficial. Secondly, he emphasised the importance of conveying that academic evaluations measure performance at that specific moment and not the intrinsic value of the person. Finally, he suggests helping students to focus on the benefits of failures, seeing them as learning opportunities for the future. 

To end the episode, Bárbara Nazaré leaves two final pieces of advice. The first is to practice self-compassion, to realise that a mistake doesn't diminish a person's value and that criticism at that moment only makes the situation worse. The second piece of advice is to reflect on the intrinsic value of each person, remembering that everyone has value, despite not always being aware of it. 

The next episode of MindCast will be released on 27 June and will cover the importance of different types of relationships in a student's journey, with Susana Costa Ramalho, also a lecturer at the FCH.  

Find out more about the mental health consultations for the entire academic community here, and listen to the rest of this season's episodes here. 

MindCast, a podcast about mental health, is the result of a partnership between the Social Responsibility Office and the Marketing Club of the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics. 

On World Mental Health Day, marked on 10 October, Universidade Católica launches the second season of MindCast with a new episode featuring Miguel Telo de Arriaga, Clinical and Health Psychologist and Public Health Specialist, and professor at the Faculty of Human Sciences.

In this episode dedicated to the importance of raising awareness in the community about mental disorders and the impact they have on all ages, Miguel Telo de Arriaga emphasised how these anniversaries are fundamental for reminding people of the importance of mental health and opening up space for important discussions, both on a personal level and in the media and public policy.

Among the topics discussed, four main ideas stand out:

• Myths and stigmas: there is still great resistance to talking about mental health, which is associated with vulnerability.
• Normalisation of symptoms: emotional reactions in times of crisis should be normalised, to help reduce anxiety and make people understand that they are not alone in their challenges.
• Acceptance: work needs to be done on accepting vulnerability, both on a personal level and on the part of society.
• Prevention and promotion of mental health: there needs to be a greater focus on prevention and the involvement of the whole community, as well as effective public policies.

The episode also addresses the importance of maintaining healthy routines and physical activity as a way of promoting psychological well-being, and explores the essential role of education and health literacy in preventing future mental health problems.

With a season that promises interesting and informative dialogues on mental health, Mindcast will soon have new episodes available on Spotify.

A partnership between the Social Responsibility Office and the Marketing Club of Católica Lisbon.

 

The stigma associated with mental health is still one of the biggest mental health challenges, as emphasised by Miguel Telo de Arriaga, a professor at the Faculty of Human Sciences, on MindCast, Católica's mental health podcast. To tackle this problem, students, professors and staff at Universidade Católica Portuguesa joined in various awareness-raising initiatives on 10 October.

At Católica's headquarters in Lisbon, Mental Health Day was marked with an awareness campaign aimed at the academic community, coordinated by the Social Responsibility Office. In collaboration with the Mental Health Service Team, this action included the Marketing Club, the Law Academic Association, the Psychology Student Centre and a few Psychology students.

Among the measures announced is the ‘Psychologist and Nutritionist Voucher’, a new measure from the Ministry of Youth and Modernisation and the Ministry of Education. Designed to facilitate access to these services for students at Portuguese higher education institutions, the voucher aims to promote mental health and well-being, development and adaptation in situations with a potential impact on academic life.

This initiative, which complements existing services at the University, such as mental health appointments, contributes to a more effective and productive learning environment, where students can concentrate on their academic activities without the burden of emotional stress.

Rita Paiva e Pona, the Rectors' Advisor for Social Responsibility, emphasises that “UCP's mental health consultations are intended to be, above all, a space of proximity and care, responding in a welcoming way to issues related to emotional challenges such as anxiety, depression, stress, among others”.

Created by the World Federation for Mental Health, World Mental Health Day aims to raise awareness and mobilise efforts to support mental health.

 

This episode was full of questions posed by listeners who follow this Podcast, in terms of preventing problems associated with mental health, and answered by our guest.

Among the topics covered, António Sampaio pointed out that our culture is very much geared towards the demand for productivity, and that it is necessary for everyone to focus on and take care of their well-being and mental health, particularly through good sleep management, physical exercise, diet and leisure, among others.

We also talked about how to support those around us when they are going through difficult times by sharing and being willing to listen, as well as study techniques for people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Burnout, competitiveness and pressure in academia, complementarity between psychology and psychiatry and combining time between university, friends and family were discussed.

In conclusion, António Sampaio left us with an important piece of advice: we must invest in self-knowledge, an essential part of our well-being and mental health.

Listen to this episode in full and the rest of this first season, and find out more about other important mental health issues here.

MindCast is a podcast about mental health that was created as a result of a partnership between the Social Responsibility Office and the Marketing Club of the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics. This first season is over, but news on the subject will be announced soon.

Rita Paiva e Pona, Advisor to the Rectorate for Social Responsibility and Coordinator of the Social Responsibility Office, comments that this first season has been very rich in terms of the diversity of themes and, above all, reveals the importance that mental health has for the students of the Universidade Católica, since they were the protagonists of this project. "We would like to thank the entire team of teachers and staff at the University who ensure this close monitoring and promote well-being on campus."

We would like to remind you that the Universidade Católica Portuguesa offers mental health consultations for the entire academic community, through an outreach service. You can find out more here.

Gabinete de Responsabilidade Social e Clube de Marketing CATÓLICA-LISBON