Chapter 10. Professional practices in psychology. Experiences in educational institutions in the department of Boyacá.

This chapter focuses on the relevance of the Community Mental Health Accompaniment Centers of the UNAD (CASMCUNAD), which arise as a response to the psychosocial needs identified in various regions of Colombia, exacerbated by situations such as confinement and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is emphasized that the CASMCUNADs seek a contextualized and functional approach to mental health, generating appropriate intervention strategies for the psychosocial problems of different populations and communities.

The text underlines the importance of the notion of “community” as a living and dynamic organism, with diverse sociocultural interactions and contexts, where individuals recreate virtues and disagreements based on common interests. It is mentioned that CASMCUNADs aim to contribute to the promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, rehabilitation and palliation in mental health within the communities, basing their action on social psychology, understood as an interdisciplinary work that involves both professionals and community stakeholders.

In addition, psychosocial action is defined as an integral perspective that enables action scenarios to understand human phenomena and to propose alternatives and inclusive solutions that generate new subjectivities in frameworks of justice, equity and peace. It is pointed out that psychosocial intervention privileges the active participation of the intervened subjects in the response to social problems. Finally, it is highlighted that the CASMCUNAD have become important scenarios for the professional practices of UNAD psychology students, allowing them to develop psychosocial actions in diverse contexts.