Articles

For a more human and resilient Psychology in the current Cuban scenario: PSICAP 2024

0000-0003-4630-4467Marianela Rafaela Calvis-González¹ 

¹Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Holguín. Policlínico Pedro del Toro Saad. Holguín, Cuba.

Dear Readers:

Cuba has been the cradle of great intellectuals, thinkers who have left their mark throughout history, one of them is the renowned writer, researcher, philosopher and pedagogue Enrique José Varona, born in the city of Puerto Príncipe, province of Camagüey on April 13, 1849.

His fruitful work throughout his 84 years of life, in which he stood out for his humanistic and idealistic thinking, and for the importance he gave to teaching for the development and welfare of a society, made him acquire great prestige in the intellectual sphere of Latin America, which led to the fact that in 2004, the day of his birth was instituted as Cuban Psychology Day.

The psychologist is the professional who, within the field of health as a biological, psychic and social balance, is in charge of mental health care. He exercises his function in each of the levels of care in different spheres of society, belonging to a work of science, whose object of study is well defined, and uses a scientific method to gather information, formulate hypotheses, develop research and reach conclusions based on evidence.

The discipline of which it is part, is interrelated with others allowing it to comprehensively address the study of human behavior, and has practical application always seeking to improve the quality of life of the individual, his family and community.

As every year, in salute to this day, the Cuban Society of Psychology develops activities to celebrate this important date, and this year 2024, this day brought together professionals from different branches of knowledge in each province of the country.

Specifically, in the province of Holguin, the Department of Psychology of the University, together with the Provincial Group of the Cuban Society of Psychology, joined the commemoration and called to participate in the Scientific Day of Applied Psychology, PSICAP 2024, in its seventh edition, under the precept “For a more humane and resilient Psychology in the current Cuban scenario”, while psychoeducational activities were developed in different health areas.

The PSICAP event has as its antecedent the First Scientific Conference of Psychology in 2007, sponsored by the Provincial Headquarters of the Cuban Society of Psychology and the Provincial Delegation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA), which aimed to promote the debate about the potential of science in social transformation and where some research corresponding to the thematic lines of Health Psychology, Labor and Social Psychology and Educational Psychology were presented, as explained by one of its founders, Dr. Alexander Cordovés Santieste. Alexander Cordovés Santiesteban.

Years later, in 2012, it was developed for the first time already under the name of PSICAP, taking as its central axis: “Psychology and its contribution to social transformation”, it would be regulated by the policies of innovation and science, professional training and training of cadres. It would be born as an event to celebrate the National Day of Psychology, and as a scientific opportunity that could gather colleagues around the date and thus favor an exchange of everything that was being done in the professional research field of Psychology and would have the name of Applied Psychology, because it would be oriented to the practice of the discipline in the different areas of action. On that occasion it would have keynote speakers, the Doctors of Psychological Sciences, Gloria Fariñas León and Israel Mayo Parra.

This year's event, which took place from April 9 to 11, 2024, stood out for the brilliant performance of its Organizing Committee, Scientific Committee and Support Committee, the latter made up of Psychology students, who diligently made it possible for the event to develop in all its splendor. The objective of the event was to create a space for scientific-professional, cultural and human exchange, so that a week before, the headquarters of the Medical College of the City of Parks, was prestigious with the participation of prominent personalities, in charge of teaching the pre-event courses.

The main areas and systems involved in neurophysiological mechanisms, as well as the modification of genes by emotions, the importance of the family as a fundamental predisposing environment in the appearance of mental disorders and their prevention, were the topics addressed in the first of them: Genetic and psychological factors of mental disorders, taught by Msc. Yanela Marrero Pérez and Dr. Anavies Peña Hernández, with the participation of students and professionals from institutions belonging to the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), the Ministry of Education (MINED), the Ministry of Higher Education (MES), among others. Anavies Peña Hernández, with the participation of students and professionals from institutions belonging to the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), Ministry of Education (MINED), Ministry of Higher Education (MES) among others, who were also present the next day at the conference masterfully given by Dr. Alexander Cordovés Santiesteban, entitled: “Methodological notes for educational research, which motivated from their experiences to resignify, reconstruct and democratize education and scientific research and be aware of the role assumed by each researcher”. The week culminated with the conference: “Therapeutic hypnosis and grief” given by Msc. Leandro Escobar Barbure, who presented its history, its modalities and conducted an academic session of the technique.

At the university's Celia Sanchez Manduley campus, the second week of the day began with the inaugural lecture: “Community and Expressive Arts. Group interventions. Can Expressive Arts in Transition (EXIT) help people who have lost their identity to find a sense of belonging?” by Dr. Melinda Meyer, founder of the EXIT program and director of the Institute for Arts and Communication in Norway together with her colleagues Msc. Shabrae Jackson, Msc. Mylinda Baits and Msc. Lyd Pensado.

The EXIT methodology, as part of a manual elaborated by the researchers based on their experience of more than 30 years of work, integrates the frameworks of expressive arts and sociodrama, helps participants to recognize their symptoms of stress to learn how to respond to them through active participation with the use of tools for coping and transformation, focusing on the process and not on the final product, demanding presence, but low skill, offering an alternative world that is extraordinary as the authors explain and that breaks with what is done by habit.

They were also in charge of two experiential workshops: “Introduction to expressive arts in transition”, a participatory group intervention type program that would provide tools for stabilization and coping with stress symptoms and “learning to work with large groups that are immersed in experiences of stress and crisis”.

On the penultimate day, four rooms were held belonging to the areas of Educational Psychology and Human Development, Labor and Organizational Psychology, Clinical and Health Psychology and Neuropsychology.

In the first of these, research related to the confrontation of bullying at school age, proposals of dimensions and indicators for educational inclusion, teacher training in emotional education, as well as alternatives in the prevention of toxic habits such as alcoholism in adolescence, among others, were presented.

The Labor and Organizational Psychology room included seven research projects related to organizational climate and proactivity in workers, organizational culture and customer service, as well as organizational diagnosis to enhance communication, among others.

Biopsychosocial factors that manifest themselves in early weaning, hyperactivity and attention deficit syndrome in school children, a management perspective, management of oncological diseases with the use of the arts, prevention of suicidal behavior and drug addictive behaviors, both in the adolescent stage, among other research were presented in the Clinical and Health Psychology Commission.

Finally, the Neuropsychology Commission met to discuss motor aphasia, neuropsychology of spinocerebellar ataxia type 2, cognitive stimulation program in patients with Parkinson's disease, among others.

Educational Psychology and Human Development, Gender Studies, and Social and Community Psychology were the Commissions of April 11, in which new research that responded to some of these thematic lines were presented.

The development of oral communication in students with Down Syndrome: a case study, Psychoeducational needs in students of the University of Las Tunas: inclusive perspective from a Support Center, Educational program to enhance family management in patients with chronic renal insufficiency, among others were presented in the first room.

On Gender Studies, some of the topics of the works were: The use of inclusive language: grammatical or behavioral changes?, Beliefs of university students on gender violence in couple relationships and Assertive communication of the psycho-pedagogue in the face of the expression of new masculinities, among others.

In the Social and Community Psychology room, topics such as Emotional Management and psychological well-being in the WhatsApp group “Living to the fullest, Reflections”, Psychosocial indicators of the lifestyle of patients with ataxia. References for a therapeutic approach, as well as Contribution of Psychology Pre-professional Practices to the study of families and communities in the Holguin territory, among others.

The closing of the day was in charge of Dr. Alexander Cordovés Santiesteban who gave the keynote lecture Higher Education Policies in Cuba. Ethnographic notes, in which he explained how translating higher education policies into higher education practices leads us to be better human beings, and to create spaces for diversity and identification in the processes in which we participate.

In the capital of the country, the Central Act for the Day of Cuban Psychology was held in the Aula Magna of the University of Havana, with the participation of members of the Cuban Society of Psychology, the Federal Council of Psychology of Brazil and associated institutions. The work of Sections, Provincial Groups and institutions that had an outstanding career in the year 2023 was recognized, and the Cuba - Brazil Binational Meeting was closed.

Provinces such as Pinar del Río, Villa Clara, Sancti Spíritus, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo, among others, joined in activities in salute to the date with radio reports, organization of student sections, conferences, workshops, socialization activities and psycho-educational activities.

Holguín, for its part, leaves the doors open with the invitation to PSICAP 2026, to continue making health.

Undoubtedly, this seventh edition was a meeting of knowledge, reflections, emotions, connection, learning and scientific exchange. It was an excellent opportunity to exchange on the current state of the psychological sciences from a theoretical, practical, professional and experiential perspective, with a critical and resilient look.

As our National Hero José Martí would say: “It is not intelligence, received and casual, what gives man honor, but the way he uses and saves it. There is only one way to endure and that is to serve", and Cuban Psychology, having wellbeing as a priority, offers its services and traces a path, in which we go together, holding hands, placing our grain of sand, and facing each of the challenges that arise, as men and women of science, to continue building the Cuba, and the world we want.

Received: April 17, 2024; Accepted: April 20, 2024

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