Last Thursday, 26 May, the ASAENES Mental Health Social Centre in Seville, located on Calle Carlos García Oviedo (Seville), hosted a focus group as part of Study No. 1 of the European Erasmus+ project POSITIVE – Well-being and resilience in working with young people for social change.
The event, coordinated by the Provincial Federation of Associations for People with Physical and Organic Disabilities in Seville (COCEMFE Seville), forms part of the research for the study ‘Organisations’ attitudes and beliefs regarding the wellbeing and resilience of professionals working with young people’, which aims to understand how social organisations perceive, prioritise and support the wellbeing of teams working with young people on a daily basis, particularly in contexts of vulnerability.
The meeting brought together professionals from ASAENES Mental Health Seville, coordination staff, volunteers and representatives from the youth sector, creating a space for collective reflection on the emotional, organisational and structural challenges present in the day-to-day work of the third sector.
During the session, participants agreed that the wellbeing of those working with young people is an essential factor in ensuring high-quality care, particularly in settings characterised by a high emotional burden.
Among the key insights that emerged during the focus group, the need to recognise that professionals “are not superheroes” stood out; rather, they are people exposed to emotionally complex situations who need support, guidance and safe spaces within organisations. In this regard, particular emphasis was placed on the importance of psychological safety, understood as the ability to express difficulties, fatigue or distress without fear of being judged or stigmatised.
One of the most significant debates centred on responsibility for wellbeing: should it fall primarily on the individual worker or also on the organisation? Although a range of views emerged, there was broad consensus on the need for shared responsibility, where both individual self-care capabilities and organisational measures play a complementary role.
Furthermore, the need was highlighted to create formal and stable spaces for emotional care, supervision and psychological support within organisations, going beyond the informal spaces that currently tend to arise spontaneously amongst colleagues. Participants highlighted the importance of institutionalising time for self-care, emotional management and the improvement of interpersonal skills, viewing these measures not as a waste of time but as an investment in professional quality and the prevention of emotional burnout.
Another key point highlighted was the influence of leadership and organisational culture. In the case of ASAENES, the recent shift towards more professionalised and horizontal working models was viewed positively, with closeness, participation and support for teams playing a central role.
The group also provided an opportunity for a broader reflection on the structural difficulties facing the third sector, highlighting the impact of insufficient funding, administrative overload and high pressure in care provision as factors that affect professional wellbeing and, consequently, the quality of the services provided. The participants agreed that looking after those working in the social sector cannot be viewed solely as an individual issue, but also as an organisational and systemic challenge.
Key proposals for improvement include:
- The creation of structured mental health and wellbeing support services for professionals
- The development of protocols for emotional support and the prevention of burnout
- The promotion of work-life balance and flexible working arrangements
- The creation of learning communities and ongoing training programmes, both internal and external
The POSITIVE project continues to make progress with a clear objective: to promote organisations capable of looking after the wellbeing of their teams in order to strengthen the quality, sustainability and impact of their work with young people with disabilities and mental health issues.
