RODAS DE CONVERSA NA UNIVERSIDADE PÚBLICA DURANTE A PANDEMIA COVID-19: EDUCAÇÃO E SAÚDE MENTAL

Abstract

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Office of Mental Health of the Dean of Under - graduate Studies at USP has offered individual support session, research, and actions to promote the health of undergraduate and graduate students, mediated by digital technologies. Among the modalities offered, the Conversation Circles focuses on the socio-emotional approach and intends to raise awareness, build, and strengthen support networks among students, professors, and staff. The main objective is to respond quickly to the demand for help arising from psycho - logical and emotional problems. related to physical distance. Several forms of interaction and mediation strategies based on the construction of knowledge from the lived experience were used. The Conversation Circle allows the sharing of anxieties, fears, and hopes of participants. Each testimonial can be representative of a group feeling, but it can also lead to differences and disagreements that show otherness and it is through this space of dialogue, interaction, and reflection that connection and empathy are sought. The rounds of conversation were held in six Teaching Units, meeting the specific demands of each one of them: some only with undergrad - uate and/or graduate students, others only with employees and others involving professors and students. The results show that Conversation Circles enable the sharing of common difficulties, promote a form of collaborative communication, and strengthen the bond between the partici - pants, favoring the experience of belonging. It was concluded that the Conversation Circles can increase self-knowledge in relation to the suffering experienced through verbal expression and the resulting group reflections.