Entre el 25 y 28 de junio se realizó en Cracovia, Polonia, la 56 Reunión Anual Internacional de la Sociedad para la Investigación en Psicoterapia, SPR (Society for Psychotherapy Research por sus siglas en inglés). Este año participaron 750 investigadoras e investigadores de 49 países y cientos de universidades e instituciones que desarrollan investigación en psicoterapia, como es el caso de MIDAP. Más de una decena de investigadores e investigadoras del Instituto viajaron hasta Polonia para participar de la Reunión y nueve de ellos/as contaron con apoyo económico de MIDAP. En esta oportunidad, los investigadores Guillermo de la Parra y Claudia Capella recibieron distinciones especiales.  El investigador senior Guillermo de la Parra recibió el Senior Distinguished Research Career Award, “que es el premio más importante que concede la SPR. Es un premio que se da por trayectoria y por aporte a la investigación y a la clínica. Para mí fue especialmente emotivo porque yo tengo ascendencia polaca, mi madre vivió durante la guerra en un pueblito al lado de Cracovia, por lo tanto, empecé mis palabras de agradecimiento con algunas frases en polaco. Fue un gran honor haber recibido este premio”.  “Su investigación no solo ha contribuido a la literatura científica, sino que también ha influido en enfoques terapéuticos que benefician a innumerables personas que buscan atención en salud mental. Asimismo, ha realizado importantes contribuciones al desarrollo de la psicoterapia en el Capítulo Latinoamericano y en toda la SPR. Su dedicación a una metodología rigurosa, sumada a su compromiso de traducir los hallazgos de la investigación en aplicaciones prácticas para profesionales clínicos y pacientes, ejemplifica el más alto estándar de la investigación en psicoterapia. Este reconocimiento celebra tanto sus logros individuales como su contribución al desarrollo de todo el campo”, señaló en una carta Shigeru Iwakabe, presidente de la SPR. La investigadora adjunta Claudia Capella recibió el Irene Elkin Mid-Career Achievement Award. “Estos son premios que se postulan y a mí me presentó un profesor de Inglaterra. Este premio es para quienes están en una carrera intermedia, que llevan entre 10 y 20 años de obtenido el doctorado. En mi postulación destacamos la contribución al ámbito de la psicoterapia infanto-juvenil, y también cómo desde Latinoamérica podríamos aportar a la investigación en psicoterapia infantil a nivel internacional. Los premios entregados en esta versión dan cuenta del aporte de investigadores e investigadoras latinoamericanas”, indica Capella. “Creo que es un reconocimiento muy importante, pero no solo a la trayectoria individual, sino que a todo el trabajo que hemos hecho en el equipo de investigación, con los estudiantes que tenemos en la Universidad de Chile, también la colaboración que hemos realizado con otras académicas de MIDAP, y también de otras instituciones a nivel internacional. Es un reconocimiento al trabajo que hemos desarrollado en términos de poder acceder a las voces de los niños y niñas en la investigación en psicoterapia infantil, complementar las colaboraciones de los terapeutas, de sus cuidadores. Estoy muy contenta porque siento que hemos desarrollado un trabajo bien importante con poblaciones especialmente vulnerables como niños, niñas y adolescentes que han sido víctimas de agresiones sexuales”, agrega la investigadora.

Entre el 12 y el 14 de mayo se realizó, en Puerto Williams, la 3ª Conferencia Internacional del Centro Internacional Cabo de Hornos – CHIC, bajo el lema: “Filosofías, educación y éticas para la conservación biocultural”. Esta instancia “busca fomentar el diálogo interdisciplinario para abordar las causas del cambio climático y global a través de la mirada de pensadores y pensadoras nacionales e internacionales”, señalan desde CHIC.  El congreso contó con actividades abiertas a la comunidad, como las conferencias magistrales de Elisa Loncón, Angélica Velasco, David Clough, Alicia Bugallo, María Antonia González; feria de artesanía local, talleres de poesía, tecnologías, una visita guiada al parque Omora, entre otras actividades. Por otro lado, se realizaron simposios científicos sobre diálogos interculturales, revitalización de las lenguas indígenas, ética biocultural; ecología, espiritualidades y religiones, entre otros temas.  Alex Behn, director de MIDAP, participó del simposio: “Bienestar, salud mental y salud planetaria: perspectivas científicas y experienciales”, junto a Claudio Orrego, María Elisa Quinteros, Patricio Suazo y Viviana Díaz.  Revisa la presentación de Alex Behn a continuación:  Lee la entrevista a Alex Behn en la Gaceta digital de la Patagonia: El entorno como clave terapéutica en la salud mental.

We are pleased to invite you to the 2nd International Congress on Mentalization-Based Treatment for Children, Adolescents, and Families, which will take place in Santiago, Chile, on November 6, 7, and 8, 2025. The first version of this congress was held with great success in Barcelona in 2023, organized by the Center for Applications of Mentalization (IMAGINA), the Vidal i Barraquer University Institute of Mental Health of the Ramon Llull University, and the Anna Freud Institute. This new version is organized by a partnership between the Diego Portales University, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the University of Valparaíso, the Corporation for the Promotion and Support of Children (NGO Paicabi), and the Millennium Institute for Research in Depression and Personality (MIDAP). It also has the collaboration of the Center for Applications of Mentalization (IMAGINA) and the Anna Freud Institute. PURPOSE This conference seeks to bring together the contributions of models based on mentalization theory (MBT) and attachment in the care of children, adolescents, families, and contexts, from both clinical and psychosocial perspectives, as well as from research. Presenters will share their findings, reflections, and future perspectives for the prevention, promotion, and treatment of child and adolescent mental health. Mentalization-based models, oriented to this type of population, reflect the maturity of mentalization-based psychotherapy for adults, developed since the 1990s by Peter Fonagy, Anthony Bateman, and Mary Target, among others. Our main objective is to disseminate and generate a critical mass of knowledge around mentalization-based and -informed interventions for children, adolescents, families, and contexts, with a view to facilitating and continuing their development and implementation in Latin America and the rest of the world. This involves recognizing the diversity of cultural, social, and economic contexts in which mental health care is provided and valuing the backgrounds of each social and professional group, respecting local knowledge and fostering mutual enrichment in the understanding and practice of child and adolescent clinical practice. More about the Congress here. International guests: Peter Fonagy, Norka Malberg, Nick Migdley, Jordan Bate, Dickon Bevington, Efrain Bleiberg, Ana Calderón, Gerry Byrne, Line Brotnow Becker, Mark Dangerfield, Holly Dwyer Hall, Elliot Jurist, Karin Ensinck, Dana Shai, Carla Sharp, Nuria Tur. National guests: Lucía Nuñez, Stefanella Costa-Cordella, Fanny Leyton Alvarez, Paula Lobos Sucarrat, Javier Antonio Morán Kneer, Marcia Olhaberry Huber, Edgardo Toro Quezada. Program (preliminary): FeesCongress Registration Fees until September 1st Fees from September 2nd Chilean pesos $300,000 $330,000 The congress will have simultaneous English-Spanish translation. It includes the opening day and attendance at all presentations. The registration fee can be paid in up to 3 installments. A discount of 10% is considered for 5 or more registrants from the same institution. Indicate the name of the institution in the Comments section (at the end of the form). *The fee is in Chilean pesos. You can check the conversion from Chilean pesos to your foreign currency at the following link: https://cuex.com/es/ REGISTRATION ONLY FOR THE OPENING DAY Fees until September 1st Fees from September 2nd Chilean Pesos $90,000 $100,000 Includes attendance at the opening day of the conference on November 6th in the morning with lectures by Peter Fonagy, Norka Malberg and Nick Midgley. The registration fee can be paid in up to 2 installments. *The fee is in Chilean pesos. You can check the conversion from Chilean pesos to your foreign currency at the following link: https://cuex.com/es/ To register, please complete the following information. Once your registration is received, instructions on how to complete your registration will be sent to your email. REFUND AND CANCELLATION POLICIES: In the event of cancellation by attendees before September 30th, a refund of 70% of the total amount paid will be issued. Starting October 1st, the registration refund policy will be 50% of the total amount paid. Starting October 15th, the registration refund policy will be 30% of the total amount paid. REGISTER HERE.

With around one hundred attendees, the Personality Disorder Research Update Conference was held on Thursday, April 24th. This event was organized by MIDAP, the Personality Disorders Diploma Program of the School of Psychology at the Catholic University, and PsiConecta. The event featured presentations on the main research being conducted by research teams on topics related to the diagnosis, treatment, and basic psychopathology of Personality Disorders. Presenters included Alex Behn (psychologist, UC professor, PhD in Clinical Psychology, and director of MIDAP), Candice Fischer (psychologist, PhD in Clinical Psychology, UC professor, and MIDAP associate researcher), Félix Bacigalupo (psychiatrist, PhD in Medical Sciences and Neuroscience, UC professor, and MIDAP collaborating researcher), and Paula Errázuriz (psychologist, UC professor, PhD in Clinical Psychology, and MIDAP principal researcher). Candice Fischer began the session with "Stigma and Diagnosis: What Have We Learned from Our Patients?" "This opportunity to present this to you today made me think that the research we do also has a history. We don't research just anything: we research because it interests us, because it touches our hearts, because it motivates us," she commented. "A long time ago, when I did my internship at the Dr. José Horwitz Psychiatric Hospital, I often heard colleagues, psychiatrists, and nurses talk about difficult patients, and that resonated with me because I met people diagnosed with Personality Disorders, which led me to think about the question of what makes professionals consider or perceive a patient as difficult. Could it have to do with the diagnosis, a stigma, or the context?" she added. The researcher presented the work "What Makes a Difficult Patient So Difficult? Examining the Therapist's Experience Beyond Patient Characteristics." “This study aimed to improve understanding of therapists' experience with a “difficult patient” and to understand the variables involved in this label. To this end, 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted with therapists working in Chile's public health service.” Candice then presented two research projects: Stigma and Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, a qualitative study exploring the experience of 20 participants diagnosed with BPD and their perception of stigma and experience regarding the diagnosis; and Experience of Receiving a BPD Diagnosis. Alex Behn presented Research in BPD: Basic Psychopathology and Treatment. “What kind of innovation and research are we doing to develop novel treatments with a focus on scaling up? We have brand-name treatments that have effects on personality disorders, but that have zero chance of being disseminated and reaching the people who need them,” Behn explained. “They're very good, but what we have to do is take these treatments, scale them down, make them more effective, and we also have to train professionals so they can implement them in the public health system. If we can't do that, they're boutique treatments, which is very good news for those taking that treatment, but has zero effect on public health. But, since they've been carefully developed, we can learn a lot about how to extract useful principles from these treatments,” he added. The director of MIDAP presented the work of the Andes Mind Lab, in which several institutions participate and which is funded by two regular Fondecyts, one Fonis, funds from MIDAP, the UC, among others. He also addressed advances in basic psychopathology (BPD), advances in assessment: case identification and screening, and advances in treatment (BPD and comorbidities). He also presented the results contained in the publications Study Features and Response Compliance in Ecological Momentary Assessment Research in Borderline Personality Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis; Psychoeducational Interventions for Borderline Personality Disorder: Protocol for a Scoping Review, as well as the results of research developed by graduate students. Then, Paula Errázuriz presented the work of the Psiconecta Foundation, which includes the development of psychoeducational materials for people with Personality Disorders. In the afternoon, Félix Bacigalupo presented Trauma and Personality Disorders, where he presented a clinical case and shared part of his review of research related to trauma, post-traumatic stress, adverse childhood experiences, and their link to Borderline Personality Disorder. He also addressed the comorbidity of BPD with mood disorders, major depression, and anxiety disorders, among others. Afterward, Candice Fischer presented the psychoeducational manuals on personality disorders developed by Psiconecta, such as the Manual for Family Members (or Caregivers) of People with Personality Disorders, with the support of MIDAP, and the Guide for People Diagnosed or Suspected of Borderline Personality Disorder. The researcher indicated that two other manuals are currently in development: Delivery of the Diagnosis of Trauma and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Psychoeducation and Care; and Borderline Personality Disorder: Evidence-Based Manual for Professionals. Finally, a panel discussion was held.