A day dedicated to promoting emotional well-being and positive relationships in schools
Last Thursday, November 27, CICAE held , at the UCJC’s Castellana campus, a new CICAEOrienta event—a gathering for guidance counselors, school administrators, and education professionals—focused this time on school harmony, bullying prevention, and emotional management in the educational setting.
Under the theme “Coexistence, Well-Being, and Conflict Resolution in Schools, ” this event brought together more than 60 school counselors and mental health experts to analyze the impact of social changes on the emotional well-being of young people.
A diverse program featuring leading experts and real-world experiences from schools
Promoting social harmony and preventing violence through a comprehensive approach
The first presentation, “Promoting Harmony and Preventing Violence in Schools,” was given by José Antonio Luengo, a professor of Educational Counseling and one of Spain’s most influential voices on emotional health.
Luengo elaborated on the need to foster harmonious coexistence through structural prevention rather than merely responding to conflicts, emphasizing the importance of building relationships, providing emotional support, and practicing active listening within schools.
Common Mistakes That Perpetuate Bullying
Next, Enrique Pérez-Carrillo de la Cueva, president of AEPAE, addressed the factors that continue to allow bullying to persist in schools. In his presentation, “Fundamental Mistakes That Perpetuate School Bullying, ” he analyzed how social minimization, the lack of agile protocols, and the absence of specific training continue to act as barriers to effective intervention. He advocated for rigorous, measurable, evidence-based models and coordination between families and schools.
Legal Framework and Response to Complex Conflicts
Margarita Santana, managing partner at Santana Lorenzo Abogados, provided practical guidance on how to act with legal certainty in “The Legal Framework for School Life: Prevention, Detection, and Response to Bullying. Complex Conflicts, ” distinguishing between different phases of intervention and emphasizing the importance of properly documenting each process.
Inspiring Experiences from CICAE Schools
One of the most enriching moments of the day was the panel discussion featuring inspiring experiences shared by some of the professionals from our schools, with the participation of Miriam Serrano ( Aravaca International School), Cristina Herreros and Pedro Arturo Sánchez (Colegio Salliver), and Esther Herranz (Alameda International School), who shared real-world initiatives implemented at their schools to improve social harmony and prevent bullying through collaborative, preventive strategies based on student participation.
TEI Project and “Peer Consultancy” Case Clinics
Marta Blázquez and Cristina Apaolaza, from the Virgen de Europa School, along with Ángela Martín, Marta Múgica, and Patricia Francisco, from the Arturo Soria School, presented the work carried out as part of the TEI Project, a methodology that has been implemented in several CICAE schools. They shared case studies and demonstrated how peer support strengthens students’ inclusion and emotional security.
Teacher Well-Being and Emotional Management in Cases of Harassment
As the highlight of the day, Patricia Gutiérrez— a psychologistand founder of the Familiando Project—delivered a presentation titled “Teacher Well-Being and Emotional Management in Cases of School Bullying.” She reflected on how to safeguard teachers’ emotional well-being in highly complex situations and on the importance of developing tools for self-care, supervision, and professional emotional management.
CICAEOrienta’s impact and projection
CICAEOrienta reinforces its commitment to positive coexistence, bullying prevention, and the emotional well-being of the entire educational community by offering guidance counselors and teaching teams practical tools and a space for collaborative learning. The conference highlighted the importance of working in a coordinated and preventive manner to build safer, more inclusive, and more humane schools, and to consolidate a strong network for professional exchange within CICAE schools.
About CICAEOrienta
CICAEOrienta is an initiative that provides school counselors with a space for training and collaboration where schools can share best practices and collectively improve their guidance strategies.
