Anxiety and family problems trigger the demand for psychologists in high schools in the Balearic Islands

PalmaAnxiety, difficulties in relating to others, and family problems are some of the main concerns brought to psychologists at educational centers in the Balearic Islands. The demand for this service continues to rise: during the 2025-2026 academic year, professionals attended to 20,225 students, 12.8% more than the previous year. The increase is particularly significant in individual interventions, which grew by 31%, reaching 7,664. The data are part of the Report on the figure of the general health psychologist in the educational field, prepared by the Institute for Coexistence and School Success (Convivèxit) and presented this Monday by the Minister of Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, and the Director General of Early Childhood, Attention to Diversity and Educational Improvement, Neus Riera.

Second-year ESO students are the ones who have required the most attention from these professionals, followed by first and third-year students. The average age of the minors attended to is 14.6 years. In total, the 79 psychologists working in secondary schools, integrated vocational training centers, and CEIPIESO (school-institutes) carried out 7,664 individual interventions, of which 6,666 were directed directly at the students and 1,812 at their families.

The actions are not limited to individual attention. The professionals also organized 1,233 group interventions, 14.4% more than the 1,078 of the 2024-2025 academic year. These activities had 20,225 participants, compared to 17,932 the previous year, and focused mainly on the prevention of anxiety and stress regarding exams, emotional management, social skills, and conflict resolution.

More than 1,500 cases coordinated with health services

Part of the work of educational psychologists consists of detecting situations that require more specialized intervention. During the last academic year, they referred 815 cases to Primary Care and coordinated 743 with mental health services. In addition, 1,163 referrals or coordinations with other specialized resources were recorded. The report also incorporates indicators on the perceived results of the interventions. According to follow-up data, 77.62% of individual actions resulted in a perceived improvement. Family satisfaction obtained a rating of 4.25 points out of 5. In group activities, the perceived improvement was 74.93% and overall satisfaction was 4.1 points.

Convivèxit coordinates the deployment of this figure in schools and organizes periodic meetings with professionals to share experiences, analyze cases, and facilitate resources. Training during the course has also addressed issues such as suicide prevention, child protection, gender-based violence, sexual and gender diversity, and autism spectrum disorder.