ESSSCAN Island Mental Health Conference

What superhero? No, thank you”: Naira Thin defends the vulnerability professional on the Day of the Island’s Mental Health ESSSCAN

The School of Health and Social Services of the Canary islands (ESSSCAN), in collaboration with the Cabildo of Tenerife, held on 8 and 9 October 2025, the Day the Island for the Prevention of Mental Health Disorders, in the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín. This activity, which is part of the School Preventive and their Formation Insular 2025, brought together health professionals, students, and citizens interested in purchasing tools for the prevention and addressing the problems of mental health.

During the conference, leading experts discussed the main challenges related to mental health and psychological well-being. Among them, the clinical psychologist and a professor at the University of La Laguna, Juan Ignacio Capafons Bonnet, gave a presentation focused on the psychological well-being in times of change and adaptation. For his part, the doctor psychiatrist Eduardo Vera Barrios, of the Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, he discussed strategies for the preven

tion of the development of mental health disorders from the clinical practice. Finally, Calixto Herrera, coordinator of the program “Migration and Odysseys of Colors in the Schools in the Canary islands”, gave an intervention dedicated to the prevention of suicidal behavior, deconstructing myths, hoaxes and stigmas that still exist around this topic.

In this context, the social psychologist Naira Delgado Rodriguez impartior a conference entitled “what Superheroes? No, thank you. The importance of accepting vulnerability in the professions tohelp”, a paper that opened a space for reflection necessary and courageous within the field of health and health care.

Thin, stressed that the vulnerability is not only a human condition, but that is an intrinsic part of the professional practice of those who work daily with the pain, the sickness and the suffering of others. He pointed out that the helping professions, such as health, education or social, involving a constant exposure to situations emotionally complex, which can lead to emotional exhaustion, moral suffering and burnout, if not recognized and managed properly.

However, he stressed that this vulnerability is often hidden due to the cultural pressure that requires constant strength, vocation unlimited and delivery capacity without limits. “we don’t need superheroes, and we need professionals who can be human, to feel, to ask for help and work in environments that care for them”, he passed during his speech.

It also stressed the urgency of effective programs for the prevention of psychosocial risks and institutional spaces to protect the emotional well-being of health care workers. The stigma attached to express discomfort or ask for help continues to be a barrier that invisibiliza the suffering and hinders the implementation of strategies of care.

The attendees responded with openness and gratitude, appreciating that this topic, traditionally silenced, is beginning to occupy a central place in the discussion professional. For many, the conference of Thin was you a boost of hope and a reminder that caring for the mental health of those who care for them is also a way of saving lives.