The concept of the “school that feels” has been the flagship initiative ofLIV (Life Intelligence Laboratory)since its creation in 2018. Emphasizing the importance of social-emotional learning in strengthening relationships and learning, the program advocates for the creation of spaces for listening in schools, transforming them from mere venues for the transmission of knowledge into a reference point for preparing students for life.

Caio Lo Bianco, director and founder of LIV, and psychoanalyst Vera Iaconelli led a discussion at theBett Brasil 2022Conference that broke new ground by speaking so openly, even about suicide—a topic considered taboo until very recently. The panel “Mental Health and Suicide Prevention: What Is the Role of Schools?” also addressed several other issues that are particularly relevant now that schools are returning to in-person learning.

According to Caio Lo Bianco, one of the critical issues of adolescence—the lack of dialogue about emotions and feelings—has been exacerbated by the social isolation caused by the pandemic. For this reason, the expert believes it has never been more important to create spaces for speaking and listening in schools to understand possible behavioral changes and how to address them. “Not finding a place at school where we can talk about our feelings, where we can see ourselves reflected in others, is what ultimately creates a false impression that what we’re going through is ours alone,” explained the director of LIV.

Advances in research in education and psychology now show that the relationship between emotional well-being and academic achievement is essential for schools to adapt to the challenges of the 21st century, and that focusing solely on academic content is no longer sufficient to meet parents’ expectations. The World Health Organization (WHO) even warns that failing to address adolescents’ mental health issues can cause harm that may even affect their future career opportunities.

Vera Iaconelli explained that mental health does not mean the absence of suffering. The psychoanalyst also acknowledged that choosing the path of talking and listening is the most challenging, but she stated that it is the only path that enables young people to recognize that the issues they are facing are common to other young people. “Suffering is not an illness. But when life’s challenges prevent a person from coming to terms with that suffering, leading them to a state of illness, then we can consider it a mental health issue,” she noted.