Alfonso X el Sabio University (UAX) has expanded its Health Campus with the opening of the UAX Psychology Clinic, a new facility located in the San Blas-Canillejas district of Madrid (C. de Miguel Fleta, 12) which combines university teaching, specialised psychological care and community service, with a clear focus on making a social impact in the local area.
The UAX Psychology Clinic has been established as a strategic project that addresses two key needs. On the one hand, it aims to strengthen the practical training of students on the UAX Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and the Master’s Degree in General Health Psychology, by providing a real-world, supervised environment aligned with professional excellence. On the other hand, to bring psychological care and psychoeducation closer to the public, contributing to emotional wellbeing through an accessible and community-oriented model.
The inauguration includes the launch of the Patients’ School, a programme specially designed to educate and support individuals and families in the San Blas-Canillejas neighbourhood and surrounding areas. In this regard, the School seeks to strengthen people’s active role in managing their own health, promoting self-care and emotional well-being amongst the public. This project exemplifies the dual nature of the UAX Psychology Clinic, which will act as a healthcare ecosystem, but also as an agent of transformation and social change in the area.
“This clinic embodies the essence of the UAX model: training excellent professionals in a real-world setting, promoting mental health as part of the One Health vision, and offering a service that is close to and accessible to the community, ” said Aida Suárez, Dean of the Faculty of Biomedical and Health Sciences at UAX, as well as Director of One Health at the UAX Group.
Practical training in a real clinical setting
The UAX Psychology Clinic thus becomes a new venue for advanced practical training—both curricular and extracurricular—for students of Psychology and those on the UAX Master’s in General Health Psychology, who will have the opportunity to participate in real-world psychological assessment and intervention processes, always under specialised clinical supervision. This training model incorporates active observation and progressive participation in sessions, co-therapy, discussion of clinical cases and ongoing supervision, thereby fostering the acquisition of professional skills in a real-world context aligned with current clinical practice.
The new centre will offer a comprehensive, person-centred model of clinical care that combines technical rigour and scientific evidence with a strong humanistic orientation and a personalised approach to consultation. Through the provision of psychological care to adults, children and adolescents, the clinic addresses a wide range of mental health needs through individual, family and group care, as well as sessions aimed at promoting psychological well-being, prevention and emotional support at different stages of life, encouraging the patient’s active participation in their therapeutic process.
The Patients’ School: a social commitment
To complement its clinical work, the UAX Psychology Clinic runs the Patients’ School, a community outreach programme focused on raising awareness, prevention and psychoeducation in mental health. The School operates through themed sessions and working groups aimed at both the general public and specific groups, taking into account the demographic and social characteristics of the San Blas-Canillejas district.
The topics to be covered by the Patients’ School include stress and anxiety management, emotional regulation, support for carers, active ageing, the menopause, parenting and the prevention of self-harm, with the aim of equipping participants with practical tools for self-care and supporting those around them. This community-based approach reinforces the Clinic’s role as a space open to the neighbourhood, which not only provides healthcare but also actively promotes mental health education and the creation of support networks.
A new milestone for the UAX Healthcare Campus
With the launch of the Psychology Clinic, UAX is consolidating and expanding its Healthcare Campus, comprising the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the Veterinary Simulation Centre, the Virtual Simulation Hospital and the Pharmacy Simulation Classroom, all situated on its Villanueva de la Cañada campus, as well as the Dental Clinics, also located in the San Blas-Canillejas neighbourhood.
