The program will begin in 2026 at the Faculty of Psychology and will last three years.
The Superior Council of the Universidad Nacional de Rosario unanimously approved the creation of the University Technician in Therapeutic Accompaniment, which will be offered at the Faculty of Psychology.
"It's a great recognition of careers because therapeutic accompaniment is a practice that has been sustained for a long time, and very recently, legislation was created that hasn't yet been regulated, but will soon have its own regulations, which will recognize the professionalization of therapeutic accompaniment. So, in that sense, creating a university program gives it a place of recognition, first of all because what we do here is take the first step of recognizing the practices," explained Dean Soledad Cottone.
He also emphasized that "it will be a recognition of history, and that the launch of this new training program will begin a new path toward the professionalization of therapeutic support."
“We already had an undergraduate diploma program, which lasted one year and included a workshop on writing a final essay, and it had a huge impact. In the first cohort, 1.200 students enrolled, and in the second cohort, 2.900 students,” Cottone recalled, adding: “In fact, we've been asked to teach it in different parts of the province, because therapeutic accompaniment is truly a practice that encompasses everything in the field of mental health and community. When we talk about mental health, we're not just talking about practices; we're talking about the clinical practice, disability, aging, childhood, adolescence, and crisis.”
The new technical program will begin in early 2026 and lasts three years. It seeks to train professionals with solid theoretical and practical training in the field of therapeutic support, from a community mental health perspective and with a rights-based approach.
The curriculum is structured into two areas. The General Training area includes ten annual subjects distributed between the first and second years, covering psychology, psychoanalysis, philosophy, social theory, biology, history, epistemology, linguistics, and research methodology, promoting a critical and contextualized approach to subjective processes. The Specific Training area is composed of four thematic modules (including approaches to childhood, adolescence, mental health, and rights) and two four-month workshops focused on practical training and integrative work, ensuring a permanent connection between theory and practice throughout the course.
One of the distinctive features of the University Technical Program in Therapeutic Accompaniment is its flexibility, as it allows admission to students from other academic backgrounds linked to the Faculty, such as Psychology, the Teaching Program, or the Diploma. Those who enter through these pathways will have their previously completed training recognized, which facilitates the continuity and integration of training within the university setting. "So we believe it's a great contribution to what we've been working on regarding the recognition of educational backgrounds, ensuring that no student falls by the wayside, and that if someone has completed training at our University, it can be recognized with a degree," commented the Dean.
Journalist: Gonzalo J. García / Photographer: Camila Casero.