Psychological and Counselling Service (PACS)

It is an individual psychological service with a PACS psychologist to help guide you. Sessions are held in judgement-free spaces, and their objective is to guide you in the search for new solutions to difficult problems or situations you’re facing. 

We recommend you schedule an appointment whenever you’re facing a difficult situation or problem that you can’t overcome or resolve or if you’re feeling stuck or lost. In some cases, it’s important to bear in mind that more specialized care may be required than that offered by PACS’ individual Counseling sessions. In these cases, we will help you find appropriate alternatives. 

The issues can be extremely varied: Academic problems, adapting to university life, interpersonal problems, life crises, perfectionism, self-image, self-esteem, conflict management, anxiety-related symptoms, apathy, and disruption of healthy habits, among others.

Simply send an email to pacs@esade.edu

Any and all students enrolled at Esade Business School and Law School, regardless of their specific programs.

The first session is key to understand the problem you’re dealing with. We’ll ask you a variety of questions to understand the issue you want to address, from when the problem arises to what strategies you’ve applied in the past to try to address the issue. At the same time, the first session also serves to establish initial contact, learn about each other, and gain a brief and general understanding of your background and current situation. During this first session we will also recommend different services which might be useful, including services offered by PACS and other Esade units. 

Sessions are generally held either weekly or biweekly to ensure the appropriate follow-up. Regardless, the individual Counseling service is unique and personal, and, consequently, completely tailored to the individual students’ needs. 

In some cases, one session is enough; in others, 5 or 6 may be needed. There is no limit in terms of the number of sessions. However, bear in mind that PACS is designed to provide short-term psychological guidance and doesn’t provide diagnoses or long-term treatment. 

Sessions last 50 minutes. 

Sessions can be held on our Barcelona campus (Building 2), the Sant Cugat campus (undergraduate building), or online. You can choose whichever option you prefer, and you can choose a different option from one session to the next. 

Yes. Sessions are confidential, the exception being cases in which there is a clear risk for your health or someone else’s. For full details, consult the Individual Counselling Intake Form section located on the PACS site.

Of course! You can start individual Counselling with PACS even if you’re being treated elsewhere. Our PACS psychologists will analyze if our work potentially interferes with that external treatment, studying each individual case to determine the best alternative. 

Yes. Having participated in individual sessions one academic year does not exclude you from requesting them again in the future. 

We will assign you a PACS psychologist based on the team members’ availability. The team of PACS psychologists are trained in the clinical area, applying a transdisciplinary focus. All our psychologists are members of the Catalan Illustrious College of Psychology (COPC). 

This refers to changes or adjustments to the standard curriculum to respond to students’ special or specific educational needs. This norm encompasses and considers the existing functional diversity found in university classrooms, providing an agreed-on, coordinated, and inclusive response to students’ different realities.

The following general considerations should be taken into account: 

1. We will consider possible adaptations so long as they are compatible with students achieving all the required competencies established for their specific programs. 

2. We will only implement these adaptations when the existence of those special educational needs is duly justified and demonstrated.

Send us an e-mail (pacs@esade.edu) to present your request so that we can begin the process of identifying your personal needs.

Students enrolled in official Esade Law School and Business School programs with academic difficulties stemming from diagnosed medical and/or psychological conditions. 

You have to forward the corresponding medical and/or psychological report and fill in a form. When we have this information, we’ll schedule an interview with you to examine the curricular accommodations we can apply. Lastly, we’ll send you an e-mail detailing the agreed-on measures.

You have to forward the corresponding curricular accommodation report from your home university -if available- or a medical and/or a psychological report, and then fill in a form. When we have this information, we’ll schedule an interview with you to examine the curricular adaptations we can apply. Lastly, we’ll send you an e-mail detailing the agreed-on measures.

Your report can be in any of the three official languages at Esade: English, Catalan, or Spanish.

The measures can be either temporary or permanent depending on your specific medical and/or psychological needs.

Each program has different periods for requesting accommodations throughout the academic year. The relevant deadlines are available on PACS intranet.

Following submission and approval of the student’s request, the curricular accommodation will be implemented in the next applicable period, in accordance with the submission timeline.

No. PACS solely serves to provide university students guidance. It does not carry out diagnoses. Consequently, students have to provide the corresponding psychological reports. You can consult the requirements for these reports here on the PACS site. 

No. The information you provide will only be made available to the PACS team and will not be included in your transcript.

The Safe Environment System defines the specific responsibilities and procedures to prevent and eradicate any cases of violence, harassment, or any other behavior towards -or between- students which can be considered inappropriate. This applies whether the incidents occur at Esade or elsewhere, especially if the latter has a clear relation with Esade and can potentially impact our students.

Esade community members can consult these protocols here.

These protocols also serve to provide students the appropriate protection when suffering any type of harassment, all the while respecting their right to privacy, dignity, and equality.

Esade expressly rejects any type of harassment or violent behavior, whether these occur on its own facilities or elsewhere.