This qualitative study had the purpose to increase the discussions about the constitution of competences in the education of nurses so that they can work in the mental healthcare area. Goals: to analyze the representations of the research subjects about mental healthcare competences. Method: qualitative research. Setting: The nursing department in a public university in the state of São Paulo. Subjects: Professors and healthcare nurses working in the same area. The mobilization of testimonies happened in focus groups, followed by discourse analysis. The building of competences and promotion of complex situations in the students' learning process were discussed, and the discourse analysis yielded the following empirical categories: The concept of competence, What is a complex situation, Which knowledge is necessary to manage complex situations in psychiatric nursing and mental healthcare, Competence: knowing how to manage a complex situation.
Education, nursing; Mental health; Professional competence