In 2001, Nel A. González Zapico joined as a volunteer at the Gijón branch of AFESA, the association for families and individuals with mental health problems in Asturias, Spain. After training as an assistant in psychiatry, Gestalt therapy and Ericksonian hypnosis, he coordinated the association’s self-help groups, supervised by teams of psychology professionals, while also volunteering in occupational workshops.
He was then asked to join the AFESA Board of Directors in Asturias, where he took on the role of spokesperson, representing the Asturian association in Madrid within the FEAFES Confederation (later renamed Confederación SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA).
In April 2004, he was elected president of AFESA Asturias, a position he held for four years, until July 2009.
In September 2005, he was elected alternate member of the Standing Committee of SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA, the governing body of the state organisation. Two months later, he became treasurer. In June 2007, he was appointed secretary and, after five years in this role, he was elected vice-president. Since October 2015, González Zapico has held the position of president of the Confederación SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA, having been re-elected in the last presidential elections of the organisation, unanimously by all territories, in December 2023.