Therapeutic workshops in psychosocial care centers

Abstract

Therapeutic workshops are a daily organizing instrument in Psychosocial Care Centers (CAPS). They represent a strategy to care and to social interaction. This is a qualitative study that aims to evaluate the therapeutic workshops from eight CAPS in the state of Mato Grosso and its congruence with the psychosocial care means. Thematic content analysis showed two categories: "Workshops on the logic of psychosocial care"and "Providing a new face to old practices". In the first category we observed workshops where users were encouraged to participate and to express their feelings as a means of providing care and interfering in the process of subject exclusion. On the other hand, results from the second category showed that in some places the workshops were held as a hobby. Conclusion: it is necessary that the teams reflect on the theoretical foundations of workshops,trying to improve the patients' awareness about their condition of social subjects. This attitude enables the construction of practices that enlarge the autonomy of both patients and professionals.