New developments in social support practices and private-public collaborations

New Developments in Social Support Practices and Private-Public Collaborations

The aim of this article is to examine a form of private-public collaboration for the development of social support practices in mental health systems in Brazil. Specifically, we intend to analyze the work developed conjointly by CAPS (Center for Attention to Mentally ill Persons, a municipal agency), and several NGOs developing the practices of so-called “Communitarian Therapy”, a technique developed to introduce psychotherapy into communities. The objective of this technique is the care of mentally ill persons through listening and counseling. People from the community, called lay therapists, are trained to conduct the sessions.

  Communitarian Therapy is currently being adopted by the CAPS Agencies,  frequently in association with NGOs. This approach empowers   communities, creating ties between   families, neighborhoods and technicians. The article argues    that these new practices strongly contribute to improving the quality of life of the mentally ill, due to the fact that  this collaboration between the municipal agencies, the NGOS, together with increased   involvement of the families and the community reduces one of the worst effects on persons with mental health problems, namely isolation and exclusion