Abstract
Introduction
The network of mental healthcare for children and adolescents has expanded in recent years, becoming a significant space for occupational therapists’ actions.
Objective
To characterize the practices of occupational therapists in the children’s mental healthcare network in Belo Horizonte, identifying actions and approaches.
Method
Qualitative, exploratory-descriptive study carried out with occupational therapists in the care network. The data collection took place trough semi-structured interviews and resource for their prossessing was thematic content analysis.
Results
Occupational therapists are present in the three devices of assistance network: nine in Complementary Teams; five in the CAPSi; four in the Art of Health Program. In the Complementary Teams, we identified three perspectives: the psychotherapeutic approach, the developmental/enabler approach and the perspective one, based on the principles of psychosocial rehabilitation. In CAPSi, the similarity of the team members’ actions stands out, without specifying practices based on the professional nuclei, with affects, with tensions, the professional identity. In the Art of Health Program, occupational therapists, coordinators of this service, exercise the management function.
Conclusion
The occupational therapists participate and contribute to the consolidation of proposals and the municipality’s assistance network. There are no homogeneous practices. Such actions depend on the characteristics and scope of the service and the specificities of the professional’s insertion. On the other hand, we identified the convergence of practices and approaches, making it possible to outline the professional’s actions in the field.
Keywords:
Occupational Therapy; Mental Health; Children; Adolescents