Solidarity economy and mental health: experience report of virtual practices

Abstract

The connection between mental health and work has a long trajectory, often involving oppression and restriction of freedom. Seeking a new place of work for users of the Psychosocial Care Network (RAPS), the solidarity economy has been highlighted as a multiple possibility in the fight against the stigma, emphasizing people’s autonomy and emancipation through solidarity and cooperativism. Thus, this article aims to bring an interprofessional experience report on a universitary extension project of Solidarity Economy in Mental Health. This is a descriptive work, developed based on participant observation and analyzed in the light of Mikhail Bakhtin and Paulo Freire. It is concluded that this project is of paramount importance in the construction of multiple knowledge, as it includes professionals in the plastic and performing arts, health, and artisans. Thus, the training practice of several actors contemplates a powerful action through art, culture, and work for a management that aims at social inclusion, critical reflection, and autonomy in the field of mental health.