The Voice, our Dialogue Café Psychosis
Poster B115, Friday, October 21, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Le Baron
dr. Carmen Leclercq1,3, Geert Gardin1,4, Viviane Naessens5,4, Dominique Degrande3,4, Dag Van Wetter2,4, Frank Schaffler4; 1Psychiatric Hospital Onze Lieve Vrouw, Brugge, 2Psychiatric Center Sint-Amandus, Beernem, 3mobile early intervention team psychosis MVIP, 4steering committee The Voice, 5family organisation Similes West-Flanders
The project, inspired by the explicit demand of family members, started back in September 2010. The Dialogue Café Psychosis was started by caregivers active in psychosis care within the broad Bruges region, joining forces with Similes, an organisation of family members. People who are confronted with psychosis have many questions and are longing for dialogue with all parties involved. Answers aren’t easy to give, but giving support and proximity is always possible. The Dialogue Café Psychosis is mainly meant for family members of people with psychotic vulnerability. Experience shows that these families need to discuss psychosis with people going through the same process. This recognition and support between peers makes family members keep returning to the Dialogue Café. Attending caregivers experience a different role, as allies, as fellow-partners involved. The Dialogue Café Psychosis is a bi-monthly event outside the psychiatric context. After an introduction of substantive information or a testimony, the main part consists of informal chats with everyone involved. This informative part is very diverse in terms of theme and format: public perception of mental health and psychosis, expertise-by-experience, evolutions in mental health care, art and psychosis, movies, testimonials, panel discussions, … About 100 to 120 people find their way to each Dialogue Café, there are new visitors every time. Clients with psychotic vulnerability are welcomed to participate in the dialogues. The Voice, the Dialogue Café Psychosis is a collaboration of 15 partners and is coordinated by a steering committee of family members and professional caregivers. (www.praatkaffee-destem.be)
Topic Area: Psychosocial Interventions