Health Education as a Tool for Transformation in Institutional Care Services: an experience report

Abstract

Health Education consists of a shared set of knowledge and practices aimed at prevention, health promotion and the autonomy of the subjects involved, such as users, health managers and professionals, including those working in the field of psychological science, since their work is based on a biopsychosocial view of the concept of health. The aim of this article is to discuss the interventions carried out during the Education and Health internship in the Institutional Reception Service. The methodology is a descriptive, qualitative study, of the experience report type, which looks at the activities carried out by the trainees in the discipline of Basic Health Education Internship, linked to the curriculum of the Psychology Course at the State University of Piauí, as well as the experiences of the students in an Institutional Reception Service. The experience took place between January and February 2023, on a daytime basis through weekly meetings, with an average of 12 children taking part, divided into subgroups according to their age group. Through observations at a shelter in Teresina, the group meetings with the children and the institution's staff were based on themes such as: Play; Fine motor skills; Cooperation and teamwork; Self-knowledge and self-esteem. Play, storytelling, workshops to make materials and conversation circles were used as tools in the activities. Based on the themes and activities worked on, the group achieved the proposed objective, acting together and guided by a biopsychosocial perspective on health, which favored the training of future professionals who will work on the front line in mental health care, and the relevance of working on health education in vulnerable environments in a scientific, creative, intelligible and dynamic way was understood.